Items filtered by date: February 2018

February is American Heart Month and we at Superior Foot & Ankle Care Center want to encourage an activity that will benefit your heart as well as your feet: walking. According to the American Heart Association, brisk walking can lower your risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol—three factors that greatly increase your risk of heart disease. All of these types of disorders can negatively impact your circulation. With your feet being the part of your body farthest from your heart, circulatory issues are particularly important to good podiatric health. In addition, walking helps you maintain a healthy weight—another plus for protecting your heart and your feet. So, what are you waiting for? Below are a few tips to help you get started.

• Start with good shoes. Walking is appealing because it doesn’t require a lot of expensive equipment and you can do it practically anywhere. The one thing you do need, however, is a good pair of shoes. It’s best to get your feet professionally measured at a shoe store that specializes in athletic footwear. If you have an existing foot disorder such as bunions or plantar fasciitis, talk to one of our podiatrists, Dr. Victoria Foley or Dr. Constance Omelas to learn about designs that will best accommodate your condition. The foot doctor may prescribe an orthotic device to improve comfort and function of your feet.
• Pace yourself. While 30 minutes a day is the goal, every step puts you on the path to better health. If you’ve been sedentary for a while it’s a good idea to start small and gradually increase the speed and length of your walks. Can’t find 30 consecutive minutes? Take two 15-minute walks. Look for ways to sneak in extra steps: walk while you talk on the phone, park farther away from the office or stores, take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.
• Make it enjoyable. Walk and talk with a friend, watch your favorite television series while on the treadmill or make walking a bonding opportunity with your teenager. You are much more likely to stick with an activity if you like it.

Within a short time, your walking program will begin to pay off. Not only will your heart and feet be healthier, you’ll sleep better and be more focused during the workday. If you have additional questions about walking and your feet, contact our Long Beach office by calling: 562-420-9800.

Hallux rigidus is a form of degenerative arthritis that affects the big toe and one that we at Superior Foot & Ankle Care Center would rather treat in its earlier stages rather than its later ones. What starts out as stiffness in the toe joint will eventually progress to pain, decreased the range of motion and even a frozen big toe joint as the cartilage continues to deteriorate. Being unable to bend your big toe affects all motions that involve pushing off with the toe. These include essential activities like walking, running, squatting down and climbing stairs. At some point even standing and putting any weight on the toe at all can be extremely painful. In addition, hallux rigidus can lead to the development of other conditions such as bunions, bone spurs and calluses.

Who’s at Risk?

There are a number of factors that can increase your risk of developing hallux rigidus and not all of them are within your control. Structural abnormalities and faulty foot mechanics are often to blame for this disorder and those can be inherited or the result of another condition like flat feet or excessive pronation of the ankles which can cause stress to the toe joint. Hallux rigidus, like other forms of arthritis, may develop in a joint that was previously injured. It can also be the result of overuse of a sport that requires pushing off with the toe or a job where you are frequently squatting or doing other activities that bend the toe.

What Can be Done?

If after assessing the state of your big toe joint through examination and x-rays our podiatrists, Dr. Victoria Foley and Dr. Constance Ornelas diagnose hallux rigidus (or hallux limitus—the same condition at an earlier stage) the next step will be determining the correct treatment plan for you.

The foot doctor may recommend rest, icing and over the counter anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen to bring relief of symptoms. Cortisone injections, changes in shoe choice, custom orthotics and physical therapies are all options that can help increase the range of motion and slow the progression of arthritis. In cases that are too far progressed or where there are additional complications, surgery may be the best option,

To learn more, contact our Long Beach office by calling: 562-420-9800.

At Superior Foot & Ankle Care Center we find that most children’s podiatric issues result either from poor hygiene habits or overuse injuries related to sports activities. One of the difficulties in diagnosing and treating children is that they are not always able to articulate their symptoms or even identify the source of discomfort. Look for these indicators that your child may be experiencing foot or ankle pain:

• Limping or walking or running in an abnormal way.
• Not wanting to participate in sports or other active pursuits that they normally enjoy.
• Complaints of tiredness.
• An increased frequency of trips and falls.

If your child is showing any of these signs inspect their feet completely (but gently—the cause of the pain may be internal). If you notice anything unusual or you don’t see anything but it’s clear that something is wrong with your child’s feet, make an appointment at our Long Beach office so that one of our podiatrists, Dr. Victoria Foley or Dr. Constance Omelas can do a complete podiatric exam.

Practice Safe Sports

You can help prevent injuries and conditions caused by overuse by ensuring that your child has the correct shoes for the sport they are doing and that the shoes fit properly. When children are young it’s likely that they will need a new pair of shoes each season. Have your child’s feet professionally measured and don’t let them wear hand me down sports shoes. Be sure that children warm up and stretch before practices and games and that the conditioning program they are doing allows days of rest between workouts. Heel pain from plantar fasciitis or Sever’s Disease and Achilles tendonitis are some foot conditions that can be caused by too much repetitive activity from a sport or exercise program.

Teach Your Child Healthy Foot Habits

Plantar warts, athlete’s foot, fungal toenails and ingrown nails are also conditions that children commonly experience. These can be avoided if your child follows some simple rules:

• Let mom or dad trim nails appropriately—don’t peel nails or pull them off.
• Wear shower shoes or flip-flops at the town pool and when in gym locker rooms—fungal and bacterial infections are spread by direct contact.
• Don’t share shoes, socks, towels, nail files or any other items that touch someone else’s foot.

If you have questions about your children’s feet, contact us by calling: 562-420-9800.

At Superior Foot & Ankle Care Center we often find that patients have no trouble identifying a hammertoe—its telltale downward bent at the joint makes it fairly obvious—but often that’s where the knowledge stops. Too often patients suffer for a long time with a hammertoe because they do not fully understand the condition and their treatment options. Below some common myths about hammertoes are dispelled to help patients be more informed about this condition:

MYTH: Hammertoes are caused by shoes that are too tight.

TRUTH: It’s true that improperly fitting shoes can contribute to or exacerbate the condition of hammertoe but usually a muscle/tendon imbalance predisposes the toe to bend downward. In some cases, one toe is longer than the others and pushes up against the front of the shoe. Hammertoe can also be genetic, the result of arthritis or a neurological or structural issue.

MYTH: It’s possible that over time hammertoes will get better without treatment.

TRUTH: Hammertoes are a progressive condition. Although they may progress at varying rates they will not improve and will, in fact, worsen to the point of being disabling if not treated. It’s important to have one of our podiatrists, Dr. Victoria Foley and Dr. Constance Omelas examine your hammertoe to assess how far it has progressed. The foot doctor may order x-rays to get a better look at the current state of the joint and will also want to get a complete medical history. Hammertoes should be monitored by the podiatrist.

MYTH: There’s no real treatment for hammertoes.

TRUTH: Actually there are several conservative options available to the foot doctor to help decrease pain, increase comfort and slow the progression of a hammertoe. These include: strapping or taping the toe to establish realignment, using a custom orthotic device to correct or compensate for a muscle tendon imbalance and doing stretching and other exercises to increase flexibility and strengthen supporting muscles. In addition, patients should choose shoes with low heels that have roomy toe boxes and are made of soft materials to avoid further stress to the toe and irritations such as corns, calluses, and ulcers from developing. If none of these treatments are successful or there are other deformities such as bunions in addition to the hammertoe the foot doctor may recommend surgery to correct the problem.

You have options so don’t suffer needlessly. If you have a hammertoe contact us for an appointment at our Long Beach office today by calling: 562-420-9800.