Luckily, we are highly skilled in treating a variety of conditions and issues. Whether you have slight discomfort or severe pain, we can provide you with care that allows you to live the lifestyle you want!
These are just some of the conditions, treatments, and services you will find at our podiatric office. Just ask us if you have any questions!
- Sports Medicine
- Wound Care
- Ingrown Toenails
- Bunions
- Corns and Calluses
- Hammertoes
- Diabetic Foot Care
- Warts
- Heel Spurs/Plantar Fasciitis
- Ankle Instability
- Pediatric Flatfoot
- Athlete’s Foot
- Achilles Tendonitis
- Neuromas
- Geriatric Foot Care
- Ankle Sprains
- Toenail Fungus
- Ankle Pain
- Crush Injuries
- Diabetic Shoes
- Fungal Infections
- Fungus Treatment
- Ingrown Toenail Removal
- Injuries
- Nail, Callus, and Corn Care
Sports Medicine
We know how much your foot health can impact your athletic performance, and it is our priority to help get you off of the sidelines and back in the game. Whether you are dealing with a recurring injury or an accident from the big game, we are here to support you through each step of your therapy. Below is a list of some of the most common sports and sports-related injuries we see in our office:
- Martial Arts and Kickboxing: Plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, sesamoiditis, and ankle sprains. Proper stretching is vital to injury prevention, specifically, a minimum of 15 minutes before beginning exercise.
- Aerobics: With 26 bones in the foot and impact forces reaching up to six times the force of gravity, proper shoes are essential when participating in aerobics. Shoes must provide shock absorption and proper cushioning, as well as stability.
- Team Sports: Baseball, basketball, soccer, football, field hockey, and lacrosse often lead to foot and ankle injuries. Artificial surfaces, improper footwear, and inadequate stretching are recipes for disaster.
Wound Care
Ulcers on the foot may not always come with pain, but they are serious conditions that should be evaluated by a medical professional. The symptoms of ulcers may include drainage, or red, inflamed tissue. To properly diagnose and develop a treatment plan x-rays may be ordered.
Ingrown Toenails
We have all made the painful mistake of trimming our nails too short at some point in our lives. Sometimes, this can really affect our foot health by causing ingrown toenails.
This happens when the nail grows downward into the skin instead of straight out, usually causing an infection. Ingrown toenails are most common on the sides of the big toe. It can also be caused by shoe pressure, injury, fungal infections, poor foot structure, etc.
Warm water soaks several times a day, properly fitted shoes and socks, and trimming nails in a straight line (rather than rounded) are ways to treat and prevent painful ingrown toenails. If there is an infection, antibiotics may be prescribed.
Bunions
A bunion is a malalignment of the great toe joint that presents with a prominent, and sometimes painful, bony bump. This typically develops due to an inherited foot structure with hypermobility of the medial column of the foot that leads to instability of the structures that stabilize the great toe joint.
This is a progressive deformity that can lead to difficulties with shoe fit, pain, and secondary arthritic changes of the great toe joint. It is always best to address these deformities early on to avoid significant pain and deformity later in life. Surgery to reposition/rebalance the great toe joint is truly the only way to resolve this issue.
The Lapiplasty procedure is a powerful and reproducible way to correct the deformity in all 3 body planes with excellent results minimizing chance for recurrence.
Corns and Calluses
These painful skin lesions are a naturally occurring phenomenon where the outer layer of the skin thickens as a protective mechanism for friction, pressure, and shearing forces over a bony prominence. Oftentimes, we refer to calluses being on the weight-bearing surface of the foot and corns being present on the toes. Both can have a nucleated center or core that is filled with a hard keratin plug that will often feel like you are walking on a pebble. Your podiatrist can provide almost immediate relief by paring down the callus build-up in the office. Long-term, they may look for ways to alleviate pressure on these areas with shoe gear modification, padding, spacers, and custom orthotics, which will keep you comfortable and slow/resolve calluses and corns from returning.
Hammertoes
A hammertoe is any digit that exhibits a contracted joint or angular deformity. Often thought to be a result of wearing ill-fitted shoe gear, it actually stems from an inherited foot structure that leads to an imbalance in the tendons of the toes. This can start as a mild and flexible deformity that can progress to significantly contracted and rigid deformities.
Caught in its earlier stages, your podiatrist can address ill-fitting shoe gear contributing to the problem, as well as fit you with spacers and splints to slow progression of the deformity. Later stage deformities typically require surgery to straighten and realign the toes.
Diabetic Foot Care
Daily preventative care can help you decrease your risk of developing these other serious conditions like ulcers and infections. Inspecting your feet at the end of the day to look for any abnormalities, maintaining proper hygiene, keeping your feet warm in cold weather, encouraging blood flow in the feet, and maintaining an overall healthy lifestyle can discourage other conditions from developing.
Warts
A wart develops when an HPV viral particle becomes implanted in the skin and grows into a painful lesion. “Plantar” refers to the weight-bearing surface or bottom of the foot. These are often seen in children and the elderly due to these populations not having their full complement of immunity.
There are many treatment options your podiatrist can utilize to resolve this concerning infection. Time is of the essence in treating these, as these can spread within the foot, to other parts of the body, or to members of your household. An exciting new treatment method utilized at Associated Podiatrists is “Microwave therapy,” which uses a probe to deliver energy to the wart, leading to rapid heating and setting off an immunologic cascade to help the body fight off the HPV virus wherever it lives.
Heel Spurs/Plantar Fasciitis
Usually, when someone references suffering with a painful heel spur, they’re usually referring to plantar fasciitis (the most common cause of heel and arch pain). About 75% of heel pain sufferers will demonstrate a spur at the bottom of the heel when X-rays are performed. The spur is typically not the cause of the pain but rather a sign of the underlying process of tractioning or pulling of the plantar fascia at its attachment to the bottom of the heel. For more information on this common condition, please see our “plantar fasciitis” page.
Spurs behind the heel can become large enough to alter the mechanics of the Achilles tendon, leading to chronic inflammation, tendon thickening, bursitis, and pain when wearing shoes. This condition responds well to heel lifts, stretching, and physical therapy modalities. Associated Podiatrists employs Shock Wave treatment to target the degenerative segments, helping your body to resume the healing process.
Ankle Instability
Chronic ankle instability is usually caused by repeated ankle sprains and is described as the gradual giving way of the outside of the ankle. Some symptoms of ankle instability include constant inflammation or swelling, tenderness, and instability in the ankle. After a sprained ankle, the ligaments become stretched and torn. Proper rehabilitation is required to strengthen the muscles around the ankle and rehabilitate the tissues within the ankle that affect your balance. In addition, physical therapy, medications, and bracing can help treat chronic ankle instability. Failure to do so may result in repeated ankle sprains, or possibly surgery.
Pediatric Flatfoot
A low arch profile is commonly seen in children during development. A low arched foot that collapses in at the ankle (over-pronation) or is associated with pain or disability is never normal (and a malady that a child will not “grow out of”). It is advantageous to begin treatment early to minimize the extent of the deformity that can develop as the child continues to grow. Minimizing barefoot ambulation at home, using structured shoes, and custom orthotics (arch supports made from an impression of the patient’s foot) are mainstays in treatment. Associated Podiatrists utilizes the latest technology to capture a 3-D model of the foot digitally. We work with various orthotic laboratories around the country depending on the type of device necessary for proper correction. Rarely, braces coming above the ankle level, or reconstructive surgery might be required in severe cases.
Athlete’s Foot
Athlete’s foot (tinea pedis) is a specific type of fungal infection that typically begins between the toes. A common cause of athlete’s foot is sweaty feet that are confined to tight shoes for a long period of time. Signs and symptoms of athlete’s foot include a scaly rash that usually causes itching, stinging and burning. Athlete’s foot is contagious and should be carefully monitored and treated. Athlete’s foot can easily be treated with antifungal medications, but the infection is likely to recur. Prescription medications also are available.
Achilles Tendonitis
Achilles tendinitis is caused by overuse of the band of tissues that connects the lower region of your calf muscle to your heel bone, also known as your Achilles tendon. Those at a higher risk for Achilles tendinitis are runners engaging in intense training or middle-aged people who participate in sports on occasion.
Neuromas
A neuroma is a painful entrapment of the normal nerves running through the intermetatarsal spaces of the forefoot. It can feel like you are walking on a wadded up sock or marble. Sometimes, you will experience neuritic pain or numbness into the toes of the affected web space. Neuromas can be exacerbated by tight/narrow shoes, high heels, and hypermobility of the forefoot. Initial treatment consists of shoe gear modification, metatarsal padding, and orthotic inserts to stabilize the forefoot. Occasionally, a cortisone injection is necessary to decrease perineural thickening and inflammation around the nerve. Resistant neuromas may require surgical decompression or neurectomy to resolve the neuritic pain in the ball of the foot.
Geriatric Foot Care
As we age, foot problems are almost inevitable and completely normal. However, there are important steps to take to make sure you stay on your feet.
Health problems such as diabetes, arthritis, and circulatory issues may cause problems that present themselves in the feet. It is very important to monitor your foot health and seek medical attention whenever you notice a problem. Below are some daily tips and tricks to keep your feet healthy.
Ankle Sprains
A sprained ankle occurs when you twist your ankle in an abnormal way causing the ligaments holding your ankle bones together to stretch or tear. Most sprained ankles involve injuries to the ligaments on the outer side of the ankle. Treatment for a sprained ankle depends on the severity of the injury. Although you may just need proper rest and pain medications to heal, it is important to have the sprain looked at by a professional to determine the severity and proper treatment.
Toenail Fungus
A common condition seen in the aging population as well as in our Diabetics, and those with poor circulation. It can present as an unsightly thickening, discoloration, and/or lifting of the nail unit. This can be clinically indistinguishable from a nail that has been previously traumatized. Your podiatrist will often take a sample of the nail for lab study to confirm the diagnosis. Topical therapies can be successful in early infections. Laser treatment or oral antifungal pills may be required for more extensive infections. Often thought of as a cosmetic issue, left untreated, the fungus can jump into the skin leading to athlete’s foot infections and occasionally bacterial infections of the webspaces.
Ankle Pain
The foot and ankle are highly specialized structures that absorb the weight of the body and enable us to move. Experts estimate that the force and pressure on your feet when walking can be up to two times your body weight. This pressure can increase with more vigorous movements such as running and jumping. With so much pressure on your feet and ankles, they undergo a lot of wear and tear throughout your life and are highly susceptible to injury and trauma.
The foot and ankle are a complex system of bones, ligaments, muscles, and joints that provide the structure and stability we need to move freely. If any of these components become compromised or weakened due to injury, overuse, degenerative conditions, or sprains, it can significantly impact your foot’s ability to move and function properly.