Oftentimes, people involved in sports want to know how to deal with Achilles tendonitis. It usually happens during running, or other form of workout. It comes in the form of an uncomfortable pain in the ankle and heel area. However, you don’t need to be an athleteto have problems with your Achilles.

How to Deal with Achilles Tendonitis – Causes

Achilles tendonitis is a common medical condition, which occurs due to irritation and inflammation of the tendon on the rear of the ankle. Arthritis and infection can also be underlining causes of Achilles tendonitis.

How to Deal with Achilles Tendonitis – Symptoms

• Weakness or sluggishness in your lower leg
• You might have a bump on your Achilles that is due to swelling
• Lower leg weakness
• Mild pain in the heel and lower leg area when you finish with a sporting activity
• Stiffness and pain upon awakening, that loosens up later in the day
• A popping sound when you try to move your Achilles

How to Deal with Achilles Tendonitis – Diagnosis

Your podiatrist usually diagnoses Achilles tendonitis after a thorough physical examination. This also includes an ultrasound and x-ray.

Your podiatrist will also want to know about any history of other pain you have had in your legs or feet. You will be questioned about the kind of shoes you wear, and any other weaknesses you have had in your legs.

How to Deal with Achilles Tendonitis – Treatment

• R.I.C.E. – The immediate treatment of Achilles tendonitis is rest, ice and elevation of your foot for the first 48 hours after your injury.
• NSAIDs – Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs help to reduce the inflammation and pain. The most common is ibuprofen.
• See a Podiatrist – If the pain is severe and it lasts more than a few days, you need to have it examined by a podiatrist. Performing some First Aid and relieving the immediate pain is good, but trying to self-diagnose your injury can be dangerous. In more severe cases, surgery might be needed.
• Physical Therapy – This includes strengthening and stretching exercises.

How to Deal with Achilles Tendonitis – Prevention

• Warm Up – Before you perform any strenuous activities, such as running, you need to do some light jogging and perform other quick exercises, like jumping jacks. After that, you need to do some good stretching exercises to help loosen up the muscles and tendons.
• Wear Proper Shoes – You need to get a pair of comfortable shoes that are suited for your training. Don’t use everyday walking shoes to do any serious jogging or running. If you are serious about your hobby or sport, you need proper fitting footwear.

Achilles tendonitis can affect everything you do, because it’s necessary to walk around every day. If you begin feeling pain in your Achilles, you should give it some rest. If the pain is persistent, you need to see a podiatrist.

Discover a professional’s way of how to treat Achilles tendonitis. If you are in the Chandler, AZ., you can locate a highly qualified podiatrist, by visiting Advanced Foot Care with Dr. Robert Kuvent, DPM.

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The disfigurement caused by hammertoe is not only a cosmetic worry, but it can cause excruciating pain, too. Therefore, it’s necessary to get treatment early on. The only way how to treat hammertoes in advanced stages is surgery.

What Causes Hammertoes
Hammertoes usually affect women. Our feet support us while walking upright. However, beauty and other perceived images of women in high heeled shoes and ones that fit so tightly they can hardly walk, have caused women to choose style over the health and safety of their feet. Our toes were not meant to be bunched together in a curled position.

Arthritis, toe injuries, and stroke can also cause hammertoes.

Symptoms of Hammertoes
The tell-tale signs of hammertoes are deformed looking toes that resemble a hammer shape. It usually affects the longest toe. In addition, it can also cause corns due to excessive rubbing against shoes. Pain and difficulty to move around the toe is also a symptom of hammertoes.

How to Prevent Hammertoes
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to how to prevent hammertoes. Try to keep affected toes stretched as much as possible each day. Simples toe stretching exercises should accomplish that. Also, make sure that you have comfortable fitting shoes to stop hammertoe before it starts.

How to Treat Hammertoes
Contrary to popular belief, most inserts will not treat hammertoes. You need special mold inserts to stop more damage. However, you could try taping or splints. In addition, to stop excessive skin pressure you could apply pads to the affected area.

You can apply ice every three or four hours to reduce swelling. Anti-inflammatory medications will also provide temporary relief, too.

The only way how to treat hammertoes when your toes are really deformed is through corrective surgery. This can be done by repairing a tendon, or it can be as complex as reshaping the bone. The main objective for such surgeries is to straighten the toe and to alleviate the constant pain. So, the only way how to treat hammertoe deformities is through some type of surgery.

If you want to know more about how to treat hammertoes, or possibly need corrective surgery from a podiatrist in the Chandler, AZ. area, contact the office of Dr. Robert Kuvent at Advanced Foot Care: 480.917.2300

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On a typical Arizona day, you probably won’t experience temperatures cold enough to cause this to happen, unless of course you’re an early riser who ventures out while the air is still crisp. For those readers who live or travel to colder environments, it may be more important for you to know about avoiding the possible dangers of the cold as it pertains to your little toes.

There are certain conditions that people can have that are only aggravated by the cold. If not for those low temperatures, some of these individuals wouldn’t even know they had such a condition. One of those is called “Chilblains”. It is often confused with frostbite or trench foot because of its tendency to turn the toe colors. What happens is the cold damages the smallest blood vessels in the skin of the toes and fingers, which turns them red at first. Along with the redness, they also can form blisters, experience intense itching and severe inflammation. Often times, the cause of Chilblains cannot be explained, although it can be associated with other serious medical conditions that need to be investigated.

Chilblains can be treated by warming up the affected digits, or when severe enough, with medication to cause the blood vessels to open up, allowing better blood supply to the area. This can help reduce the pain and facilitate healing and prevent it from happening again. The best way to avoid Chilblains is by preventing it from starting in the first place. This can be prevented by keeping the feet and hands warm in cold weather. Wear high quality gloves and socks, avoid rapid changes in temperature and avoid tight fitting socks and shoes. You can even try placing cotton wool between the toes to help improve circulation. A healthy diet and exercise can also improve circulation to your extremities. Lastly, you should avoid alcohol consumption before going out in the cold.

While it is unlikely you have Chilblains, simply because it is fairly rare, there is still a chance. If you experience any of the above symptoms or signs in your toes, regardless of whether or not it is linked to cold temperatures, you should see a podiatrist right away. Until then, go out and enjoy the cold, “weather” you need to get up early to find it or simply can’t avoid it!

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The lymphatic system has many functions. One of the main responsibilities is to absorb excess fluid, toxins, and debris from tissue and spaces in your body and return them to your circulation to be recovered or eliminated. Another function is to help maintain a balance of fluids in your body. It is composed of vessels, which are similar to arteries/veins to drain excess fluid, and nodes, which act like filters along the path of the vessels. When these structures get blocked or clogged, lymphedema can happen. Edema simply means “swelling”, which makes sense since patients with lymphedema have arms and legs that appear quite swollen.

You can be born with deformities that lead to lymphedema, however this is not nearly as common as acquiring it from a variety of causes such as surgery, node removal, trauma, infection, cancer, radiation, burns or blood clots.

People with lymphedema often experience a feeling of heaviness, tightness, or fullness of the affected limb. They also have pain, fatigue, dry skin, sores or blisters, thickened and painful toenails, and color changes to the skin.

There are various treatment options for lymphedema such as self-clearing massage techniques, low-stretch wraps, compression stockings and compression pump therapy. The key benefits to treatment include decreased swelling and hardness, less pain, clothes and shoes that fit better and healthier skin with less chance of ulcers, infections, and inflammation. There are however, several medical conditions that warrant caution intreating lymphedema, which is why you need to regularly see a doctor to make sure youare healthy enough for treatment.

If you feel you may have lymphedema in your legs and feet, you should see your podiatrist today as they can help initiate treatment options or set up a referral to a therapy center to aid in treating your lymphedema.

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Gout is a medical condition that is typically characterized by recurring attacks of short-lived inflammation in joints, usually the big toe joint. The affected area will bered, tender, hot and swollen. Gout can, however, present as kidney stones or kidney problems as well. Caused by raised levels of a substance known as “uric acid” in the blood, gout results in uric acid crystals getting deposited into joints, tendons, and surrounding tissues. Uric acid is a chemical that is created in your body when you breakdown substances called “purines”. Now where do purines come from? Purines are a normal occurring, necessary part of life! They are needed to form the very DNA that makes life possible. Purines can be found in some foods and drinks, such as certain meats, dried beans, beer, and wine. While diet and lifestyle is a contributing factor, genetics, certain medications and underlying medical conditions also play a role in the development of gout.

While the most common appearance of gout is the red, tender, hot and swollen joint, it can present in a number of different ways. While the big toe is most often affected, other areas such as the heels, knees, wrists and fingers may also be affected. Joint pain usually occurs during the night because your body temperature is lower, which facilitates the formation of the crystals. Other symptoms that may occur along with the joint pain include feeling tired and running a fever.

Your podiatrist can have a good clinical suspicion of gout simply based on talking with you and looking at the painful area, however the diagnosis is confirmed by visualization of crystals in your joint fluid under a microscope.

Thankfully gout is treatable. Your doctor may start with NSAIDs, or he or she may decide to use more powerful drugs to improve your symptoms. Once the current gout attack has subsided, you can lower your levels of uric acid via lifestyle changes, including limiting your consumption of red meat, seafood and alcohol. Occasionally, patients may experience frequent attacks, and may be treated with various drugs to provide long-term prevention.

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A stress fracture is a very small fracture in a bone, and is sometimes referred to as a “hairline fracture”.  These fractures can occur anywhere in the body’s 200+ bones; however, by far and away the most common place to suffer a stress fracture is in the foot. This is because the feet bear the weight of the entire body. Often times, stress fractures are related to “overuse”, usually resulting from sports, overtraining, or sudden increases in activity without proper conditioning. Sports like running, basketball, football and even tennis are common activities where athletes develop stress fractures. While participation in some activities put you at an increased risk for the development of stress fractures than others, it is important to realize any physical activity where the foot is put under high stress or subjected to repetitive forces and high impact landings can lead to a stress fracture.

One common activity is running on the treadmill, or rather the “dreadmill”. When running on a treadmill, at the same speed and the same incline setting for long periods of time, you’re essentially taking your foot and slamming it over and over again on a hard surface in the exact same spot. This is a good way to cause a stress fracture in your foot. To prevent this, if you must use a treadmill, try changing the speed and incline you run at frequently, so as to mimic running outside more closely. This way you’ll constantly be adjusting how your foot strikes the ground, which dampens the stress placed on any one spot in the foot.

Stress fractures are more common in women than men, for one main reason: osteoporosis. This is compounded by two other common conditions in women: eating disorders and irregular menstrual cycles. These two conditions contribute to the development of osteoporosis, which can occur very early in life and should not be considered a problem only in older women. Now, this is not to say men aren’t also susceptible to stress fractures, because they can get them, it’s just important for women to be aware of the increased risk of stress fractures.

The most common locations in the foot for a stress fracture are the second and third metatarsals (long bones of the foot which run between the midfoot and the toes). They can also occur in the heel and in a bone located at the top of the midfoot and in front of the ankle called the “navicular”. Stress fractures in this funny sounding bone are particularly difficult to heal because of inadequate blood supply.

Some common symptoms you may experience should you suffer a stress fracture are pain that starts gradually, gets worse with weight-bearing activities and slowly gets better with rest, possible swelling, tenderness to touch and possible bruising.

If you have a painful area in your foot, you can’t remember doing anything to hurt it in the recent past, and you frequently participate in physical activities like the ones described above or you’ve just started exercising more often, you should consider seeing a podiatrist. He/she can perform a few simple tests in the office to rule out other possible causes and will be able to pick up on a stress fracture, should that indeed be what is causing you problems. Your doctor will be able to give you the proper treatment and help you get back to your normal activities as soon as possible.

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Much of the heel pain seen by podiatrists today is due to “plantar fasciitis” which is an inflammation of the connective tissue band running from the bottom of your heel to the base of your toes. Sitting just above and adjacent to the plantar fascia are numerous muscles which help the foot to maneuver. These structures are all closely attached to a small area on that front bottom part of the heel bone. As you might imagine, this creates a great amount of tension in that part of the heel, and over time the constant pulling of those soft tissues on the bone can lead to the development of a bony protrusion towards the direction of pull. Age, genetics, biomechanics, and other factors may all influence this phenomenon.

If you were to look at a foot model or an X-ray of a heel spur, you might be fairly surprised as they can get up to half an inch long and appear sharp-almost like a hook protruding from the heel. Actually, much of the pain involved is NOT due to the spur but rather to the inflamed soft tissues in the area. Thus, more often than not, treatment is aimed at relieving tension and irritation in the soft tissues as well as evaluating them for tears and other pathology.

Whether a spur is present or not, you should definitely visit your podiatrist if you’re having significant heel pain. He or she can evaluate it clinically and then order an X-ray or other test to see if spurring is actually present. A spur may in fact be causing the pain if it gets large enough and starts to compress on nerves in the area. The doctor can also evaluate the nature of the spur, which in some cases may help to rule out hormonal issues, arthritic disorders, and other systemic conditions. Furthermore, imaging and other diagnostic measures can help to indicate whether something else entirely-such as a fracture-is causing the pain.

Though often an incidental finding, heel spurs in certain cases can become critical to the evaluation and treatment of heel irritation. They may be the key to relief.

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There are unfortunately MANY things which can lead to weakened or damaged nerves in our feet. One of the most common and well-known causes is diabetes. As individuals lose control of their blood sugars, the nerves particularly in the feet tend to become damaged and insensitive. Other metabolic issues such as B-vitamin deficiencies, alcoholism, and various toxins such as heavy metals can also lead to this problem. It’s pretty interesting to consider how certain health issues like Ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease can affect vitamin absorption to affect nerve function and indirectly the health of our feet!

Certain inherited and autoimmune disorders can also cause the feet to become insensitive. Things like Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, Lupus, Guillain-Barre syndrome, allergic conditions, and blood disorders can all have this effect. Mechanical issues like an entrapped nerve or a spinal root problem may also be causing the problem. On top of these and other causes, the medications you are taking can also alter the nerve function in your feet. Various seizure medications, immunosuppressive agents, oral contraceptives, and tuberculosis drugs can all have this side effect.

Perhaps one of the biggest problems with nerve dysfunction to affect our feet simply occurs as we age. Often times, visual changes in combination with insensitive feet make it extraordinarily difficult for individuals to monitor the ground as well as the health of their feet. Believe it or not, it’s not uncommon for some people to have needles and other sharp objects lodged in their feet without them even knowing it! Not only can the individual not feel the object, but they’re also not able to see what may be a large and potentially-infected wound. This can be a huge hazard for those who live alone or do not have their feet checked regularly, as the infection can spread quickly and cause major damage.

Podiatrists have lots of experience dealing with insensitive feet. They’re able not only to closely monitor the various components of nerve degeneration, but they’re also able to check for infections, care for wounds, and determine whether a foreign body is actually lodged within the foot. Sometimes various objects show up within the foot on an X-ray which is not otherwise very obvious. If you suspect you’re having such a problem, contact your podiatrist immediately.

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Osteoarthritis or “Degenerative Joint Disease” is the most common form of arthritis. Unlike Rheumatoid arthritis, it is not due to inflammation or to an autoimmune process. Rather, osteoarthritis typically results from the simple wear and tear that joints undergo in the normal progression of life. Over time, the cartilage which ‘pads’ the joint wears down until eventually the end of one bone starts to grind against the adjacent bone. As you might expect, this can be exquisitely painful and lead to structural damage within the bone itself. Eventually, inflammation along with weak ligaments and muscles can also become a part of the problem.

Multiple factors including genetics, dietary habits, and biomechanical issues may predispose one to developing osteoarthritis. A previous traumatic incident or a history of inflammation may be contributive as well. Typically, people tend to experience symptoms which progressively get worse towards the end of the day and are localized to a joint on just one side of the body (not both sides-as in RA). Individuals may also suffer from stiff or sore joints which oddly tend to flare up prior to a change in weather patterns. Finally, bony enlargements in joint areas are also not uncommon.

While degenerative joint disease can affect nearly any joint within the body, the ball of the foot is one of the most commonly affected areas. For this reason, podiatrists have lots of experience in addressing this condition. Thankfully, unlike many disorders affecting the bones or joints, osteoarthritis can usually be diagnosed on X-ray and doesn’t often require an MRI or more invasive test for confirmation. This and other clinical findings can help your podiatrist to rule out other potential scenarios such as RA, gout, or fractures.

Once the diagnosis of osteoarthritis has been established, the doctor will discuss with you an appropriate treatment regimen tailored to your needs. This will typically include modalities aimed at pain relief and include conservative measures like physical or occupational therapy, management programs, and assistive devices. Various medications may also be administered to help with pain relief. Finally, more aggressive measures might include things like joint remodeling surgeries or injections with gelatinous materials to cushion the joint.

Adequate motion within the joint spaces of our feet is critical for maintaining our mobility. When osteoarthritis begins to compromise that motion, your podiatrist can help to maximize joint function and your quality of life.

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Despite the classic reference, the “Achilles” does not actually refer to the heel at all, but rather to the major tendon behind the ankle which inserts into the heel bone. The problem arises when this tendon becomes inflamed, irritated, or damaged and results in what is called Achilles “tendinitis” or “tendinosis”. This can really mean a lot of different things. The issue may arise from the way the heel rolls when it strikes the ground, which may in turn be related to imbalances within the forefoot. Due to the anatomy of the ankle, the middle portion of the Achilles tendon actually has a rather weak blood supply which can also make the tendon susceptible to injuries.

Achilles tendinitis is actually classified by whether it occurs within the tendon itself or at the insertion site where the tendon meets the heel bone. An injury may manifest in many different ways and include tenderness, swelling, thickening of the tendon, “crackling” sounds, a bony heel bump, or changes in walking patterns. You’d probably be surprised at all the different things that can contribute to Achilles problems. They include overuse, poor training habits, and mechanical imbalances as well as some systemic conditions like elevated cholesterol, the use of certain antibiotic medications, age, the shape of your heel bone, and even certain blood types.

Podiatrists typically address issues of the Achilles by first performing a history and physical. This will likely include some simple exams to rule out muscular causes and get to the bottom of the problem. After this, they may order further diagnostic exams such as X-rays, MRIs, or even ultrasounds. These tests can reveal the extent of the injury and whether there is bony involvement or if the tendon has ruptured. After that, the doctor will discuss with you the treatment options which can vary from simple self-treatment at home to mechanical correction through orthotic inserts to surgical intervention.

The Achilles is the strongest, thickest tendon in the body, and critical to many important functions such as walking. Therefore, it’s important to keep it in good working order, even if you don’t have plans to invade Troy anytime soon.

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