The Truth About Flip Flops

The cold weather is still fighting us hard, but the shoe stores are ready to bring out those new spring styles. But, before you head out to the stores, there are some important things that you should know about those shoes and their safety.

Flip flops are a popular shoe as soon as the weather starts to get warmer, but as far as a shoe goes, they are really awful for your feet. They don’t provide any support at all. For people that have flat feet, plantar fasciitis, and unstable ankles, you could end up causing yourself much more pain than fashion. There are many alternatives to flip flops that can give you just as much air to your feet. There are plenty of sneakers that are made out of mesh and sandals that have an arch in them.

Flip flops are also a hazard because many people have injuries related to wearing them. People commonly trip, scratch themselves on something and roll their ankles as a result of a lack of support and not having their foot covered. In order to better protect yourself against your environment, you need to be wearing shoes that provide protection against all of the unpredictable in your day.

If you or someone you know has injured yourself due to your flip flops , it is important that you see your local podiatrist. If you live in the Tewksbury or North Reading, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your 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.

Got Toenails?

So, there are many problems that runners face. They range from bad shoes, sore feet and heel pain to toenails falling off. For new runners, there are few things that can be scarier than all of a sudden having your toenails start to turn black, lift off and eventually fall off.

What exactly is causing the color changes? Well, every time that you take a step, you are putting pressure on your toes. If there is not enough room in the toe box of your shoe, you will be knocking up against the end of your shoe. Over time, this can cause a blood blister under your toenail. Just like when you rub a blister on your heel from the friction of your shoe, you can cause a blister on your toe from the friction of your toe box. Although harmless, your blister will eventually cause your toenail to lift off.

How can you prevent these? Well, it is actually pretty easy. You can just make sure that you are wearing the right size shoes. Running shoes should actually be a ½ size larger than your daily shoes. When you run, your foot has greater movement and by providing a ½ size more space, it will allow you to have more space for that movement. This will help you to not knock up against the end of the shoes and reduce the possibility of causing these blood blisters.

It is important for you to seek help from your podiatrist. Sometimes nails can fall off as a result of trauma that could have caused damage to the bones. It is important to have your toes checked out, because there may be another underlying cause besides just your running.

If you or someone you know has toenails that are falling off, it is important that you see your local podiatrist. If you live in the Pelham or Windham, New Hampshire area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your toenails. 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.

Child's Painful Heels

Do your child’s heels hurt? Do they feel so much pain that they don’t want to walk or run? A common pediatric athlete complication is calcaneal apophysitis. This is just fancy jargon for irritation of the growth plate of the heel. Children will have this happen to them when they are about 8-12 years of age or a little older if their growth plate closes slowly. It is as a result of irritation to the growth plate and unfortunately there is not much that can be done.

The classic picture is a young person that has not had any trauma, has not fallen down or banged their heel against anything, but is an active kid. They usually love to play outside and may be competitive in sports or just play pick-up games with their friends. All of a sudden, your child will start to rub their heels and complain that their heels hurt and say that they don’t want to play the sports they once loved. They aren’t just trying to get out of gym class, because these are kids that would rather be playing, but they are just in too much pain.

So, what can we do for them? First off, we can prescribe them a pain killer that will help both with the pain as well as the inflammation and swelling in the area. We can get them some orthotic inserts for their shoes to hold them in a more stable position that will help to reduce some of the shock and repetitive trauma to the area. Finally, your child will need to rest. Eventually, they will outgrow this problem, but it will take time, and that is the most frustrating part.

Now, it sounds like you could just have your kid resting on the couch if they have these symptoms and will all go away. That is true, if it is real calcaneal apophysitis. It is important to bring your child in for x-rays and evaluation, because sometimes children won’t remember trauma or getting hurt and it could turn out to be a fracture or injury to a ligament or tendon.  It’s always better to play it safe with kids, because you don’t want an injury that affects them for life.

So, if you or someone you know has a child whose heels are in a lot 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 child’s heel pain. 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.

In-Toeing

Does your infant or young child seem to in-toe? In-toeing is a common condition in children and stems from several different conditions. One of these is called metatarsus adductus. One of the hallmarks of metatarsus adductus is the appearance of the foot. Your child’s foot will be convex on the outside and concave on the inside. This shape is often referred to as the C shaped foot.

There are different levels of metatarsus adductus, ranging from mild to severe. Many people have a little bit of this form of in-toeing and will never realize it. However in the moderate and severe cases it can cause a great deal of pain while walking as well as being uncomfortable in any type of shoe gear.

So, what can we do for this condition? Well, it used to be believed that a parent could manipulate their child’s foot by holding it in a certain position for several seconds each night. This is kind of like the idea of pushing against your teeth to straighten them out. The reality is that these techniques are not guaranteed to work for your children. A much more tried and true technique is casting. Your podiatrist will apply casts to hold your foot in a corrected position for a couple of weeks and with about 3 casts your child’s foot will be corrected. After this, your kid can use a brace to keep them in this position. If your child fails this treatment or is too old, they may need surgery. The surgery will serve to place their foot in the corrected position and give them relief.

So, if you or someone you know has a child with in-toeing, you should seek help from your podiatrist. If you live in the Dracut or Wesford, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help determine the cause of your child’s in-toeing. 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.

Happy St. Patrick's Day and Green Feet

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Today is the day that all Irish and Irish honorees don their green clothing and head out to pinch all of those not in green. We are celebrating the Irish heritage of this country with lots of drinking, laughing and enjoying life together. But there is one place that you do not want to see green and that is on your feet.

Pseudomonas is a type of bacteria that appears green when it infects your skin. It is a very common bacteria in puncture wounds and diabetic foot wounds. It is so common in puncture wounds that it is actually the #1 suspected bacteria when someone steps on something that goes through their shoe and pierces their skin.

Once you have been infected with pseudomonas, the wound will start to grow what looks like a green film over the area. The area will appear bright green and almost looks like a fungus. So, you may be wondering what we can do about your infection. Basically, it comes down to the world of pharmaceutical drugs. There are several drugs that treat Pseudomonas. Depending on the severity of the infection you may be able to take oral drugs, but if it is bad enough you may need IV drugs.

So, if you have stepped on something or you have a diabetic ulcer, it is important that you come into your podiatrist office for treatment. These wounds will not heal if they are infected and will actually increase in size and cause you more problems than what you need to deal with.

If you or someone you know has a diabetic ulcer or has stepped on something it is important that you see your local podiatrist to talk about the best treatment plans for you. If you live in the Bradford or Westborough, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your infection. 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.

Heel That Hurts First Step Out of Bed

Do you have pain in your heel when you take your first step out of bed in the morning? Do you have pain at your heel after you have been resting for a while and you stand up again? Do you feel better after icing your heel or massaging it? If this sounds like your symptoms, you could have plantar fasciitis.

This condition is a very common one in runners. It results from microtears in a band of tissue that stretches from your heel to your toes. This tissue is stretched every time that your toes flex. So, for a person that is running long distances has a greater chance of tearing this tissue because of the repetitive up and down motion.

So, what can you do about plantar fasciitis? First off, this is a condition that results from a tight band of tissue, so stretching is a huge part of the treatment. Doing calf stretches against the wall or using a band to stretch your Achilles can help. For further stretching, your podiatrist can teach you the best ways to target this tissue band.

The area itself is very inflamed as a result of the trauma, so using ice like you would on a swollen ankle is a great way to relieve some of the swelling and pain. Another way to decrease the inflammation is a steroid shot. The steroid will calm down the inflammation and give you some relief while your body heals the area.

For people who have been struggling to get relief with all of these other treatments there is another option of laser therapy treatment. This therapy works by using a specific wavelength that will return your injury to an acute stage that will encourage cells that promote healing. This therapy is a great option for people who have been struggling with chronic pain.

If you or someone you know has plantar fasciitis it is important that you see your local podiatrist to talk about the best treatment plans for you. If you live in the Tewksbury or Reading, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your plantar fasciitis. 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.

Stubbed or Run Over Toenail

There is nothing worse than running over your toe with a door or jamming your toe into a door. The pain of doing this is really like none other. So, it is no surprise that this kind of pain can result in one heck of an injury. It can be as bad as separating your toenail from your toe.

So, what do you do for this kind of injury? Well, for one thing, this injury can result in actually breaking your toe. However, if you just dragged the door over it, you could just have injured the skin and soft tissue. Either way, it is important to get x-rays done to make sure there is not more of an injury than what you think. It also may be necessary to remove the toenail. You don’t want any blood to build up underneath the nail. This will just cause pressure and more pain than is necessary. Removing the nail is not going to result in a permanently absent nail. Your nail will grow back over a period of about 6-9 months.

If the skin has been broken, it may be necessary to place you on some antibiotics. If the door was rusty and you are not up-to-date on your tetanus boosters, we may need to get you a tetanus booster. These steps may be important for you to prevent infection and keep you from having bigger troubles than necessary. You’ve already had enough pain without having to endure an infection.

So, what happens if you did break your toe? Depending on how bad it is, it may be as simple as putting you in a surgical shoe to stabilize it and keep the fragments from moving or you may need surgery to stabilize the fragments.

If you or someone you know rammed their toe into a door or run over it with the door, it is important that you see your local podiatrist. If you live in the Reading or Tewksbury, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your calluses. 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.

How to Fix Shin Splints

Depending on what part of the country you are living in, you may be still in the thick of winter or in the beginning stages of springtime. This means that you could either be revving up to hit the streets again, or you may still be on the treadmill in the gym. Either way, there are many injuries that can occur with running. One of these is shin splints.

Shin splints can present in a variety of ways. You can feel pain literally in your shins which could be a result of tiny breaks in your bones from repetitive trauma. It can also involve pain in your calves, this stems from little tears in your muscle belly. Regardless of what the cause though, the treatment is about the same; rest. It is important that you find out what the cause of your pain is though. Just because you have pain in your shins or calves, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it is shin splints. This is why a thorough physical exam from your podiatrist can help determine what the actual cause of your pain is.

Now, the more important part of shin splints is how to prevent them in the future. Runners tend to have very definite patterns that they follow every single day. For instance, you may run on the same side of the road every day, both there and back. That means that you are running on the same slope every day, putting the same stress on the same muscles, every day. Or you may always run on cement, asphalt or grass, instead of switching up the surface you are running on. Any of these kinds of patterns can lead to the same kind of stress on your body every day.

One way that you can help prevent shin splints is to switch up your pattern. Vary your running path every day, vary the surface, and vary the length of your runs. If you are first starting out, it’s not smart to instantly strive for a marathon distance, instead start slow. Stretching, is probably the most important thing you can do as a runner. Your muscles are going to be sore and tight after every run you do. It doesn’t matter if you are a weekend warrior or a cross country runner, every run puts stress on your muscles. People who get shin splints are also more likely to be flat footed. If you are flat footed, then putting some sort of arch support into your shoes will help relieve the stress that is being put on your muscles.

If you or someone you know has shin splints it is important that you see your local podiatrist to talk about the best treatment plans for you. If you live in the Tewksbury or North Reading, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your calluses. 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.

What Causes A Blister?

There are two different types of blisters that are common on the feet. There are blisters filled with blood and blisters filled with clear fluid. You’ve all heard the age old saying of don’t pop a blister, but many of us just don’t listen because it is annoying and just sitting there. The reality is though, there is some truth to this saying. Popping a blister and leaving raw skin open to the environment can lead to infection and a bigger issue than you started with.

So, what exactly is the cause of a blister? The primary cause of a blister is friction and pressure. Ladies, think of when you wear a new pair of heels, if they are too loose they can rub against your heel, and if they are too tight, they can push against your heel. Either way, you can end up with a blister after a long night out on the town. So, what do you do once you have a blister?

If the blister is small, it can resorb on its own. If the blister is larger, it is important for you to see your podiatrist. You don’t want to have a large blister open and exposed to the air, because of the possibility of infection. So, by coming into your podiatrist, your blister can be opened and drained and it can be properly covered and treated.

Blood blisters can be a little different because they result from a blood vessel injury. Think about your toe getting pinched in the door, dropping something on your foot or pinching your skin with a tool. All of these can lead to a blood blister. If you have a blood blister at all, you should seek assistance from your podiatrist. These are not blisters that you want to try and treat on your own.

Now, how can you prevent a blister from forming? If you are wearing new shoes, you may want to put a soft pad in the heel of your shoe to protect it from the hard shell of your shoe. However, if you are wearing too small of a shoe, this can push your foot farther forward and cause your toes to hurt. So, you may want to stick to those old faithful shoes for a long night out and just slowly work in your new ones.

If you or someone you know has a blister, it is important that you see your local podiatrist. If you live in the Lowell or North Reading, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your calluses. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover and 87 Jackson St, Methuen.