Podiatrist - Scottsdale
South Scottsdale Office
North Scottsdale Office
So you have made up your mind to run the marathon. I see a lot of patients in my North and South Scottsdale office that want to start training for a marathon like the PF Changs Rock and Roll marathon. There are many different reasons why might an individual make such a decision, like personal fitness, feeling of accomplishment, or emotional release. I can relate to that personally, as I crossed the finish line at the PF Changs in 2010. However, regardless of what each runner's reason might be, there are certain criteria everyone must keep in mind to reduce the risk of any potential physical harm. These major guidelines include complete physical health, proper training, proper attire, and most importantly proper shoes.
As some of my favorite podiatric students found working at the podiatry tent at Chicago marathon this past weekend, foot and leg problems are the most common cause of discomfort and extreme pain after reaching the finish line. Caring for your feet and a quest to reduce any risk of injury starts by supervised training.
Of course a pair of new running shoes are one of the most crucial gadgets you'll need to reach the finish line. However, coming up with properly fitting new shoes takes more than just picking it up from a store one day before the race.
Buying a proper pair of shoes starts from the pair of socks that you must purchase before buying shoes. It is recommended to go with wool or synthetic material socks that will reduce perspiration, the number one cause of painful, bloody blisters in runners. Instead of going for traditional cotton athletic socks go for socks made specifically for long distance runners.
When going in to purchase your new shoes, take your socks with you and make sure that the shoes you are about to buy feel comfortable to your foot type in those socks. If you usually wear custom made orthosis or over the counter insoles make sure they work well with the shoes you are about to buy. A comfortable shoe must allow enough space between your longest toe and the shoe to wiggle comfortably without any of your toes getting cramped. Do not rely on shoes getting stretched.
Race day is not a good day to break into your shoes, so start working on this step early. Shoes tend to lose a bit of their shock absorbing property at around 200 miles. The best way to get used to your new shoes without overusing them is to start your training in them 3 weeks in advance for about an hour or two each day.
If you have any podiatric problems, such as calluses, ingrown nails, and shoe fitting problems, take care of them well in advance. Some treatments might require a grace period to heal before any major physical activity. A pre-marathon consultation with your podiatrist is also highly recommended. They can teach you all the little techniques, such as lacing, nail care, blisters and athlete's foot prevention to help you keep your feet healthy all through the race.
Happy Running :)
After a long day at work on your feet in high heels your feet need a break. Fortunately, there is a simple and cheap way to take the pressure off your feet and keep your toes healthy. If you have ever had a pedicure you will know what a toe separator looks like. These simple devices actually come in a variety of forms for variety of uses. The ones you may have used at the pedicurist are a little bit different than ones used for podiatric purposes, but the idea of spacing the toes is the same.
The pedicurist's toe separators do however look rather similar to one podiatric version and that is the night splint toe separators. Night splint toe separators as you may have guessed are worn only at night, more specifically in bed. These ones, unlike the ones that the pedicurist uses, serve more than just helping you put on nail polish. For example, they function to provide short term immediate relief of irritation between rubbing crooked toes during bed rest. People who have corns between their toes will also find great irritation relief. Furthermore these night-time toe separators, also known as "splints", train the toes to straighten out which provide long term relief of irritation as well as improve your foot cosmetically. They work simply by holding your toes in a straightened position for extended periods of time while you are sleeping. Over time your toes start to adjust to this position and become straighter, similar to how wearing tight and pointyshoes can cause your toes to become crooked. There are two types of toe separators. One type that was mentioned above, which you use during the night, while resting, and the type that are made for day-time use. Day-time toe separators are designed to be hidden under loose fitting shoes. These separators decrease friction and irritation between crooked toes while wearing shoes. The decreased friction and rubbing allow irritated toes to heal and be free of pain and align.
Toe separators come in variety of sizes, shapes, and materials but the two most common ones are made of foam and gel/silcone. Foam separators are specifically popular for podiatric uses because a trained specialist can trim and shape them with scissors to fit between your toes perfectly. Gel separators are unique for their moisturizing features, meant to help increase healing time of chaffing skin on the toes. According to our consumers, one can feel the benefit a few hours after their first use. Toe separators have been used for years, and are a great way to keep your joint better aligned especially in the case of bunions.
You may wonder how something so simple and basic can actually give patients such great relief. To own a pair of these toe separators for yourself, you can either look for these items at foot-care section of any store, or head to Dr. Forman's store http://www.ourdoctorstore.com/forman/store/item.asp?ITEM_ID=692&DEPARTMENT_ID=50 to feel the benefits first hand.
Stand up and think about your feet for a minute. Your good old R and L are supporting the weight of your entire body. All 175 lbs of my body are sitting on my feet pain free, while my biceps struggle to curl up 35lb dumbbells. In fact the weight of those dumbbells are being balanced atop my feet as well! It goes without saying that a properly functioning foot is an essential part of health. Sometimes your feet are the root of all your problems. They may be predisposing you to osteoarthritis or the culprit of the pain in your hips and back. Flat-feet are a good example of a primary problem causing secondary symptoms.
The problems of flat-feet extend well beyond cosmetics. When your foot is flat it means your arch has fallen. This causes you to stretch out the soft tissue under your foot, the plantar fascia. Heel pain can soon develop and will feel worst first thing in the morning. Furthermore with flat-feet, your foot joints are not locking properly when you walk. With a flimsy foot your calf muscles work overtime to push off every step. For this reason, often times with flat-feet people experience sore legs at the end of the day as well.
Now we are waking up with a painful heel and going to bed with sore legs. So what to do? Medicine? Surgery? Physical Therapy? No, No, No! The fix is simple, non-intrusive, and easy. Get fitted for custom molded foot orthosis at your local podiatrist. That's it! In a properly fitted shoe orthosis with good arch support, your foot will be forced to function in its proper position. You'll feel a difference the second you wear them. If you think you have flat-feet, see your podiatrist, and let them cure you before it's too late!
So you want to become a runner? Step 1.Buy new shoes, step 2.Stretch, stretch and finally do some more stretching step 3.Start running.
One of the most common running problems, I see in both my North and South Scottsdale offices are stress fractures. Stress fractures are no fun, and they will only slow down your athletic progress. Take a look at Chinese basketball star Yao Ming. A small barely detectable break in his foot, and 12 months later he's finally ready to play, limited minutes... Once the fracture develops you become high risk of re-injury, so the best option is to steer clear. A common mistake the everyday athlete makes is going too hard too fast. Stick to the runner's rule, which is, increasing distance/activity by no more than 10% a week.
Stress fractures occur when a bone withstands too much repeated stress. Unlike most other fractures you may have experienced, a stress fracture doesn't occur all at once. It develops slowly overtime as we continue to run, play sports, and stress the same bone over and over again. As we run everyday the bone breaks down and a stress fracture develops. When this begins the athlete will feel pain near the bone during activity, and the pain gradually gets worse as we continue to compete. Eventually the fracture is bad enough as to cause pain all day and swelling may be noticed. This is definitely the time to visit the doctor.
Treatment for a stress fracture begins with rest. Keep weight-bearing pressure off the fracture as much as you can. Casts, walking boots, and crutches are commonly used by doctors to help patients allow the bone to heal. Depending on how bad the fracture is, it can take anywhere from 4-15 weeks before a patient can stop using the crutches and take off the cast. Some athletes who ignore their stress fractures can let them progress to the point where the two bones separate, called a non-union. As you can imagine these fractures have more problematic recovery. Remember, once out of crutches return to activities slowly.
There are a few things we can do to help protect ourselves from stress fractures. First, get new shoes. Shoes don't provide enough shock absorption after only about 500 miles of wear. Next visit your local podiatrist for a gait analysis and maybe some functional orthotics to improve your gait. Finally, remember to drink milk. Vitamin D and Calcium are needed for bones to grow strong. Lastly, increase running and sports slowly.
There was a series of foot pictures published on the Internet on July 2007 pointing out serious bunion problems amongst big name celebrities including Oprah, Hillary Duff, and Victoria Beckham. Even though bunions can be genetically inherited, the main cause of bunion, especially in female celebrities is believed to be excessive use of high heels and narrow toed shoes.
Bunions are bumps on the insides of your feet at the base of your big toe. This enlargement puts pressure on the big toe joint and also causes your big toe to become crooked. Once it begins, if left untreated, it will progress and cause a lot of discomfort.
I know well that it is just not possible to put those pumps away and never use them again. We live in a world where wearing high heels for ladies is quite popular and considered highly fashionable in all types of occasions. They are here to stay. However, here are some ways suggested to protect your feet from developing those painful bunions: