Alex Trebek Jeopardizes His Ability to Walk

Alex Trebek, the famous Jeopardy host, tore his Achilles tendon Wednesday morning after chasing a burglar from his hotel room.  He jeopardized his ability to walk due to a sudden foot injury.  He tore the achilles tendon with a severe injury that will keep him off of his feet for a while. This type of foot and ankle injury can take a long period of time to recover from. 

 The Achilles tendon is the strongest flexor of the body. Its main action is to plantarflex the foot or to pull the foot in a downward motion.  It is the combination of two large muscles that do this: the gastrocnemius muscle and a small muscle called the Achilles. The two muscles originate from the back of the leg and knee area and join to form the strong Achilles tendon.  This tendon travels to the back of the heel bone known as the calcaneus.  The attachment is at the back of the heel bone. 

Achilles tendon injuries can be very hard to treat and the recovery time can be lengthy if not treated by a specialist such as a podiatrist. The initial feeling of this injury is as though someone took a bat and hit you in the back of the leg.  The injury can sometimes be seen as a visible gap in the back of the foot and ankle area.  Foot injuries such as this will usually have swelling and black and blue discoloration.  The other form is a rupture or a partial rupture.  Partial ruptures do not tear the entire portion of the Achilles tendon with a through and through rip.  With partial ruptures of the Achilles tendon you usually don't see a gap in the achilles tendon. You may not even see swelling or bruising. 

A quick treatment plan by a specialist, such as a podiatrist, can evaluate the patient with x-rays and possibly a diagnostic ultrasound.  It might  also be necessary to order an mri to better evaluate this type of foot and ankle injury.  Treatment totally depends on severity.  Treatment options range from casts, ankle or leg braces, custom bracing and sometimes surgery.  In most cases a foot specialist can evaluate and effectively treat this type of injury without surgery.

If you or someone you know suffers from pain in the Achilles tendon area and possibly has a traumatic injury, please feel free to contact us. We always have emergency slots in our schedule for problematic foot and  ankle injuries such as this. 

Juvenile Bunions Are More Common Than You Think

Boney prominences on the sides of the big toe are known as bunions. It is quite common to see these children. Bunions are partly due to shoe gear, pressure on the toe and the patients foot type. Bunions are also hereditary. The foot type that you have can increase your susceptibility to bunions. If a child has moderate flatfoot the possibility of having juvenile bunions increases moderately. 

Bunions develop on the side of the big toe joint on the foot. When a child wears a shoe there is an increased pressure on the side of the big toe. The pressure of the shoe on the bone you will get increased deformity at the site over time. Unfortunately if you have flatfoot this causes the patient to overpronate, which is the downward motion that occurs in the foot and ankle when we land. The other problem with flatfoot and bunions in children is that it causes the big toe joint to become unstable. This increases the possibility of more deformity at the site. Flat feet increases susceptibility to bunions, but there are several foot types that can cause a patient to develop bunions. There are other conditions where ligaments are loose that will eventually cause problems. When the ligaments are loose they do not restrict motion in the foot and cause bunions in children. 

Treatment plans vary for every patient. Conservatively treating juvenile bunions is the main concern. They should be wearing wide sneakers with a soft leather to decrease pressure on the bunion sites. An orthotic should be made, which is a custom made device that goes into the shoe or sneaker. The orthotic will decrease the pronation, or the way that we land, which in turn stabilizes the big toe joint. Orthotics will change where the big toe lies in the shoe, so we can decrease pressure at the big toe joint. If changing the shoes and using orthotics does not relieve the pain, surgery or bracing are the next options. Latex splints sometimes may be used on the foot to change the alignment of the big toe in the shoe, similar to a soft tissue manipulation. Soft tissue surgery is also a possibility. Surgery should only be considered as a last resort. 

Are Flip Flops Ruining Your Feet?

Although flip-flops may make you feet cool in the summer they are extremely bad for your ankles, knees, hips and even your back. Over time these injuries can lead to serious bone, tendon, and joint damage. Flip flop wearers tend to grip the flip flop with their toes, causing a shorter stride and have increased force when their feet hit the ground. This means a powerful force is transferred up our legs, putting additional stress on your lower body.  The way flip flops are made with a lack of arch support causes the feet to roll inward towards each other and cause pain and injury to the arch. If you do not have flat feet to begin with, you can become flat footed just from wearing flip flops.

These are not the only problems you can have when wearing flip flops. It is very dangerous being open toed. This causes a higher risk of stubbed toes, cuts, bruises, bug bites and dirty feet! If you want to wear open toed shoes, pick a healthier one. Start by looking for support. Choose sandals and flip flops with arch support, as well as an indent heel cup to hold the heel in place to prevent accidental slips. We have a line of sandals with great arch support with a built in orthotic. You can wear flip flops for a short period of time if you are going to the beach or walking around your house. It’s not too late to save your soles. If you are experiencing pain, stop wearing rubber flip flops. Change your shoe gear and if that doesn’t help see a podiatrist!