What Is A Podiatrist?

Simply put, podiatrists are medical experts that deal exclusively with problems associated with the foot and ankle. The DPM after a podiatrist's name stands for Doctor of Podiatric Medicine. Because our training is highly specialized, we are able to quickly and accurately diagnosis your condition while offering the most modern treatment plans available.
Many people know that podiatrists treat senior citizens and those with diabetic foot conditions but may not realize that we also treat patients of all ages for a wide variety of ailments. Podiatrists are well qualified to help children and young adults with any foot and ankle problems they may be experiencing . Sports injuries, heel pain, bunions and hammer toes are just a few problems we provide treatment for. If your discomfort involves any part of the foot or ankle, a podiatrist is the one to call.

For more information visit our website http://www.roanokefoot.com/

The Safest Golf Shoes

The sesamoid bones are located on the ball of the foot. Theses bones often become inflamed from high-impact sports like tennis and basketball, which involve athletes coming down hard on their feet throughout a game. Sesamoid bones may also suffer from the stress of spiked golf shoes. When a spike is positioned directly beneath the ball of the foot, the resulting pressure commonly causes pain and swelling around the sesamoid bones, a condition called sesamoiditis. Golfers who currently wear spiked shoes may modify the spike patterns to protect their feet without losing traction or hindering their game. Those shopping for new shoes should choose shoes with spike patterns that avoid the ball of the foot area.
When your sport has your feet hurting, get the advice and treatment from professional foot care specialists at SHENANDOAH PODIATRY. Whatever is causing pain in your step, we’re here to help, so call us for comprehensive foot care. If you are new to this area and don’t yet have a podiatrist, we’d like to take on the responsibility of your family’s foot care.

Dedicated to Your Healthy Feet,
Dr. Jennifer Feeny

P.S. An average round of golf involves taking 15,000 steps.

Golfing Feet

Golf legend Jack Nicklaus says the feet lead the way in golf, playing a critical role in timing, balance, distance, and direction. Lively feet, says Nicklaus, are the key to a great golf score. To improve your golf game and prevent injury, start by wearing proper golf shoes that will be comfortable over the four or five miles of a typical round. Stretch your feet and legs before golfing. For maximum results, maintain proper foot alignment during your swing. During the back swing, keep weight evenly distributed on the back foot while rolling the front foot in. A good downswing requires a quick weight shift from back to front, with the back foot rolling in and the front foot rolling out.
For those who participate in sports activities of all kinds, professional attention and guidance can help reduce the potential for discomfort and injury. Since all difficulties with your feet can adversely affect you comfort and lifestyle, SHENANDOAH PODIATRY invites your call for an appointment to maximize your health and well-being. We can’t promise you a better golf score but we can promise you comprehensive foot care geared to your personal needs. We can often accommodate same-day appointments.

Dedicated To Your Healthy Feet,
Dr. Jennifer Feeny

The Unique Nature Of The Skin On Your Feet

Your foot’s skin is unique— it contains some of the body’s most sensitive skin as well as the thickest skin— and require special care and attention. The skin on the bottom of the heel is the thickest of the body. Bearing incredible weight and pressure every day, this skin can become even thicker and suffer painful cracks if you don’t take care of it. On top of your feet is some of the body’s thinnest and most pliable skin. Skin problems that can affect the feet include blisters, corns, calluses, warts, and fungal or skin infections. These conditions can be painful and debilitating, so it pays to care for the skin on your feet.
You’re feet aren’t supposed to hurt, nor are they supposed to hurt you. Skin problems, bunions, fungal nails, heel pain, hammertoes— there’s no reason to suffer with them any longer. Visit your local podiatrist. SHENANDOAH PODIATRY treats patients of all ages for all kinds of podiatric problems, from minor to major to the prevention of both. Feet are our business, and our practice is designed with you, our patient, in mind.

Dedicated To Your Healthy Feet,
Dr. Jennifer Feeny

P.S. Excessive friction, pressure, and moisture are common triggers of skin problems on the feet.
For more information visit our website http://www.roanokefoot.com/

Summertime Injuries

With summer sporting events beginning, as podiatrists we begin to see increased foot and ankle injuries in athletes and runners. Some common injuries that will be seen are stress fractures. Stress fractures are caused by a bone not being able to withstand increased repetitive force, improper shoe gear (severe wear), and increasing activity too rapidly. Stress fractures can account for approximately 10% of running injuries and often occur in activities that involve muscle fatigue.

Signs and Symptoms of Stress Fractures

Female athletes are more prone to stress fractures than their male counterparts due to what is commonly called the “female athlete’s triad”. This triad involves eating disorders (anorexia nervosa or bulimia), amenorrhea, and osteoporosis. Each provides increased risk to developing stress fractures due to loss of bone density and mass. As bone density and mass are affected by hormones and nutrition.

If you suspect you have a stress fracture, you will possibly experience:

1. Tenderness over the area

2. Pain upon weight bearing

3. Slight swelling and reproducible pain with activity that is relieved with rest

Diagnosis

To definitively diagnose a stress fracture, an x-ray may be taken or other advanced imaging techniques (bone scan, CT, MRI, etc) may be necessary.

Treatment of Stress Fractures

It is advised to decrease your activity, change the intensity of your activity, change your footwear, and/or you may be prescribed orthoses. It is important to rest as the fracture will need 6-8 weeks to completely heal.

Prevention

To prevent your potential for stress fractures, inspect your shoes for creases and/or wear in the midsole, replace if worn or old, and be aware of changes in your running surfaces, as one the most common areas for stress fractures are the foot, tibia, and fibula. Try to add cross training to your exercise regimen, as alternating with different stretching; strengthening and flexibility exercises can decrease your chance for stress fractures. It is important to follow the medical advice during your recovery period, so that you can get “back on the road” in a shorter period of time. As returning to “normal” activity too quickly may cause a recurrence and possibly a larger, more difficult to heal stress fracture. Be an advocate for your foot health.

Pain In The Ball Of Your Foot

Metatarsalgia is a foot condition involving pain and inflammation in the ball of the foot just behind the toes. Pain may range between sharp, aching, or burning. Other symptoms may include pain that worsens with standing, walking, foot flexing, or running and improves with rest; sharp or shooting pain, numbness, or tingling in the toes; or increased pain when walking barefoot. Some patients describe a sensation similar to walking on pebbles. The primary cause of metatarsalgia is due to excessive pressure on the metatarsals, the bones that connect to the toes. Runners and others who participate in high-impact sports are most susceptible to metatarsalgia. Certain foot structures may also make a person more vulnerable to the condition.

Correcting foot problems has greatly improved over the past few years. Today’s newer treatments and techniques include special foot care products, custom orthotics, innovative, less invasive surgeries, even joint replacement. Your feet are not supposed to hurt. When they do, we are available at SHENANDOAH PODIATRY to ease your pain and get you walking in comfort.

For more information visit our website www.roanokefoot.com

8 Tips For Healthy Feet on the Trail

My office is located within one mile of the Appalachian Trail. Each summer, I observe the wave of through hikers making the 2,168 mile trek from Georgia to Maine and then later in the summer, those heading south from Maine to Georgia. Many end up with a visit to my office for ankle sprains, stress fractures, infected blisters and various other hiking related conditions. Recently, I received a call from a friend that is through hiking for her second time in the past 10 years. She was in North Carolina at the time and was experiencing unrelenting pain in her foot. Having a telephone consultation and attempting to determine her diagnosis without examination was interesting and challenging. It made me think about the new trend in Internet or telephone doctor "visits". But, that is a subject for another post on another day. I want to share with you these tips to keep your feet happy on the trail:

Train For The Hike:
If you are considering a long trip such as through hiking the Appalachian Trail, I strongly suggest that you start out training early with short day hikes. Marathon runners must train and condition for a marathon and hikers are no different. Those that are not adequately conditioned are more likely to develop overuse injuries.

Pack A Foot-Care Kit:
A small foot-care kit carried in a small Ziploc bag weighs only a few ounces. It should contain foot powder, alcohol wipes, a few tinctures of benzoin wipes to help the patch stick to your skin, several blister patches of your choice, a least a yard of duct tape wrapped around a small pencil, and a safety pin to drain blisters.

Invest In Good Footwear:
You should have a fingers width between the longest toe and the front of your boot. Be sure to also check the fit on an incline (both up and down). Any slippage of the boot will cause friction and blisters on a long hike. Try your boots on with the socks that you will be wearing while hiking.

Break In Those Boots:
Wear your boots around the house for a few days to be sure they feel OK. Then venture outside while shopping and on walks and short hikes so they mold to your feet. Leather boots are usually stiff until broken in. If a little snug, you can bring your boots to a shoe repair to have them stretched or purchase a leather expander and stretch the boots at home.

Wear Good Socks:
Wear moisture-wicking wool or synthetic socks rather than cotton socks. Consider wearing a sock liner but be sure that your boots will be big enough for two pair of socks.

Manage Your Toenails:
Toenails should be trimmed straight across the nail—never rounded at the corners. Leave an extra bit of nail on the outside corner of the big toe to avoid an ingrown toenail. Black toenails are a common hikers condition which is caused by blood being trapped under the nail.

Manage Your Skin:
Treat hot spots early! Use moleskin or duct tape to prevent blisters before they happen. Many hikers think tough callused skin helps prevent blisters but too much is never a good thing. Blisters deep under calluses are difficult to drain and treat. Use a pumice stone or callus file and apply Vaseline to manage callused areas. Blasters can be drained if painful but be sure to leave the roof intact to protect the sensitive skin underneath.

Rest Your Feet:
Take your boots and socks off when resting and eating lunch, elevating your feet to reduce swelling. In camp wear sandals or flip-flops. Your feet need the air and will appreciate the sunlight.

Long distance hiking is an incredibly rewarding experience. May these tips keep your feet healthy on the trail!

Happy Trails,
Dr. Jennifer Feeny