Circulation isn’t just about your heart pumping blood throughout the body. It is about nutrients and oxygen being carried by your blood, to all the tissues of your body, in order to allow these tissues to live and function properly. Disruption of circulation to the brain is a “stroke.” If you lose adequate circulation to your own heart, it can lead to a heart attack. Without proper circulation to your eyes, you can have temporary or even permanent blindness. So, what happens if you lose proper circulation to your feet? Continue reading 'Your Feet After Fifty: Poor Circulation'»
Most people understand the basic purpose of various systems in the body such as the digestive system (mouth, stomach and intestines), the cardiovascular system (heart andarteries/veins), and the nervous system (brain and nerves) just to name a few. Your lymphatic system, however, may not be as widely understood, but it is vitally importantfor your wellbeing. When it doesn’t work, one consequence may be painful, swollen feet and legs.
Continue reading 'Big, Painful, Swollen Legs – What you should know about Lymphedema'»
Gout affects approximately 1–2% of Americans at some point in their lives, and it has increased in frequency in recent decades. The recent increase is thought to be related, at least in part, to changes in the way we eat. Historically, gout was known as the “Disease of kings” or “Rich Man’s Disease” as the wealthy were the only people who could afford to excessively eat the foods that triggered gout attacks like seafood, red meat and wine. Today they are readily available in a typical American diet, and while these foods are not the only cause of gout, they play a role in causing significant pain in over 3 million Americans. Continue reading 'Gout: The Disease of Kings'»
We all know what fractures are. Many of you have probably fractured a bone or two in your lives. You fall out of a tree or get violently tackled on the football field and suddenly you’re in the hospital and the doctor is telling you you’ve got a broken bone. While this is easily understood by most, when prefaced by the term “stress”, people are often confused when they’re told they have a fracture. It’s not uncommon for podiatrists to hear this response after telling a patient they have a stress fracture: “but doctor, I don’t remember any trauma to my foot”. While they may not recall any specific traumatic event causing the fracture, the patient indeed suffered trauma significant enough to cause a fracture, it just wasn’t the type of “trauma” everyone thinks of when discussing fractures. Continue reading 'The Dreadmill: Common Causes of Stress Fractures'»
As the Fall sports season gets underway, many fans and athletes are excited for another year of events and competition. Though no one can predict exactly what will happen this year, athletic injuries are always a given. One of the most common injuries associated with football players is referred to as “Turf toe”. While this may sound like a relatively benign issue, it can actually prove devastating to athletes, teams, and even non-athletes who encounter this condition. Even NFL stars such as Deion Sanders, Darren McFadden, and LaDainian Tomlinson have missed significant playing time because of this injury.
Turf toe basically results from hyperextension or an excessive upward bending of the first toe at the ball of the foot. There’s a major joint in this area with many important structures which can each be easily damaged in such an injury. This scenario commonly results when an individual’s foot-with the heel raised and the forefoot about to push off-receives a direct force down and through the ball of the foot. The end result is usually pain, swelling, and stiffness of the joint which, of course, depends on the extent of the injury.
The phrase “turf toe” has actually become somewhat of a junk term to refer to any traumatic injury of the big toe joint. In reality, it is a unique entity which separates it from other similar issues. For example, “sand toe” is a separate injury involving hyper-flexion or a downward over-bending of the big toe which is often seen in volleyball players. Turf toe actually ranks third in frequency behind knee and ankle injuries in football players, and though not as common as ankle injuries, it results in more missed playing time. The issue has become more prevalent over the years for several reasons. First, many sporting events now take place on synthetic surfaces like AstroTurf which have more friction and don’t allow the toes to adapt as well to various forces. Secondly, whereas older athletic cleats had a metal plate in the forefoot to limit excessive bending, newer models are generally more flexible (for speed) and less shock-absorbing.
Podiatrists typically address turf toe cases by first assessing the symptoms and possibly ordering and x-ray or an MRI to determine the extent of the damage. Based on these findings, they can classify the injury, give an accurate prognosis, and implement proper treatment. Mild cases may involve simple taping and plate splinting of the toe with return to activity in a few days. More serious cases may require the use of crutches or casting and may necessitate up to six weeks of missed playing time. Very severe cases might warrant a surgical approach to repair soft tissue structures, remove bony fragments, or provide other corrective measures. It all depends on the particular case.
Whether in sports or everyday life, traumatic injuries are certainly not fun. Thanks, however, to proper treatment and our bodies’ healing abilities, they can often be managed effectively.
Comments (0) 
