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For those who have been diagnosed with Diabetes, or those with family members who have, taking care of your feet is something that should be taken very seriously. Because of the lack circulation in the feet and legs, numbness can occur. This could prevent noticing that there is even a problem. That, coupled with inordinately slow healing, can cause infections to persist, spread, and even lead to amputation. Make sure to look out for signs of foot problems. If you have numbness, sores, or any type of slow-healing wound, see a doctor immediately.
Diabetic foot care is important in preventing foot ailments such as ulcers. If you are suffering from diabetes or have any other concerns about your feet, contact one of our podiatrists from Southeast Podiatry. Our doctors can provide the care you need to keep you pain-free and on your feet.
Diabetic Foot Care
Diabetes affects millions of people every year. Diabetes can damage blood vessels in many parts of the body, including the feet. Because of this, taking care of your feet is essential if you have diabetes, and having a podiatrist help monitor your foot health is highly recommended.
The Importance of Caring for Your Feet
Patients with diabetes should have their doctor monitor their blood levels because blood sugar levels play such a huge role in diabetic care. Monitoring these levels on a regular basis is highly advised.
It is always best to inform your healthcare professional of any concerns you may have regarding your feet, especially for diabetic patients. Early treatment and routine foot examinations are keys to maintaining proper health, especially because severe complications can arise if proper treatment is not applied.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact one of our offices located in Fairhope, Brewton, and Atmore, AL. We offer the newest diagnostic and treatment technologies for all your foot care needs.
By the time the average American reaches age 50, they are expected to have accumulated 75,000 miles on their feet. If you’re an avid runner, you may have more miles on your feet, so it’s especially important to optimize proper foot care. Knowing your body type, running style, your feet and the kinds of activity you routinely follow are all aspects to consider when maintaining foot care. Proper footwear is also vital in making sure that your feet are comfortable and healthy. Our feet change as we age, expanding and potentially becoming flatter.
Exercising your feet regularly with the proper foot wear is a great way to prevent injuries. If you have any concerns about your feet, contact one of our podiatrists from Southeast Podiatry. Our doctors can provide the care you need to keep you pain-free and on your feet.
How to Prevent Running Injuries
Many common running injuries are caused by overuse and overtraining. When the back of the kneecap starts wearing out and starts causing pain in your knee, this is commonly referred to as runner’s knee. Runner’s knee is a decrease in strength in your quadriceps and can occur if you’re not wearing properly fitted or supporting shoes. To prevent runner’s knee, focusing on hip strengthening is a good idea, as well as strengthening your quads to keep the kneecaps aligned.
What Are Some Causes of Running Injuries?
- One cause of a common running injury is called iliotibial band syndrome.
- Plantar fasciitis is also another common injury.
- Stress fractures can occur from overtraining, lack of calcium, or even your running style.
Best Ways to Prevent Running Injuries
- Wear footwear that fits properly and suits your running needs.
- Running shoes are the only protective gear that runners have to safeguard them from injury.
- Make a training schedule. Adding strengthening exercises as well as regular stretching can help keep you strong and limber and can lessen the possibility of injuries.
- Stretching keeps muscles limber, this will help you gain better flexibility.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact one of our offices located in Fairhope, Brewton, and Atmore, AL. We offer the newest diagnostic and treatment technologies for all your foot care needs.
Overtraining and overusing the feet are the main causes of common running injuries. A number of these common injuries are caused by overrunning. Runner’s knee is a condition that is characterized by the back of the kneecap beginning to wear away and cause pain in the knee. This frequently occurs due to either a decrease in strength in the quadriceps muscles or ill-fitting shoes that are lacking in proper support for the inside of the forefoot. Strengthening exercises focusing on the quad muscle and sports orthotics are the usual treatments for those suffering from runner’s knee. Prevention of the condition lies in a focus on hip strengthening and quad-strengthening to keep the kneecap aligned. To help learn the best exercise to heal runner’s knee, one can also undergo physical therapy.
One common injury, called iliotibial band syndrome, is often caused by overtraining. This condition occurs when the iliotibial band gets irritated, creating pain and discomfort in the outside knee area. Plantar fasciitis, another common running injury, also occurs as a result of inflammation and irritation. Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation and irritation of the bone in the foot. A large amount of pain is often experienced due to plantar fasciitis. The condition can be caused by a high arch, improper footwear, tight muscles, or flat feet. It can best be avoided by stretching and wearing appropriate footwear that supports the foot.
Another common injury for runners is stress fractures. These injuries occur due to running style, overtraining, or a lack of calcium. Stress fractures most often occur in several locations in runners, including the inner bone of the leg, the thighbone, the bone at the base of the spine and the bones of the toes. Stress fractures are best prevented by wearing proper footwear and by running on flat and hard surfaces; this will absorb some of the shock created during running.
Aside from overtraining, other causes of common running injuries include ill-fitting footwear, a lack of flexibility and strength, and irregular biomechanics. The best way to avoid running injuries is to prevent them from even occurring. Both iliotibial band syndrome and stress fractures are preventable. The first step that should be taken to prevent running injuries is to only wear footwear that fits properly and that is appropriate for whatever activity you are doing. Running shoes are the only protective gear available to runners that can safeguard them from sustaining injuries. Choosing the right pair of shoes is therefore extremely important. While running shoes are an important factor, it is also important to consider other facets of your running routine such as training schedules, flexibility, and strengthening. These elements should be considered and altered according to your running needs to best maximize your run and minimize the possibility of injury. Careful stretching before and after a run should also be considered to help prevent running injuries. Stretching muscles enables greater flexibility and a lesser chance of sustaining injury.
If you’re experiencing stiffness and pain in the soles of your feet that typically becomes more prominent during the mornings, you may have plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis can be described as a foot condition that results from overuse of the plantar fascia, the tissue that runs along the soles of your feet. Excessive stress on this area can lead to inflammation. Being overweight, having flat feet or high arches, pregnancy and improper footwear such as flip flops are also factors in the development of plantar fasciitis. Treat your condition by icing your feet, stretching your muscles and having proper rest by avoiding any strenuous activity.
Plantar fasciitis can be very painful and inconvenient. If you are experiencing heel pain or symptoms of plantar fasciitis, contact one of our podiatrists from Southeast Podiatry. Our doctors can provide the care you need to keep you pain-free and on your feet.
What is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis is the inflammation of the thick band of tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot, known as the plantar fascia, and causes mild to severe heel pain.
What Causes Plantar Fasciitis?
· Excessive running
· Non-supportive shoes
· Overpronation
· Repeated stretching and tearing of the plantar fascia
How Can It Be Treated?
· Conservative measures – anti-inflammatories, ice packs, stretching exercises, physical therapy, orthotic devices
· Shockwave therapy – sound waves are sent to the affected area to facilitate healing and are usually used for chronic cases of plantar fasciitis
· Surgery – usually only used as a last resort when all else fails. The plantar fascia can be surgically detached from the heel
While very treatable, plantar fasciitis is definitely not something that should be ignored. Especially in severe cases, speaking to your doctor right away is highly recommended to avoid complications and severe heel pain. Your podiatrist can work with you to provide the appropriate treatment options tailored to your condition.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact one of our offices located in Fairhope, Brewton, and Atmore, AL. We offer the newest diagnostic and treatment technologies for all your foot care needs.
The plantar fascia is a connective tissue in the heel that stretches across the bottom length of your foot. Plantar fasciitis occurs when the connective tissue becomes inflamed, causing heel pain and discomfort during physical activity. Although the condition is completely treatable, traditional methods can take up to a year to start becoming effective.
Plantar fasciitis is caused by a number of everyday activities, so understanding the condition is important for managing and treating it. One of the most common causes of plantar fasciitis is excessive running, especially with improper fitting or non-supportive shoes. Too much exercise can lead to the plantar fascia being overworked and overstretched, which can cause tears in the tissue. Along with improper fitting shoes, pronation, the rolling of the feet inward, is a common cause of plantar fasciitis. If not treated properly, the plantar fascia becomes overstretched and starts to tear, causing inflammation.
Despite the common causes of plantar fasciitis, there are many different treatment options. For less severe cases, conservative home remedies include taking anti-inflammatory drugs to alleviate pain, applying ice packs to the bottom of your foot and heel, slowly stretching and exercising your feet to re-strengthen the tissue, and using orthotic devices are all ways to help manage your plantar fasciitis.
For more severe cases, shockwave therapy has become a common solution for plantar fasciitis. Shockwave therapy can effectively break up the tissue on the bottom of your foot which facilitates healing and regeneration. This fights the chronic pain caused by plantar fasciitis. Even if this doesn’t work, surgery is always a final option. Surgery on the tissue itself can be done to permanently correct the issue and stop the inflammation and pain in your heels.
No matter what the case may be, consulting your podiatrist is the first and best step to recovery. Even the slightest amount of heel pain could be the first stage of plantar fasciitis. Untreated symptoms can lead to the tearing and overstretching of tissue. Because the tearing of tissue can be compounded if it remains ignored, it can evolve into a severe case. The solution is early detection and early treatment. Talk to your podiatrist about the possibilities of plantar fasciitis if you’re experiencing heel pain.
The fifth metatarsal is the long bone that connects to the pinky toe on the outside of the foot. This bone is especially prone to fracture for people involved in any sort of prolonged physical activity, especially team sports. This is one of the most common injuries in soccer, but many other athletes also suffer this injury. It is vitally important to never ignore any type of foot pain, on the field or off. Professionally, there is immense pressure to perform, which can lead to dependency on prescription painkillers. But the truth is, we all need our feet, not just star athletes. The best course of action is always to contact a podiatrist and get to the root of the problem.
Activities where too much pressure is put on the feet can cause stress fractures. To learn more, contact one of our podiatrists from Southeast Podiatry. Our doctors will treat your foot concerns.
Dealing with Stress Fractures of the foot
The Stress Fractures occur on the foot when muscles in these areas weaken from too much or too little use. Then the Feet lose support when walking or running from the impact of the ground. Since there is no protection the bones receive the full impact of each step. The stress on the feet causes cracks to form in the bones, thus called stress fractures.
What are Stress Fractures?
Stress fractures occur frequently in individuals whose daily activities cause great impact on the Feet. Stress factors are most common among:
-runners
-people affected with Osteoporosis
-play tennis or basketball
-gymnastics
-high impact workouts
Symptoms
Pain from the fractures occur in the area of the fractures, and can be constant or intermittent. It will often cause sharp or dull pain with swelling and tenderness. Engaging in any kind of activity which involves in high impact will aggravate pain.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office located in Fairhope, Brewton, and Atmore, AL. We offer the newest diagnostic and treatment technologies for all your foot care needs.
Highly active people (athletes in particular), or those with a very sedentary lifestyle, are very prone to stress fractures. When muscles weaken—either from too much or too little use—the muscles cease providing cushion for the foot as they impact the ground. As there is very little to protect the bones in your feet, each step you take causes the bones to absorb the full impact, and this causes cracks to form, or stress fractures, to form in the pressurized bones.
Basketball, tennis, and gymnastics are three of the top activities in which stress fractures appear consistently and frequently. On the other side however, those people who have previously lived an inactive lifestyle may incur a fracture when transitioning abruptly to an active lifestyle—such as those starting a high-impact, intensive workout. The muscles, unused to such vigorous work, are not used to handling and cushioning against a vigorous activity. Also, those patients who suffer from osteoporosis, or any condition in which their bones are weakened, frequently suffer stress fractures simply from normal wear and tear.
At the localized site of the fracture (typically where the symptoms originate) the pain can be immense. Sharp or dull pain is paired with swelling and possibly tenderness—engaging in any kind of further activity, especially high-impact, is highly discouraged. Though stress fractures heal in time, they are not as serious as say, when you receive one and continue engaging in high-impact activity; the condition may turn into a full fracture. A full fracture is very serious and may prevent usage of the foot wholesale.
From this point, treatment can vary patient to patient with the severity of the fracture. Rest is absolutely required for the foot. Fractures vary in healing time, some can be healed with short bursts of rest, and others require prolonged periods of resting paired with crutches. In cases in which the fracture is very serious, surgery may be authorized to install pins supporting the fracture and aiding in healing.
Prevention is always the best medicine. Calcium and Vitamin D are a must in the diet as they aid the fortifying and strengthening of bones. If you are a newcomer to high-impact activity, it is very important to gradually build the level of vigor on a weekly basis so as to create the requisite muscular strength. Supportive and adequately protective shoes are also a must. Consider switching up routines; if you walk every day, consider switching to biking to lower the stress on your feet.
On diagnosis of a stress fracture—immediately cease the activity that caused the fracture and rest! Prevention is always your first step, however, if relief of the symptoms does not occur naturally and within a reasonable time frame, an orthopedic specialist is highly recommended.
Following the above suggestions will allow you to prevent stress fractures and let you lead as active a life as you could wish.
