Keep Your Feet Feeling Young

Holiday shopping is not easy on the feet. Not only are you trekking from store to store, but if you have a long list of gifts to buy. What you had hoped would take hours ends up taking days. At the end of the day, you bring home a few unwanted gifts of your own: foot pain and blisters.
The average person takes about 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, especially when on the hunt for that perfect gift. To help you stay on your feet, here are five holiday fixes:
1. Massage your feet. This will help release tension, increase circulation and rejuvenate the skin.
2. Soothe your soles. Soak your feet for at least five minutes in a container filled with warm water. Pat dry and apply lotion to hydrate your feet.
3. Elevate legs. Lift your legs above your heart while lying down to help reduce swelling.
4. Rotate ankles. Cup the foot under the back portion of the heel to brace the foot and leg; turn slowly at the ankle five times. This loosens the ankle joint and relaxes your feet.
5. Point your toes. While standing, do toe raises, toe points and toe curls for five seconds; repeat 10 times. This alleviates toe cramps and strengthens calf muscles.
When you get home, reward yourself by pampering your feet. After all…you deserve it. Visit our website for some great suggestions as to creams, exfoliants, and soaks to get your feet ready for their next outing. For more information on solving foot pain, visit www.tanglewoodfootspecialists.com.

Everyone with diabetes should know that their feet are at risk. They also should realize that their risk increases exponentially as their blood sugar rises and their diabetes becomes uncontrolled. That being said, despite this knowledge, many people with diabetes do not take control of their disease like they should. I sometimes sound like a broken record when I speak to my diabetic patients about this, but I’m currently dealing with a situation that serves as a good reminder to me as to why I have to keep insisting that my patients remain vigilant against complications of diabetes.

It’s a story of a very, very nice man who I saw first in my wound clinic. He had a seemingly minor ulcer beneath his left foot. We talked about the proper dressings, the need to keep the pressure off of the area, etc. Everything I would normally discuss in these circumstances. He did admit that his diabetes was not in great control, but he was working at it. In fact, a test later showed that his diabetes was not close to being in control!

A short time later I got a call at my office from his wife that she was concerned with the appearance of his foot. I had him come to my office immediately and found a rapidly deteriorating, infected foot. I admitted him to the hospital and operated on him to drain the infection, but it was not enough. A few days later I had to remove more tissue and amputate a toe. This all happenned in a short time frame of approximately 10 days.

Uncontrolled diabetes puts many of the body’s systems at a deficiency. Of particular note is it’s effect on the immune system, putting the diabetic’s limb at a greater risk of infection and decreases the ability of the body to heal. For these reasons, I insist on the following routine to everyone with diabetes in my practice, from the “borderline” cases to those under poor control.

Along with diabetes often comes neuropathy, a decrease in sensation in the lower extremity which fails to alert the brain when a normally painful condition occurs. It is vital that people with diabetes inspect their feet daily. I suggest a 30-60 second inspection of the top and bottom of the feet, as well as between the toes. What you’re looking for is any change from the day before. Any redness, cracking, bleeding, or pus is worthy of concern and a phone call to the podiatrist. If you cannot see the bottom of your foot, a spouse or child can help you. Otherwise, a mirror can be helpful. My patients are routinely told that I’d rather they call me and it be nothing than have them wait and postpone treating a problem.

For more information about diabetic foot care, visit www.tanglewoodfootspecialists.com
For more information about an easy to use illuminated mirror for foot inspections, click here

I had an opportunity to sit down with the store manager and shoe manager of Luke’s Locker, a specialty running store here in Houston. The partnership between a good running store and their clients is a vital one. They’re the ones that stay on top of the new shoe styles, monitor changes and “upgrades” and can best identify when a shoe is not appropriate for a particular runner.

Staying on top of changes in running shoes is tough. Most shoe companies will “upgrade” a shoe as often as twice a year. Why the quotes? Well an upgrade may end up being an entirely redesigned shoe with a new last but with the same name. While it may have been the right shoe for you at one time, it no longer may fit right once it was updated.

Most podiatrists are unable to keep up with the constantly changing variety of shoes. Since I see lots of runners, triathletes, and other athletes, I do my best to stay abreast of changes, but I often refer to the experts. A specialty running store has knowledgeable managers who educate their salespeople as to the appropriate shoes for foot types. Some even bring in podiatrists and other experts into their stores to run workshop for their sales staff and even for their customers.

A properly fitting shoe is vital to foot health in general, but especially if you’re involved in an exercise program. Proper shoes can not solve all foot problems (otherwise I’d be out of business) but they’re an important step to providing the environment that will be most helpful in healing many foot issues.

To learn more about how running effects the feet, visit www.tanglewoodfootspecialists.com
To find a location for Luke’s Locker, visit www. lukeslocker.com

Most men can sit this one out…

Ladies, I am not here to tell you to not wear polish on your toenails. I’ve tried, I’ve lost, I’ve given up. I do understand that when a woman wears an open toed shoe or sandal, they enjoy having polish on their nails. I get it!

But now it’s November. It’s chilly here in Houston (for Houston) and outside of Houston it’s downright cold. Women are wearing closed shoes and boots, but guess what? The nails are still being polished!

Most nail polishes contain formaldehyde, a carcinogenic chemical best known for preserving cadavers. On a toenail, the formaldehyde dries and damages the nail. Polish remover has acetone, which is popular for removing adhesives and paint. Also damaging for the nail. This damage can leave the toenail susceptible to fungus infections. Most of you have seen the dry white flaky condition of the nail when your polish comes off. In fact, people often come into the office concerned that it’s fungus. No, it’s just damage from the polish.

It’s time to take a vacation. While the closed shoes season is here, give your nails a chance to recover by not wearing polish. That’s right…no polish. What’s that? Just a base coat? Well clear polish is still just as damaging. It’s not the color that does it, it’s the polish itself.

Well is there any good polish? The answer is yes. There are polishes sold in some stores that are without formaldehyde. By most reports, they are inferior. There are also “healthy” polishes that contain vitamins, tea tree oil, and wheat protein. These are better for the nails and have antifungal properties. Even so, no polish is still better than this.

If you’re on vacation, go crazy, wear polish for the week if you’re wearing shoes that will show your toes. But otherwise, treat the nails right and get them ready for next sandal season.

If you would like to know more about the “healthy” polish, click here.
For more information about nail problems, visit www.tanglewoodfootspecialists.com

Well, the simple answer is “maybe.” First lets work on some definitions. The insole that comes in your running shoe is a “sock liner.” No matter what the shoe salesman says, it offers minimal support. The support and control of a running shoe comes from within the shoe itself. Anything you buy off the shelf at a pharmacy, shoe store, or sporting goods store is an “insole.” It does provide generic arch support. It is often a first step in solving foot issues.

That brings us to an orthotic, which is a custom insole made from a mold of your foot. That mold will be when your podiatrist wraps plaster around the foot, has you step in foam, or stand or walk on a computer force plate. There are differences as to what’s the best method but that’s for another post. An orthotic is only right for the person for whom it is made. It’s important to only get a custom orthotic from a doctor, who will provide an appropriate examination. Shoe stores that have “custom” orthotics are not using proper methods to design these orthotics and even may be using a computer to choose a generic insole and charging 10x more than they should for it. I’ve even found shoe stores charging more for a generic insole than I do for a custom orthotic!

In the evaluation for a custom orthotic, I take measurements of your foot, ankle, knee, and hips during a biomechanical exam. I also take x-rays when you are standing to examine the bone structure in detail. Lastly I watch you walk barefoot so I can get a true view of your mechanics. Based on the exam, I formulate a prescription to make the orthotics correct your mechanics to make you walk as efficiently as possible.

A custom orthotic is always right if you have any sort of foot deformity, such as bunions or hammertoes. A properly made orthotic will help to eliminate the forces that caused these deformities and stop them getting worse. This could help you to avoid surgery down the road. Serious athletes at any level should consider a custom orthotic if they have any pain during the activity. Taking a chance with a generic insole may make your condition worse.

Of course, there is a time and place to try an off-the-shelf insole. For mild foot pain, shin splints, or pain in the front of your ankle, try getting an insole from a specialty running store, which will provide some good support. An insole of this type should cost about $30-$40. If it’s more than that, just say no!!

For more information, visit www.tanglewoodfootspecialists.com

This weekend I had the great pleasure of taking my 4 year old daughter, Daniella, to Disneyworld. You have to understand, I’m a huge Disney fan, but this trip was unique for me…it was my first princess trip. Growing up in a family of boys, such things were foreign to me. But seeing her in her Cinderella dress taking pictures with her idols was truly something else. (I’ll see if I can post a photo…you’ll fall in love too.)

One of the highlights of the trip was a new ride based on the Toy Story movies. The ride itself was fantastic! But of particular note on this posting was the line…a really long, long, long line. We snaked around the queue for about 75 minutes, 30 of which had me carrying my sleeping daughter. During the wait, I had a chance to observe hundreds of people and the relative misery they were in. For such a happy place, there sure were lots of weary-looking people: Shoes being kicked off and rubbed…bandaids being put on blisters…ibuprofen being popped like candy.

For such a trip, you’d do well to train. Train? Exercise? For a theme park? Absolutely! Most people do not do the amount of walking involved in one day at a theme park in an entire week! Does anyone randomly decide to start standing in place for 75 minutes to see what it feels like? No! Has anyone considered how far it is from Space Mountain to Splash Mountain? I can’t tell you how often people come into the office and tell me about their terrible foot pain that has been present and ignored for 2 months and, by the way, they’re going to Disneyland tomorrow and I must make them feel better.

So before the trip, start taking long walks as a family. Don’t call it exercise. Start slow (breakfast pace), increase speeds slightly (catch the monorail pace), or full on race walking (need to be first in line pace) and you’ll find that your days in the “Happiest Place on Earth” will indeed be happy.

www.tanglewoodfootspecialists.com