Podiatry

Foot freedom means more than just wearing sandals all year round. It means having the freedom to use your feet freely for the mobility you rely on every day. Your physician is the front-line expert on feet and all the various complications that arise in your lower limbs making contact with the ground. At our center, your physician focuses on prevention. Keeping your feet healthy is tantamount to foot freedom and mobility. And when you do need treatment, call today for an appointment.

Your feet take a lot of abuse, so you need to ensure they remain healthy to keep you pain-free and mobile. Feet serve as shock absorbers, points of propulsion and stabilizers whenever you move. With 36 joints, 26 bones, and over 100 ligaments, muscles and tendons, your feet risk something going wrong every time you take a step.

Add to those numbers to the other bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons in your ankles and lower legs, and you have the perfect storm for creating uncomfortable and painful conditions. Podiatry provides state-of-the-art care, along with practical tips and techniques for keeping your ankles and feet healthy.

The Healthy Foot

Your physician is trained in all matters of the feet and ankles. Your physician teaches you the ways to protect and preserve your feet to enhance your quality of life and increase your longevity. Over time, healthy lifestyle choices ensure that your feet stay strong enough to prevent future conditions that may impair your mobility.

Some of the medical conditions, include:

• Ensuring that you always wear appropriate shoes. Poorly fitting, inappropriate footwear is perhaps the number one cause of non-genetic foot disorders. Wear shoes that effectively support and protect your feet.
• Paying attention to your posture and form. Notice where you walk, how you stand and what techniques you employ when playing sports. Injuries to your feet and ankles usually happen when you aren’t aware of obstacles and surfaces that pose a danger. Improper foot and body biomechanics when running, exercising and playing sports contribute to foot problems.
• Warming up your feet, ankles and lower legs. No matter what activities you’re going to engage in, stretch before you participate. Even walking in your house can be dangerous to stiff muscles and tendons that have been resting overnight. Even professional athletes pay more attention to their calves and thighs when stretching than to the all-important structures of the feet.
• Giving your feet and ankles a rest. Every now and then throughout the day, take a load off. All that weight and movement are hard on your feet. Elevating your lower extremities gives your circulatory system relief from the constant work of pushing blood flow back to your heart. The stress of standing on your feet all day can lead to a host of potential complications. Give them a break.
• Time to perform effective, daily care. Clean and dry your feet thoroughly. Keep nails clipped properly. Exfoliating your heels. These habits go a long way toward maintaining healthy feet. And checking for early signs of potential problems gives you sufficient time to seek medical advice before the issue causes you major problems.

Common Conditions

Some of the most common conditions include:

• Achilles tendonitis
• Ankle sprains
• Athlete’s foot
• Ball of foot pain
• Bunions, corns and calluses
• Foot fracture and Injuries
• Toenail fungus
• Gout
• Hammer toes
• Heel pain
• Ingrown toenails
• Plantar fasciitis
• Plantar warts
• Swollen feet
• Tarsal tunnel syndrome

Treatments

Most procedures are non-invasive or minimally invasive. While you may be out of commission and unable to walk without assistance for a short time, recovery is generally smooth as long as you follow your physician’s instructions.

Sometimes, treatment requires the attention of another specialist for an underlying condition, such as tumors, arthritis, or diabetic feet. At our center, you’ll find the team for nearly every medical field.

While surgery is always the final resort, the most common procedures used to treat disorders include:

• Achilles tendon surgery
• Bunion surgery
• Corn removal surgery
• Reconstruction surgery
• Hammer toe surgery
• Heel spur surgery
• Laser toenail treatment and wart removal
• Orthotics prescriptions
• Plantar fasciitis surgery