Painful Toe Nail

Do you have pain in your big toe that feels like there is something pressing up against your toenail? It is possible that you have a bone spur on the bone under your nail. If so, your nail may look perfectly normal, but your nail may hurt unbelievably. Now, the pain may be a lot better once you take your shoes off. This is because you no longer have pressure pushing against the prominent part of your bone.

There are multiple conditions that can cause pain in a toenail. You may have an ingrown toenail, fungus growing inside the nail, you may have dropped something on it and bruised it, or you could have a spur growing underneath the nail. There are multiple exams that your podiatrist can do to figure out what type of condition you are specifically dealing with. These including palpating the area around the nail to see where specifically the pain is coming from, taking x-rays to see what is going on with the bone and inspecting the color of the nail.

So, what if you do have a bony spur on your big toe? There are several options for helping treat the pain. The first couple are very conservative and may or may not help. You can put a cushioning sleeve over the top of the nail to keep your nail from bumping up against your shoe. You can also get deeper shoes so that your toe won’t bump up against them. Eventually though, if the pain isn’t going away, there is surgery that can be performed. It’s very minor and just involves shaving the excess bone off your big toe.

So, if you or someone you know has pain in their toenail and it is causing them a great deal of pain, you should seek help from your podiatrist. If you live in the Stoneham or Middleton, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your nail. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.

 

Cracked Heels and Flip Flops

Have you noticed cracking at the back of your heel or dry skin along the bottom of your heel? This dry skin could result in skin cracks that go so deep that can cause bleeding and a lot of pain. This can actually be as a result of wearing flip flops.

Flip flops are shoes that don’t provide you any support and also expose your entire foot to the environment. As a result, you are putting a lot of pressure on your heels without any support. This can cause them to break down. Also, since flip flops are not easy to keep on your feet, you can actually end up walking on your heels a lot, as a result of slipping out of them.

So, what can you do to avoid this problem? For one, you can wear shoes that provide you better support than flip flops. Yes, it is summer time and you get hot, but there are plenty of sneakers that are very breathable while at the same time providing you arch support and heel support. Another possibility for shoe wear, is finding sandals that have multiple straps to them as well as are closed in the back of the shoe. These shoes can protect your heel from your everyday life while at the same time providing you with a good amount of support.

What happens if you already have cracked, dry, bleeding heels though? Your podiatrist can take off all of the thick callused skin that is preventing your skin from healing and being healthy. Your podiatrist can also prescribe you a deep moisturizing ointment or lotion that will help to soften the skin and give it a lot of moisture. This will also help to slowly get rid of your pain, because it will close up your skin and prevent healing.

So, if you or someone you know has a dry, cracked, bleeding heel and it is causing them a great deal of pain, you should seek help from your podiatrist. We also offer a free book on our website that talks about the many different causes of heel pain and suggests ways that you can find relief. If you live in the Boston or Bradford, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your heel. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.

Diabetic Foot Care

Are you a diabetic patient? If you are, there is a lot of good that a podiatrist can do for you. Podiatrist can check your feet and ensure that you don’t have any additional problems that are affecting your feet as a result of the diabetes. Diabetes can cause conditions such as neuropathy, ulcerations and poor healing.

Neuropathy is a condition that results due to damage to your nerves. When your sugar is consistently too high, it causes your blood to not run as well and causes your nerves to not function properly. You will start out feeling tingling and shooting pains. Eventually, this will progress to the inability to feel things touching your feet. This can result in a lot of damage, because if you don’t feel something like a rock in your shoe, you can end up rubbing a blister or even an ulcer on your foot.

Another problem that can result from diabetes is poor blood flow. It is important that you regularly have your pulses checked. This is the first signal that will show your doctor that you may need further tests to make sure that you are getting enough blood and nutrients to your feet. If you are not, this can end up cutting off blood from your feet and end up causing ulcers.

Another issue is that sometimes, you may not be able to see your feet well due to damage to your eyes from your diabetes. In this situation, it is really important to see your podiatrist, because they will be able to check your feet for any ulcers or ingrown toenails.

We offer a free book from our office that outlines diabetic foot problems and treatment. You can order it from our website. So, if you or someone you know has diabetes, you should seek help from your podiatrist. If you live in the Tewksbury or Reading, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help inspect your feet. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.

New Spring Workouts

Running season is on the horizon and with it comes all of the new workout regimens after months of not working out as hard. So, it makes sense that people would have injuries after hibernating for so long. The best question you can ask though is what can you do during your workout to prevent injury.

First thing, that is the most important, is you need to stretch.  After months of not working out, your muscles are going to be very tight. It is good practice to stretch right before and after you work out. This will prevent some of the soreness that you have as well as decrease the chance of injury. Stretching will help to prevent things such as inflammation as well and give you a greater amount of flexibility allowing for proper running form.

Another important thing to note is shoe wear. If you are not wearing a shoe that is the proper type of support for your foot, you open yourself up to being more likely to roll your ankle, cause arch pain and cause heel pain. In order to determine what type of shoe is best for you requires a proper foot exam. This can be done by a podiatrist that can help you figure out what kind of supportive shoe would work best for you.

So, if you or someone you know is starting a new running workout and is having pain as a result of their workout regimen, you should seek help from your podiatrist. If you live in the Reading or Bradford, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your running injury. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.

Thick, Yellow, Crumbly Toenails & How to Get Rid of Them

So, you would think that spring and summer should be here, but in some parts of the country, the snow just won’t go away. Some parts of the country are starting to warm up though and in those parts it is time for flip-flops. For those of you that are ready for the warm weather, some of you might be a little nervous about taking off those shoes and socks and showing those toenails. There are many people that have yellow, thick, crumbling nails that are embarrassed to bear their nails in public.

Your nails can turn all yellow and thick as a result of fungus. The fungus gets inside of your nails and attacks them turning them yellow and sometimes black. As we start to get a little older, our immune system doesn’t work as well. Fungus takes advantage of the situation and attacks your nails at their weakest moment. Unfortunately, once fungus gets a leg in the door, it can be a real beast to kick it out. There are several options for treatment including oral medications, lotions, creams and drops. There is a newer treatment though, that involves a laser that is seeing great results.

The laser is tuned to a particular frequency that kills the fungus but doesn’t harm your body. The laser may need to be used a couple of times, dependent upon the severity of your fungus. Once the laser has been used though, it is important to remember that it can take a year for your nail to grow out new. So, you have to be patient in order to see results occur.

So, if you or someone you know yellow, thick, fungus toenails and it is causing them a great deal of pain or to be self-conscious, you should seek help from your podiatrist. If you live in the Tewksbury or Boston, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your nail. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.

Got Black Toenails?

Is your nail black? There are two main causes that can make your toenail turn black. The first is toenail fungus which has a tendency to affect more than one toenail, but it can’t be ruled out if there is only one showing signs, because it may have just not spread to the others yet. The other is trauma. You may have dropped a hammer on it, jammed it into a door or even be wearing to tight of shoes and banging it into your shoe while running. All of these things are capable of causing you an injury.

So, what is the black from? Well, you can think of it just like you would a bruise on any other part of your body from an injury. Once you have injured that specific area, you actually have blood that is under your nail that will slowly heal with time. The nail itself will grow out or fall off with time and a new one will replace it.

The only problem that this condition can pose is that if the pressure from the blood under the nail is significant enough, it can end up causing you a great deal of pain. In this situation, we may either make a hole in the nail, just like a pressure release, or actually remove the entire nail. If this is necessary, it is important to have your podiatrist do it, because you do not want to injure the nail bed beneath and cause yourself to have no nail or a deformed one as a result.

So, if you or someone you know has injured their toenail and it is causing them a great deal of pain, you should seek help from your podiatrist. If you live in the Bradford or Burlington, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your nail. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.

Is It Getting Hot Out Here?!: Tips on Staying Hydrated and Beating the Heat By: Andrew Schneider

Picture yourself four miles into your long run on a swelteringly humid summer afternoon. Are you sweating right now? You better be. A sudden cessation in sweating is your body's way of telling you it needs water and fast! There's no doubt that as this summer progresses, we will likely reach record breaking temperatures yet again, affecting runners across the entire country. For runners this means being extra cautious and staying hydrated!

There are ways to tell if your body is becoming dehydrated. Of course, you may find yourself feeling extremely thirsty, but this isn't always a reliable method of assessing your need for water. Other signs and symptoms of mild dehydration include a dry or sticky mouth, dry skin that has lost some or all of its resilience, drowsiness or exhaustion, constipation, decreased urine output, headache and dizziness. Severe dehydration will result in little to no urine, low blood pressure, a lack of sweating and even delirium or unconsciousness.

An excellent sign of dehydration is the color of your urine. As a rule of thumb, the darker your urine, the more dehydrated you are. For most healthy adults, dehydration can be treated simply by refueling with water and Gatorade. If you find yourself suffering from one or more of the above symptoms, stop running immediately and get fluids into your system!

During large summer races, we are so caught up in the excitement and adrenaline, we too often forget that the heat and humidity can be deadly. Know in advance what the weather is going to be like come race day. Pay close attention to what your specific race will do if temperatures rise to dangerous levels. Many races are now adopting a heat and humidity measurement standard that is in accordance with the American College of Sports Medicine's recommendations for participation in endurance events through use of the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature. These races have flags throughout the course to tell a runner what their risk is. For example, a yellow flag indicates a moderate risk in which runner's should slow their pace as the heat increases. A complete list of these can be found on the Chevron Houston Marathon's website.

So what can you do to beat the heat on your outdoor summer workouts? First, always run early or run late. Running in the hours just after sunrise or before sunset allows you to avoid the most intense rays and heat of the day. If you typically train as part of a group, you could even try working out after nightfall. Another method to stay cool is by running with a hydration pack. These are especially useful if you are conditioning for a marathon or ultra-marathon in which you are logging a large number of miles on a daily basis. If you don't find the hydration pack comfortable, as these can be heavy, you might consider a hydration belt instead.

Dr. Andrew Schneider is a podiatrist in Houston, TX. He is dedicated to educating runners and triathletes about the health and safety of their feet. For more information about foot health in sports, including informative videos, visit his website.