Feaster Five Expo Andover, Massachusetts

We are so excited to be helping to sponsor the Feaster FiveExpo and Road Race. On Thursday November 28^th the race will start at 8:30 in the morning and includes both a 5k and an 8k race. There is also an expo that will be held on Monday November 25^th from 12-7, Tuesday November 26^th from 12-7 and Wednesday November 27^th from 12-6. All three of these days the expo will be at Merrimack Valley YMCA in Andover, Massachusetts. You can pick up your race registration and goody bag at this time as well as check out the expo booths from many of our local businesses.

Thanksgiving is a time for family and loved ones to come together and spend time catching up. But before all of the hub bub with the family starts and the turkey coma that is sure to get you, come out and join us for a great morning workout. We will get your metabolism jump started and make you super hungry so that you can enjoy all of the yummy goodness that is sure to follow.

A great thing that my office is offering is a free Foot Book for each of the racers. If you are unable to get out of the home because you are busy preparing for your family, no worries, you can visit our website and get your own copy for free. Should you have any foot concerns either after the race or just in general, free to give my practice a call. I would be more than happy to help you with your foot problems and get you back up and at it so that you can continue your healthy workout habits. If you live in the North Reading or Boston Massachusetts area give us a call. You can come to any of my locations at either 451 Andover St. Suite 300 North Andover, MA, 655 Rogers St. Lowell, MA, 87 Jackson St. Methuen, MA or 145 Ward Hill Bradford, MA.  

Biopsy Chronic Ulcers

Longstanding ulcerations may not be healing as a result of the cause of the ulceration. There are several skin cancers that may take on the appearance of an ulceration. When an ulcer is taking longer than it should to heal or has an appearance that is just not quite the way that it should look it is important to take a closer view as to what is really going on. 

A biopsy is a simple test that your podiatrist can do in the office. It involves a small punch biopsy. Your doctor will numb you up so that you don't feel the biopsy. After taking the biopsy, it will be sent off to a pathology lab. Within a couple of weeks, your results will be back and treatment can continue from there. If your results do not show any signs of cancer, then your treatment will continue, but if there is cancer then depending upon what type it is will determine the next steps. Most likely though, it will require excision to remove the cancerous tissue. 

Biopsy is a gold standard that you podiatrist will most likely do during your first couple of visits. it is a way for us to know exactly what we are treating and be able to get you the best results possible. If you or someone you know has an ulcer on your foot or leg it is important for you to see your podiatrist so that your ulcer can be treated quickly. If you live in the North Reading or Billerica, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat 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

Jim Graham Plantar Fascia

New Orleans Saints player Jim Graham is dealing with a lot of pain right now from a partially torn plantar fascia. He is not on the injured list, but they are taking it day by day to determine how he is feeling and what his activity level can be for that day.

Plantar fascia tears are a common result of plantar fasciitis. Your plantar fascia extends from your toes to your heel bone. When the band of tissue has been constantly stretched it can end up having microtears throughout the body of tissue and these tears can cause a lot of pain and inflammation. A partially torn plantar fascia can be an issue for a patient due to some fibers still holding on that are stretching and tearing throughout the day.

So, how can we treat this condition? For plantar fasciitis, the best form of treatment is stretching. By stretching your calf and the plantar fascia, you can loosen up this band of tissue to where it is not as tight and the tissue can move with more flexibility. Another treatment option is steroid shots combined with stretching, because the steroid shot will stop the inflammation cycle and allow you to be able to do the stretches more comfortably. Orthotics are a great treatment option because they can take the stress off of the band of tissue and provide long term relief. Finally, if all other treatment options fail, surgery is the final step for treatment.

Heel pain is not something to be taken lightly, it can affect your everyday performance. If you notice you are having heel pain, it is important that you seek care from your podiatrist so that your plantar fasciitis can be treated before it becomes a chronic more difficult condition to treat.. If you live in the Reading or Dracut, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat 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

Why do I have Leg Pain When I Run?

I recently began running and went from not ever running to running about a 5k three to four  times a week.  I notice my endurance has increased  obviously over the past three months.  I notice cramping in the legs the first ten to fifteen minutes in the run and it tapers off on the second half of the run.  Cramping in the feet and ankles Is caused by a demand and supply problem.  Not enough oxygen is being supplied by the arteries to the muscles that connect to the foot, ankle and leg.  Going up hills is the worst where the cramping gets more severe.  Some believe running faster up the hill is better, and others believe a slow steady run and slow breathing pattern works to decrease the cramping.  I have taken the latter of the two thought processes and slow my pace slightly while going uphill, along with slowing my breath.  

I enjoy running because there is a sense of personal achievement and accomplishment.  When you achieve the personal goals that you have set forth with running, not only do you feel healthier, but there is a sense of pride.  I am looking forward to going further in my running and developing relationships with people that have the same goals.

Infected Ulcers

A second cause for ulcers not healing is infection. An ulceration can show various signs of infection. The most characteristic of these signs is redness, pain, swelling, heat and eventually a loss of function of the extremity. There are other things that can serve as clues that you could be dealing with an infection. One of these is drainage. There are some types of drainage that are normal. These include a bloody discharge or a clear fluid. The types of drainage that you should be wary of is a fluid that is milky, thick and has an odor to it.

Another sign that points to an infection of your ulcer is if there is redness extending from your ulcer that travels up. This is called cellulitis and it is a sign that there is an active infection occurring. One way that your podiatrist will keep track of your cellulitis is by using a skin marker to draw a line so that they can tell if the redness is receding or if it is growing.

If your podiatrist is suspecting infection they may culture your wound to send it off to a lab and see if anything grows from the swabs. Your doctor may also send you to get some blood work done to see if you have a white blood cell count. In the case of infection, white blood cells will increase and is a way to determine if an active infection is occurring.

Infection is a cause for your ulcer not healing. It is a situation that can be fixed through antibiotics. If you notice any of the above signs and symptoms, it is important that you seek care from your podiatrist so that your ulcer and infection can be monitored for other complications. If you live in the Rading or Dracut, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat 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

Why is my Ulcer Not Healing?

Ulcers can be very finicky things. One week you have had great success and the ulcer has shrunken down dramatically and then next thing you know that ulcer has sprung to life and has doubled in size. There are multiple reasons as to why your ulcer may not be healing and over the next couple of blogs, we are going to discuss some key factors.

The first factor that we are going to talk about is your blood flow. If those pipes are not wide open and clear you may be having issues with blockage. You may be wondering why on Earthy would blood flow affect how my wound is doing? There are a couple of reasons. The first main one is oxygen. Oxygen is incredibly important for energy and vitality of your tissues. If there is a disconnect where your tissues aren't getting enough oxygen, you can actually get an ulcer just from that. This ulceration is called an ischemic ulcer because your tissues will actually die as a result of lack of blood flow and the only real fix for this is to send you to a vascular doctor and see what they can do for you.

The second reason that poor blood flow is a problem is that you will not receive the antibiotics or the nutrients that may be necessary for your wound to heal because if there is no flow transporting these vital substances to your wound then there is effectively a block. It is as if a beaver has built a dam in your transport system and all of the good stuff is being blocked from reaching you.

The reasons for blood flow mentioned above are the same reasons that your podiatrist will check your pulses and may run some diagnostic tests on you to see if there is enough blood flow reaching your tissues. If you have an ulcer it is important that you seek medical help from your podiatrist so that your ulcer can be monitored for other complications such as infection. If you live in the Chatham or Dracut, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat 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

Carl Nicks MRSA Infection

Carl Nicks, guard for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is currently out after having surgery done on his left foot for his MRSA infection. The sportscasters are reporting that no other information has been passed on from the Bucs about details of the surgery. However, we do know that this is the second time that this was Carl Nicks second bout with MRSA.

MRSA is a highly contagious infection that can be spread easily and is very hard to treat. MRSA is very resistant to most antibiotics and as a result it can be hard to find an antibiotic that will treat the condition. The tricky part is that even if you get the MRSA to go away with antibiotics, there is still the chance that it could return. The ultimate treatment for MRSA infections that have reached the bone is amputation. Amputation can be very difficult for a football player if you are talking about amputating the big toe because this is the main source of balance, without it, it would be very difficult if not impossible to make those sharp cutting moves that football players are so dependent on for their routes.

So if you or someone that you know is struggling witha blister, open wound or a scratch that is just not healing right, you should seek support from your podiatrist. MRSA infections can be very difficult to treat and it is important to get a jump on them early. If you live in the Reading or Dracut, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat 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