Crawl before you walk

My daughter Paige asked my wife Karen and I a few weeks ago if we would participate with her in a 5K walk, for the cause, Walk from Obesity. This is a movement that Paige believes in so I tell her that I'm in. What I didn't tell her was that I have never participated in one. You see I used to be a weekend warrior but 4 knee operations, an osteochondral defect in my femur, an unrepaired torn ACL, and an arthritic hip on my other side has relegated me to being a dedicated golfer who always rides in a golf cart in order to play. Deep down inside I'm petrified that I'll embarass myself by limping my way for about a mile and then heading straight for the tent at the finish line.

In order to prepare for the event, I made a sort of mental checklist that I would like to share with you in case you are ever participating in your first walk or run.
-I inspected my cross trainers for wear and tear. They were fine but if they weren't, I was prepared to break in a new pair well before the walk.
-I made certain that my excellent pre-fabricated arch support devices were in place. A well-supported orthotic or pre-fab is a must for long periods of standing, walking, or exercise.
-I wore a comfortable, well-fitting pair of high percentage cotton athletic socks. Cotton helps your feet breathe better than synthetics.
-I made sure the socks did not bunch up in my cross trainers as that can easily cause blisters.
-I clipped my nails staight across, cutting them even with the flesh at the tip of my toes the day before the walk.
-I went to my local Y regularly and stayed limber utilizing machines devoted to the lower AND upper extremities. I always work out a few times a week but I wanted to make sure I didn't slack off now.
- I stretched daily, especially the quads, hamstrings, and calf muscles.
-I ate and slept well the week leading up to the walk.
-I hydrated well before, during, and after the walk.
-I wore a knee bace.

Well to make a long story short, I was able to complete the walk. After hitting the wall in the first third, I found it easier as I went along. I iced the knee down afterward and actually felt fine the next day. I enjoyed myself and am now not afraid to participate in other walks for good causes.

For more information on this cause, please visit: http://www.walkfromobesity.com/

Bradford J. Jacobs, DPM
http://www.podiatrycarespecialists.com/

You can also follow me on Twitter @footdoc_golfer

Mainline Health Fair

Podiatry Care Specialists, P.C. of Newtown Square, PA and West Chester, PA, participated in Main Line Health’s ,Paoli Hospital ‘s event “Healthy Living Expo which was held on Wednesday September 21, 2011 at Chadwick’s in Audubon, PA.

Drs. Ted Mushlin, Brad Jacobs, Chad Friedman , Alexandra Grulke, and Practice Administrator Fay Mushlin were there to answer questions and provide information to all who attended.  To further promote awareness about foot health, Podiatry Care Specialists had a representative from Aetrex ,scan the feet of the participants showing pressure points  and the doctors were then able to discuss the results.

Also in attendance was a representative from  Bako Dermatologic Pathology lab with  information on skin cancer of the feet. 

Podiatry Care Specialists, P.C. will be opening their third office in Main Line Health’s new location in Audubon, Montgomery County, PA scheduled to open December 2011.

http://www.podiatrycarespecialists.com/

Halle Berry Broken Foot

Halle Berry was filming a video in Spain and broke her foot. Word has it that she broke it while a day off from filming. Were not sure what bone in her foot was broke but there is a picture here of her being wheeled out from the hospital in a splint. A splint is used to help immobilize the foot and help with swelling. Stay tuned for more updates

http://www.podiatrycarespecialists.com/

Not the end of the World for NFL Draft Prospect Julio Jones

With not much good news coming from the NFL these days, draft prospect Julio Jones made headlines with his impressive showing at the 2011 Scouting Combine. With his performance, he may very well be the first wide receiver picked in this years draft. He ran under 4.40 in the 40 and did all this with a fracture in his foot. This fracture was picked up on x-rays during the medical examination at the Scouting Combine. Julio was diagnosed with what is called a Jones fracture while performing at the combine.

A Jones fracture is a injury towards the base of the 5th metatarsal, which is the long bone behind the 5th toe. This injury can occur as a result of a twisting injury or an ankle sprain. In fact, this type of fracture can often be missed during initial examination for an ankle sprain. Due to the location of this fracture, (see figure below), there is limited blood supply to the bone in this area making this a difficult fracture to heal. Often conservative measures, such as a cast, walking boot or crutches are not enough to heal this fracture alone.

As in Julio Jones' case or any athlete that cannot have afford the luxury of a lengthy recovery, this type of fracture often needs surgery to assure healing of this injured site. A titanium or stainless steel screw is often placed across the fracture site to help speed up the healing process. Often times, a bone stimulator would also be used as an adjunct to treatment. A bone stimulator uses ultrasound or electrical waves to increase healing across bone fractures. Even with these techniques it will take 4-6 weeks to heal. The good news is with proper care these go on to heal without future consequences. The key to these injuries is early intervention. When you suspect this type of injury or sustain a severe ankle sprain, it is important to get examined by your podiatrist as soon as possible. Early intervention is essential. For Julio Jones, having immediate treatment will result in his remaining a first round pick in the 2011 draft.

Sandie Grulke, DPM

http://www.podiatrycarespecialists.com/

Shaquille O'Neal has Achilles Tendinitis

Looks like Boston Celtics Center, Shaquille O'Neal has another injury. Years ago he had surgery on his big toe joint to clean up a lot of his cartilage. Now Doctors are saying he has tendinitis or even tendinosis of his Achilles tendon. Ok so whats the difference? Tendinitis is inflammation of a tendon. Tendinosis is an abnormal condition of a tendon. It can also be caused from an overuse syndrome and there are different types of healing cells that occur with tendinosis. Anti-inflammatories may not work with tendinosis conditions. With both conditions, if he is too active, he may rupture the tendon. Currently, he is wearing a Cam Boot to help offload the area. Stay tuned for updates on his progress.

http://www.podiatrycarespecialists.com/

Can Toenails Indicate If You Have Lung Cancer?

A recent study has shown that men with high levels of nicotine in their toenails are 3.5 times more likely to develop lung cancer than those with lower levels of nicotine, regardless of their smoking history.

Toenail clippings were used because they grow slowly and are relatively stable compared to other things such as salivia and urine. With the toenail clippings, there is less chance for error.

In 1986 a health questionnaire was filled out by men and followed up every 2 years. 33,737 men provided toenail clippings.  210 men developed lung cancer between 1988-2000. Clippings were used to to assess men's tobacco exposure over a year. Whats also interesting is that 10% of men who had the most levels of nicotine in their toenail clippings had never smoked. With this group it was possibly from second hand smoke.

This may provide a valuable tool for us in the future. We may not only be checking toenail clippings for fungus and other nail diseases, but also for nicotine levels.

 
http://www.podiatrycarespecialists.com/
Original article can be found here
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/03/07/toenails-risk-lung-cancer/

Jennifer Grey Undergoes Neuroma Surgery

Jennifer Grey, famous actress from Dirty Dancing and recently on Dancing With the Stars Winner, had undergone neuroma surgery this past week. She was tweeting that she was even having pain and discomfort during the show.

Neuromas are not a tumor. It is a thickening of a nerve as it courses between the metatarsals of your foot. The metatarsals are the bones behind the toe. Certain factors such as tight shoes, trauma, abnormal biomechanics of the foot can cause these neuromas to form. The neuroma is basically a pinched nerve. As it gets pinched the nerve tends to scar and fibrose within itself which can cause a lot of pain and discomfort. People may say that their toes may feel numb or they are walking on a pebble or stone. The most common location for the pinched nerve is between the 3rd and 4th toes most commonly called a Morton's Neuroma. They can occur in any of the toe web spaces.

Treatment options vary for this condition. Ranging from wider toe box shoes, cortisone injections, sclerosing injections, and orthotics with special padding to help offload the neuroma area.

If you are experiencing any discomfort or  pain please see a Podiatrist right away for this.

Please visit our site for more educational information of neuromas. We have videos on this as well

http://www.podiatrycarespecialists.com/