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What’s Causing Your Heel Pain?

Ouch! Every time you take a step it hurts.
It feels like there’s no skin between the bone in your heel and the ground.
Walking reasonable distances shouldn’t be a painful experience. But for many Americans it is.
And don’t be like the many other Americans who decide to ignore the pain and do nothing about it. That’s only going to make it worse.
Here’s why you could be experiencing that pain in your…heel:

1. New Training or Activity that is Too Advanced Or Used Too Quickly
Got a teenager that just started a new training regimen for basketball season? That could be a cause. Are you an adult getting back on the horse with rigorous exercise? Any new, intense, or extensive activity can be too much for your heels to handle. Improper footwear, increased weight, and not using good foot mechanics for your exercise can also contribute to the problem.

-That problem, by the way, is what doctors call “plantar fasciitis.”
Symptoms of plantar fasciitis: You’ll know it when you have it. You feel it where the arch of your foot meets your heel. It’s sharp and most intense in the morning. It gets better throughout the day because the plantar fascia, the tissue on the underside of your foot, stretches out throughout the day.

2. Sudden Activity Increases Cause Achilles Tendonitis
Sudden activity, along with overuse can cause this condition. It can range in severity from mild to extreme.

-It commonly happens in middle-aged adults who play sports with intense activity, like tennis or basketball. And this is especially so if you only play the sport on the weekends.
In some serious cases, you can tear your achilles tendon, which requires a painful surgery with an extended recovery process.

3. Injuries, Disease, or Genetics Cause Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome
With this injury, you experience a shooting pain in the sole of your foot. Most people discuss a numb or tingling sensation.

-Diseases like diabetes or arthritis can bring it on. And an ankle sprain can sometimes cause it too.
Plus, some people born with flat feet or fallen arches also experience this pain.
Treating These Kinds of Heel Pain

In their mild and moderate forms, these injuries simply use the RICE method to recover.
“RICE” stands for:
• Rest
• Ice (Use it for 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off. Do not use while sleeping. Keep a towel between the ice and your skin.)
• Compression (Use a compression wrap to reduce swelling.)
• Elevation
If you have more chronic or severe pain that just won’t go away, see a medical professional for further advice.

How to Help Your Teen Protect Their Ankles During Winter Sports

thinkstockphotos-78749836-300x200Winter is here, and basketball, volleyball, and wrestling are in full swing. Football season’s wrapping up too.

Regardless of the sport or sports your teen plays, their ankles are in danger. There’s a reason that in basketball they say “ankle breaker” when a player makes an awesome move.

Have you ever rolled your ankle?

Many people have, and it’s one of the most painful injuries you can experience. The pain can be severe for weeks. And it can come back off and on for years.

It’s not possible to prevent all ankle injuries. Some sports practically guarantee they will happen.

But you can prevent many of them, and here’s some steps (no pun intended) you can take to help your teen prevent a severe ankle injury from happening:

  1. The Effectiveness of Braces Is Unclear

One study by Swenson and others (in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine 2013 issue) was unable to find an accurate measurement of the effectiveness of ankle braces.

Some studies have found they are effective, and especially so in elite college athletes (who have a very high risk of ankle injury). For “non-elite” athletes, a group that includes high-schoolers, effectiveness was minimal. And in some cases, braces even increased risk for ankle injuries.

This includes all types of ankle braces, including tape, semirigid braces, and lace-up braces.

  1. So If the Effectiveness of Braces is Unclear, What Do You Do?

For starters, your teen, if they don’t already, should work on conditioning themselves for their sport’s season before the season actually starts. A sudden increase in stress on their ankles, like that from starting a sport, significantly increases their risk of injury.

A healthy diet also helps. If your teen is one of the gifted ones who can eat potato chips and drink soda all day, yet still kick butt in sports, you’ll have a harder time convincing them of this. But, do the best you can to stress the importance of drinking lots of water throughout the day, and eating a balanced diet of proteins, vegetables, and healthy carbs.

Finally, they should warm up before doing any rigorous exercise. In sports, they’ll have to do this. But if they practice on their own at home, it’s worth your time to discuss the need for warming up doing the same movements they’ll do during full intensity (but at a slower pace as they warm up).

Hold Your Breath

Some collisions and accidents in high school sports are unavoidable. Ankles will still get stepped on, and even crushed sometimes. That’s just how sports work.

But if you can get your teen to follow these tips, they’ll minimize their risk for injury and prevent many unnecessary ankle injuries.

North Texas Foot and Ankle Now Helps Diabetics with Foot Problems

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At first, you have to be thinking: what does a foot and ankle medical practice have to do with diabetes?

The two couldn’t seem farther apart.

But if you’re a diabetic, have a family member who is, or know someone else with diabetes, the connection’s obvious.

Diabetics often suffer from a nerve disorder called “small fiber neuropathy.” This condition causes tingling, numbness, and pain in diabetic’s feet.

So there’s the connection.

The Hyperion SmartSKAN Allows Us to Detect Diabetic Neuropathy Early On

Once nerve damage affects any of your peripheral areas – arms, hands, legs, or feet, it’s called “Diabetic Neuropathy.” And for diabetics, it’s a common condition, even when they do a good job of controlling their blood sugar. Some statistics say this condition affects up to 50% of all diabetics.

SmartSKAN allows us to do a precise measurement of the damage done to your small autonomic nerve fibers. SmartSKAN can find this damage early on in the process, before you even have a strong awareness of what’s going on.

So, this allows you to seek treatment, which is almost always most effective when you first discover this condition. And you can prevent a certain extent of long-term damage too.

Benefits of SmartSKAN You’ll Love

For starters, getting scanned by SmartSKAN is no big deal at all. There’s no pain or discomfort. You don’t have a long visit to the doctor’s office. It takes just 2 minutes to do the entire scan. In fact, it’s the fastest way to detect diabetic neuropathy out of all the different methods you could possibly try.

It’s non-invasive, and simple for our specialists to operate. To you, that means there’s very little chance of error. That also means an accurate diagnosis and plan of action you can take to reduce the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy.

So if you’re diabetic, or if you’ve noticed strange feelings like these happening in your extremities, consider getting a SmartSKAN today.

How to Recover from an Ankle Sprain

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Winter sports are winding down – did your teen make the playoffs? Last month we covered how to prevent ankle sprains.

But in high-impact sports like basketball and wrestling, ankle sprains sometimes happen even when you take every proper safety precaution. Your teen goes up for a shot and rolls their ankle awkwardly when they accidently land on someone else’s on the way down. Or they drive to the hoop and have a big collision with another player.

Accidents happen. And hopefully your teen didn’t break their ankle.

If they just sprained it, here’s what to do to make sure they recover as fast as possible and get back on the floor again:

  1. Just Follow the R.I.C.E. formula for Grade I Sprains

R.I.C.E works like this:

Rest your ankle by not walking on it. Use crutches if you have to. You can put some weight on your leg if you haven’t fractured it. An ankle brace can keep the swelling under control and prevent further damage.

Ice. Now isn’t the time for your teen to play the hero and proudly refuse any assistance or treatment. Ice keeps down the swelling and gets them back to a healthy condition sooner. You should have them ice their ankle about 20 minutes at a time at most.

Compression. You can get compression sleeves for ankles online. They’re quite affordable. They help keep the swelling down and immobilize your ankle to prevent further injury.

Elevate. When resting their ankle, your teen should have it elevated above their waist or heart.

  1. For Grade II and III Sprains, You’ll Need Your Doctor’s Help

With Grade II sprains, there is a chance you won’t need to see a doctor. They may want you to immobilize your ankle or use a splint on it. Otherwise, it simply requires maybe a week or two of rest, which is longer than a Grade I sprain (that requires just a few days of rest at most).

With a Grade III sprain, your teen’s ankle may be at risk for permanent instability. Your doctor may want to use a cast for 2-3 weeks, or a boot to protect your teen’s ankle. In rare cases, surgery may be necessary.

If your teen repeatedly sprains the same ankle, the need for surgery becomes more likely.

That’s the basics of caring for a sprained ankle.

Wishing you a fast recovery!

Lessons to Learn from Peyton Manning’s Foot Injury

thinkstockphotos-502321086-300x214By now, Peyton Manning has played in what is likely the final Super Bowl, and game, of his career. Will the hallowed quarterback have been able to overcome the disruptive Panther defense? And will his own defense be stifling enough to keep the Panthers high-octane offense under control?

It seems a distant memory now. But Manning actually lost his starting job to backup Brock Osweiler. Manning’s body actually was starting to wear down all season long.

Hip, rib, and foot injuries greatly reduced his ability to perform. The most notable, and disruptive, of these injuries was a torn plantar fascia.

That’s the tissue on the bottom of your foot that runs from your heel to the ball of your foot. And when it tears, athletes describe the sensation as similar to “walking on broken glass.”

How do You Recover from a Torn Plantar Fascia?

Unfortunately for Manning and other athletes, the best way to get better involves rest. There’s no real timeframe for recovery. It could take just a few weeks – or several months. At the pro level, athletes come back from this injury when they can perform effectively again.

For starters, you don’t have surgery to repair this injury. That’s because, in more cases than not, surgery causes more harm than good. If you search around long and hard enough, you will find a surgeon willing to operate. But that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. You may actually end up impairing your recovery moreso than anything else.

The general way to recover involves rest. If you’re a serious athlete and want to stay in shape, you can cross-train. Swimming works well, as it puts no stress on the plantar fascia. You can also consider a stationary bike.

However, whenever you notice pain or discomfort, that means to cut back on what you’re doing. Rushing back from this injury is difficult and likely to increase your recovery time.

You should also put your shoes on as soon as you get out of bed in the morning to minimize stress on your plantar fascia. Going barefoot or wearing slippers only increases your pain. Simple exercises like toe and calf stretches done several times per day also helps. Not only does this make your ligament more flexible, but it also strengthens the muscles that support the arch of your foot.

In general, doctors say you’re 20% recovered within 2 weeks, 80% recovered in 6-8, and fully recovered at about 12 weeks. But there’s no guarantees on that.

Unfortunately, it’s one of those injuries that takes a whole lot of time to heal. And there’s not much of a way around that.

How to Choose Athletic Shoes that Protect You from Injury

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Having the coolest shoes…who doesn’t want that?

Nike, Adidas, Fila, And1 – they all have new and cool designs.

Doesn’t the saying go,”If the shoe fits, buy another one just like it.” Today, because you do have so many choices, you can get the coolest shoes – and ones that protect you from painful injuries that could possibly cause pain for your entire lifetime.

You know what you want in a design. But how do you know if it’s the perfect fit that’s going to protect you from a painful ankle roll?

Here’s what to look for:

  1. Consider What the Shoes are For

First, think about what you’re going to do most often when you have these shoes on. Will you be running? Playing sports? Hiking?

It always works best to get shoes specific to the activity you’ll use them for most.

  1. Go with the Fit, Not the Size

Your foot changes in size and shape, even when you’re an adult. Also, sizes change with the brand. So a men’s size 10 shoe could fit your foot perfectly, and it couldn’t.

Focus on fit, not listed size.

  1. Shop at the End of the Day

Bet you’ve never heard this one before. But maybe you’ve noticed it. Did you know your feet actually swell as you run or walk during your day?

Your shoes need to fit when your feet are the largest. Make sure you shop in late afternoon or early evening after they’ve had most of their use.

You want shoes that fit your feet when they’re the largest.

  1. What You Should Notice?

Your shoes should feel like a comfortable fit now. If they don’t, the pain or irritation will only get worse later on. Don’t tell yourself,”They’ll feel better after I break them in.”

There is no such thing. You should have around ¼ to ½ inch between your toes and the end of your shoe. Your heels should not slip out at all when you walk or run. Try both walking and running when you try the shoes on.

  1. Shoes are for Running, Training, Walking, and Specific Sports

Those are the four major categories of athletic shoes. The different types of shoes have different features to offer maximum protection and functionality.

For example, basketball shoes have high ankle support to prevent sprains, and cushioning in the toes and heels to prevent soreness and irritation on your foot. Good jogging shoes are light, cushioned, and flexible.

If You’re Serious about Safety and Comfort…

You can’t skimp on the cost of your athletic shoes by going to one of the major discount retailers. While it costs more, a comfortable and safe shoe can be bought at a specialty shoe store.

How to Keep Your Foot Safe During a Pedicure

thinkstockphotos-488911908-300x200Is pedicure safety really something you need to be aware of?

It is.

Because if you don’t watch it, you can walk away with an infection.

Granted, the company doing your pedicure should be aware of all possible injuries that could occur at any time. However, not every company acts responsibly. So, you need to take proper precaution so nothing bad happens to you.

And in some cases, the responsibility does fall on you.

Here’s what to watch out for:

  1. Don’t Shave Your Legs the Day Before!

Shaving actually creates many microscopic cuts in your legs. Bacteria, viruses, and just about any harmful organism you can imagine can get in your body through these cuts. Plus, imagine how many of those float around the place where you get your pedicure, even if they do practice good hygiene.

Shave your legs after your pedicure instead.

  1. Consider Bringing Your Own Pedicure Tools

Bacteria and fungus love to catch free rides on all the various pedicure utensils available. But, bringing your own utensils almost completely eliminates their ability to do that.

Even the most hygiene-conscious salons sometimes forget to switch the utensils between customers. Employees miscommunicate. Mistakes happen.

  1. Go to the Bathroom Immediately When You Get There

When you enter the bathroom, look it over with a critical eye. If you notice an unusually filthy bathroom, you can accurately guess what the rest of the hygiene of that salon will be like.

If the bathroom’s dirty, consider pointing it out and politely excusing yourself from your appointment.

  1. When Your Technician Does Their Work…

Make sure they don’t cut your cuticles. That can be another easy point of entry for germs and bacteria.

When dead skin gets removed from your feet, make sure the technician uses a pumice stone or foot file. Some may try to use a razor. Don’t let them do that. Again, it can cause cuts that allow germs in, and it could also result in permanent damage to your skin.

  1. Avoid Artificial Nails If…

You are prone to fungal infections or have brittle nails. They can lead to you getting more infections. If you have healthy nails, artificial ones can be worn. Just make sure you give your nails a break from them once in a while.

Don’t Panic! Most Pedicures and Salons Are Safe

At the end of the day, we don’t want you to obsess about what could happen the next time you get a pedicure. View these tips like wearing a seatbelt when you get in your car.

You probably won’t get into an accident. But you take certain safety precautions to protect yourself.

New Medical Device Heals You Faster from Plantar Fasciitis and Eliminates the Need for Painful Surgery

thinkstockphotos-468109757Did you know that heel pain is the number one reason patients seek medical attention from a doctor that specializes in foot and ankle pain? That’s according to Podiatry Today, which also says about 70-90% of treatments for heel pain are successful.

However, the problem is that the recovery from surgery can be long and painful. And roughly 20-30% of the patients end up with chronic heel pain even after treatment. Traditional treatments, also according to Podiatry Today, become “less predictable, more costly.”

And that’s where extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) comes in.

The Stunning Difference ESWT Makes Versus Surgery

Even though you may not have heard of ESWT, also known as EPAT, it’s been available in the United States since 2000. According to the same article in Podiatry Today, the authors who performed a study compared a group that received surgery for plantar fasciitis to a group that used ESWT for the same condition.

Success rates were almost identical: 82% for the group receiving ESWT and 83% for the group receiving surgery.

The big difference? The group that received ESWT “returned to work and activities of daily life nearly immediately.”

They didn’t mention the precise recovery timeframe for the surgical group. However, a commonly accepted standard in the medical community is a recovery time of 2 to 3 weeks for traditional open surgery and 3 to 6 weeks for endoscopic surgery.

How Does ESWT Work?

First of all, the entire procedure is non-invasive. You’re not cut open. Nothing goes into your body.

Gel is applied to your skin. An electrical probe is applied to the same area. An electrical charge is created. You may need some anesthetic if your treatment requires high energy waves. During your treatment, you experience an energy wave that focuses on the specific area of your foot to be treated.

Depending on the severity of your injury, you may need more than one session to recover from the injury.

Medical experts aren’t 100% sure why this works. But they believe it improves blood flow to the affected area of your foot. And that encourages your body to repair itself.

No Surgery, Much Less Pain and Discomfort, And A Fast Recovery

At the end of the day, this is why you would choose the ESWT treatment.

North Texas Foot and Ankle alternates use of a ESWT machine with another practice by month…but only we have the machine until the end of this month. So if you have tendonitis or plantar fasciitis, now’s your chance to treat both conditions without any painful or frightening surgery. And you get a fast recovery too. Call us at 214-574-9255 to schedule your appointment today.

5 Common Dance Injuries (And How to Treat Them)

thinkstockphotos-56292363-198x300Grace, beauty, and elegance. When you think of dance, that’s what comes to mind. You don’t think of neck injuries, a throbbing rotator cuff, lower back muscle spasms, aching knees, or painful pinching sensations in your heel.

Yes, dance, as fun and graceful as it looks, has its own potential injuries, just like any other exercise.

Take a look at some of the foot and ankle injuries you can experience in dance (whether you’re 14 or 40), and what you can do to prevent them:

Achilles Tendonitis
You know the long tendon on the back of your heel. That’s your achilles. Repeated use can cause it to feel strained and inflamed.

Treatment: If you keep dancing on it, you put yourself at risk of a tear. Achilles heel tears are extremely painful and take a long time to recover from. When you notice inflammation, take a break.

Ankle Sprains
Sharp directional changes, high jumps, and difficult landings all make dance a likely place where you could sprain your ankle.

Treatment: The good news is most ankle sprains do not require surgery. Yours may if you don’t notice good progress in healing within a couple days. Rest, keeping your ankle elevated, and ice are the cure.

Shin Splints
You may have already had these if you were a runner, or if your son or daughter ran competitively. They happen in dance too. A “shin splint” is when the lining of your bone tears away from your bone after extensive use.

Treatment: Again, it’s rest. You have to listen to your doctor’s advice until you’re ready to come back from your injury. If your shin splints don’t get better, you may have a stress fracture.

Bunions
Usually, dancing itself doesn’t cause this injury. However, if your dance shoes fit too tightly, they can cause irritation and make your bunions hurt.

Treatment: Make sure you have comfortable dance shoes. Use warm soaks and ice packs frequently.

Dancer’s Heel
This painful condition is when you experience pain in the rear of your ankle. It’s most common when you perform pointe or demi pointe.

Treatment: It’s fairly straightforward. Your physician may recommend stretching, ice, physical therapy, or massage. Cortisone injections may be used when pain is more intense.

Enjoy dancing. And just make that if you notice any signs of pain, don’t ignore them. Act fast and modify your dance routine so they don’t turn into something far more painful.

Barefoot Running: Effective or Dangerous?

thinkstockphotos-503462630-300x200Barefoot running has captured a dedicated following. Advocates claim it strengthens your tendons and ligaments, reduces your chance of injury, and all while helping you to develop a more natural way of walking and running. Opponents say it increases bone injury, pain, inflammation, and risk of further serious injury.

So who’s right? What should you do?

If you run barefoot, or use the “barefoot” minimalist shoes, should you stop immediately? Or, should you run without any concern?

Let’s take a look at some sources to see what they say:

One New York Times Article Says to Exercise Caution
In this particular study, Dr. Sarah Ridge examined 36 experienced male and female runners. Up to the study, they ran 15-30 miles per week.

Half of the group was asked to run the same mileage as always with the same running shoes. The others got Vibram Five Fingers barefoot-style shoes and were asked to add some barefoot running in their normal regimen.

The runners wearing those barefoot-style shoes had no evidence of leg injuries or tissue injuries. However, half did show early signs of bone injuries. And two had stress fractures.

While injuries started to develop, the study was unable to conclude why. Other factors, like mileage, running form, weight, and other variables could have played larger roles in the injuries.

For now, Dr. Ridge recommends less than a mile per week at the start when you transition to barefoot style running shoes.

What Harvard Had to Say on the Issue
Clearly, earlier in history, humans ran comfortably without running shoes. Harvard’s test found that experienced barefoot runners don’t land on their heels. Instead, they land with the front or middle of their foot. These landings don’t generate the large impact that heel strikes do. Barefoot runners can run even on hard surfaces like asphalt or concrete without discomfort.

However, Harvard did qualify this statement by saying they do not have data on how people should run. They don’t know if some shoes lead to injuries. And, they still believe strong controlled studies are needed.

You can read their full opinion in detail here.

The Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association (JAPMA)
You can read the full story of an article at this journal here. The summary is that the literature does not support the claimed disadvantages of barefoot running. Many studies have found differences in gait. Anecdotal information says barefoot runners have fewer injuries and better performance.

For now, experts think it’s an acceptable method of training for athletes and coaches who take steps to minimize the risks of barefoot running.

At this point in time, there’s no definitive proof on this issue. However, it does seem clear that you do need to exercise caution if you’re thinking about becoming a barefoot runner.