How to Strengthen Your Achille's Heel

Achille’s tendonitis causes pain on the back of your heel. It is often exacerbated by long runs, new exercises and aging. It starts as a bit of a throbbing at your heel and progresses to a sharp stabbing pain that can be debilitating. This pain is a result of minor repetitive trauma that causes small tears in the tendon. As the tendon is used again and again you can cause the tears to become inflamed and undergo acute inflammation. However, the injury can be fixed before the tendon progresses to a full rupture. One way to do this is through exercises to strengthen your Achilles tendon.  The following exercises can help you to do this, but as with other exercising, it is all about consistency.

1.       Calf Raise: Stand on the edge of a stair and raise your foot to where you are standing on your toes. Lower yourself slowly until you feel the muscle stretching. This is your gastrocnemius and your soleus that attach to the Achilles tendon. It is important to do one foot at a time to maintain stability. Make sure that you do both feet so that you are strengthening both tendons.

2.       Resistance Band: While sitting, loop a resistance band around your foot and point your toes. Then pull the resistance band towards you while keeping your toes pointed. This will also increase your strength.

These two exercises will quickly strengthen the muscles in your calf and will therefore increase the strength of your Achilles as well. You should notice changes relatively quickly, but it is important to halt your exercise routine while you are strengthening the tendon. After you have been cleared by your podiatrist to start training again, it is safe to return. However, should you feel pain again; you should seek medical attention for further treatment.

Posterior Tibial Tendon Rupture

Your posterior tibial tendon runs along the inside of the back of your heel and down onto the bottom of your foot. Many times, this tendon will be injured as a result of someone being overly aggressive with a new workout plan. The tendon will become irritated and inflamed and if the person does not heed their body’s warnings, then the tendon can actually split in half. The tendon can also rupture due to people who have flat feet or are obese. In both of these cases excessive pressure is being placed on the tendon and it eventually is compromised due to the stress of the pressure. If you do not notice a sharp pain, because not all people will, you may notice that your foot is more flat or that your foot rolls inward where it did not in the past.

Treatment for this condition ranges from bracing to surgery. The steps that are taken are all dependent on how far the injury has progressed. In individuals who did not notice the pain initially, their ligaments can stretch causing the foot to flatten out even more. The bones will eventually shift and the entire foot may change shape from its original form. In all patients, x-rays and ultrasound can be performed to help decide what treatment needs to be done.

For the early stages, a brace can be used to hold the tendon stationary. This will allow the tendon to reconnect and prevent further inflammation from occurring. Orthoses can be used to correct the flatfoot and hold the foot in a more stable position. For people who have progressed to a more severe flatfoot, casting may be able to be used, but for some people, the foot will not be able to reach the more stable position because the ligaments have gotten tighter. This tightness prevents flexibility and the foot is not able to be moved out of the flat position. For these people surgery can be used to reattach the ligament and realign the bones that are causing the flat foot and the pain associated.

The key to any injury is a fast reaction time. It is important that as soon as you notice a change in your foot from the way that it has always been that you seek medical consult from your podiatrist. The quicker that you come in for a consult, the faster we can nip the problem in the bud and get you back on your feet.

Sever's Disease

Is your child suffering from heel pain? Well, it is possible that they may be suffering from a condition termed Sever’s Disease. This condition normally starts around age 10 to 16, but may occur earlier or later depending on your child’s growth. When your child is born, the majority of their bones are actually made of cartilage. As your child develops, this cartilage will be replaced with bone to give them the skeleton that we are all used to seeing. This process takes many years though and some of their bones will not be finished until they are around 20 years old. In the heel bone, there are two different areas that the bone originates from, in the middle and where your Achilles tendon attaches. When these two areas meet up, they may start to rub against one another causing irritation in your child’s heel. This is often exacerbated in very active kids because they are moving around much more which causes a greater amount of rubbing to occur.

Some of the things that you can do include limiting your child’s activity and making sure they get plenty of rest. But, let’s be honest, most kids can’t sit still for even five minutes. So, in order to help their active lifestyle your podiatrist has several options that may benefit your child. The first thing that will be done is evaluate them to make sure that there are no other underlying causes of your child’s pain. If it is in fact determined to be Sever’s disease, then we can look into foot orthoses, taping and bracing and shock absorbing shoes for your child.

The foot orthoses are important for some children that tend to have a more pronated foot. This means that when they walk there foot tends to flatten out more causing additional pull on the connective tissue attaching to their heel. It has been observed that there is a correlation between pronated feet and Sever’s disease. So, designing orthoses that fit your child will help to prevent them from flattening out their foot and will often relieve the pain they are experiencing. Taping and bracing can help to limit the motion of the ankle joint during activity causing less irritation to occur. After the symptoms have been relieved, shock absorbing shoes can help to prevent the pain from reoccurring. If your child is still experiencing pain though, the doctor may suggest some pain killers to help offer some relief.

Sever’s Disease is a condition that will eventually go away once your child has finished forming bone in their heel. However, it can be a very painful and self-limiting condition and it is important to seek medical assistance for the matter.

Santa’s Sugar Free Diabetic Friendly Treats

With the holidays coming up, there are candy canes, fudge and cookies to be found in every nook and cranny. For a diabetic though, this can be a season of great temptation and difficult times having to say no to everything they are offered. Luckily, there are many great recipes that have been transformed to sugar free recipes that are just as scrumptious. Below are a few that have been tested and approved.

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake with a Pretzel Crust

Ingredients

6 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for the baking dish
1 (6-ounce) bag classic pretzel crisps, crushed into fine crumbs with a rolling pin or in a food processor—these are the flat baked pretzels in the chip aisle
1 cup light brown sugar, divided—Replace with either splenda brown sugar using half as much
2 cups pumpkin purée
2 (8-ounce) packages Neufchâtel cheese
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream—sugar free
1/2 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped

Method

1)      Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9- x 13-inch baking dish; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine crumbs, butter and 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and then press firmly into prepared dish to cover the bottom evenly. Bake for 10 minutes; set aside to let cool.

2)      In a large bowl, beat together pumpkin, Neufchâtel, 3/4 cup brown sugar, vanilla, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and cloves with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour evenly over cooled crust; set aside.

3)      In a large, clean bowl, beat cream and remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar until stiff peaks form. Drop onto pumpkin mixture in dollops, then use a table knife to swirl the two together. Scatter pecans over the top, dust with remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, cover and chill for 8 hours, or overnight.

 Sugar Free Peanut Butter Fudge

8 oz. unsweetened chocolate squares “Ghirardelli”

1 cup smooth peanut butter (no sugar added)
3/4 - 1 cup erythritol
1 cup worth other sugar substitute (or to taste)liquid sucralose was the best
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch salt

Preparation:
1) Melt the chocolate. I like to pour boiling water over it, let it sit for 5 to 6 minutes, and then pour the water off. That way I know I won't burn the chocolate.
2) Mix in the rest of the ingredients, adjusting sweetener to taste.
3) Pack or spread into a loaf pan. Cool to room temperature, or you can put it in the refrigerator. Cut into 18 pieces and serve.

Finally…

Sugar Free Gingerbread Cookies

2 cups of whole-grain wheat flour

1/4 of a teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 cups of bran
3 teaspoons of ground ginger
1 teaspoon of allspice
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/3 of a cup of margarine
1 egg
3 tablespoons of orange juice
1 teaspoon of margarine
6 tablespoons of agave nectar

1. Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Mix flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda, bran and spices together, then rub in margarine until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Stir the Agave Nectar into the egg and orange juice and beat together. Now mix this into the flour mixture.
4. Knead well, and roll the mixture out thinly on floured board.
5. Using a cutter, cut into whatever shape you want and the place on greased cookie sheets.
6. Bake for 15-20 min (or until crisp and lightly browned).

Now all that is left to do is enjoy your diabetic friendly sugar free desserts. Happy Holidays!

The Ligament That Won't Keep You Down

Jonathan Horton, an American Olympic gymnast, injured his ankle a couple of weeks ago. While performing the vault, he landed awkwardly resulting in a torn ligament and two broken metatarsals. As a result, he had to undergo surgery. However, rather than viewing this as a set-back, he has stated that this injury will allow him to perfect other parts of the sport. He feels that this injury will only make him a better athlete.

It is not uncommon for a person to fracture a bone as a result of a ligament injury. Ligaments attach to bones and when they are put under excessive amounts of stress, they can end up pulling off a piece of the bone with them. You can think of it like a tug of war between your ligament and the bone and eventually one gives way to the other. Unfortunately, in this situation, surgery is needed to repair the ligament and the bone.

There are many types of ligamentous injuries though ranging from sprains to tears. Along with the wide range of injuries, there is also a wide range of treatment plans. For mild injuries, it may be sufficient to immobilize your foot with a cast or a walking boot. This will allow the ligament to heal without having further stress placed upon it. Another option is laser therapy. The laser works by increasing cellular ability as well as stimulating growth and repair. This stimulation helps to heal the tissue causing lasting positive effects. The treatment is non-invasive and will allow you long-lasting effects. For the more severe injuries, surgery may be the ultimate option.

With any ligamentous injury, it is important to have imaging studies done to determine the severity of your injury. Through the aid of x-rays, your podiatrist can determine if there is any bone involvement and what approach needs to be taken to heal your ligament. It is important to seek medical attention because an injured ligament can become progressively worse if the proper precautions are not taken. This will result in your treatment plan being both more intensive and longer.

Although each injury is different, the proper treatment plan can be found for you. In no time, you will be back on your feet just like Jonathan Horton.  

Dear Santa: Please Make My Flat Feet Go Away

December marks the beginning of marathon shopping sprees. Everyone is searching for the perfect gift to give to one another; and often times this means endless hours at the malls. Then, you have to see if you can find a better price for the same item. So, to sum it all up, we spend countless hours on our feet running up and down across the mall for what seems like days on end. Unfortunately for some of us, our feet can be in a huge amount of pain by the end of the day. One of the causes could be flat feet.

A flat foot is a result of a flattened arch that can come from injury to ligaments, arthritis, wear and tear and many more causes. The problem with your foot being flat is that some people may experience no pain, while others can experience pain throughout their foot, leg and possibly even into their back. Because of the variety of manifestations, this condition can range from no symptoms clear up to debilitating.

There are some conditions that can give you a greater likelihood of developing a flat foot. These include obesity, diabetes, aging, pregnancy and injury. Some of these you have control over, but others, like aging, happens to the best of us.

If you are experiencing foot pain though, visiting your podiatrist can help determine what is causing your discomfort. If it is in fact a flat foot, there are several accommodations that can be done to relieve your pain. Orthoses are a great way to help correct your foot structure so that when you are walking you have an appropriate arch when your foot touches the ground. Orthoses can either be distributed to you that are a general type for particular foot types or they can be custom made for your foot. After consulting with your physician, they can help determine which one is the best option for you. If your flat foot is as a result of an injury, then steps will be taken to correct the underlying problem first and then determine if further treatment is needed. In some instances with children, their flat foot may be as a result of how their foot was formed. In this case, orthotics may be an option, but depending on the severity, surgery may have to be considered.

A flat foot can be a painful condition, but there is no reason that you need to live with the discomfort. Through the wide variety of treatment options available, your podiatrist can help determine which option is best for you. Then, in no time, you can be back on the hot pursuit for the perfect gift for all of your loved ones.