5 Signs Your Child May Have a Foot Problem

Foot and ankle problems in children often go unnoticed. Signs and symptoms can be subtle, and sometimes children can’t explain what’s wrong. But it’s important to protect growing feet and have problems checked out early.

The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons offers five warning signs parents should watch for.

1. Your Kids Can’t Keep Up with Their Peers
If children lag behind in sports or backyard play, it may be because their feet or legs are tired. Fatigue is common when children have flat feet. The muscles in the feet and legs tire easily because the feet are not functioning as well as they should.

2. Children Voluntarily Withdraw from Activities they Usually Enjoy
If they are reluctant to participate, it may be due to heel pain — a problem often seen in children between the ages of 8 and 14. Repetitive stress from sports may cause muscle strain and inflammation of the growth plate, a weak area at the back of a child’s heel.

3. They Don’t Want to Show You Their Feet
Children may feel pain or notice a change in the appearance of their feet or nails but don’t tell their parents because they fear a trip to the doctor’s office. Surgeons encourage parents to make a habit of inspecting their child’s feet starting at a young age. Look for any changes such as calluses, growths, skin discoloration, or redness and swelling around the toenails.

4. Your Child Often Trips and Falls
Repeated clumsiness may be a sign of in-toeing, balance problems or neuromuscular conditions.

5. The Child Complains of Pain
It is never normal for a child to have foot pain. Injuries may seem minor, but if pain or swelling last more than a few days, have your child’s foot examined.

If your child exhibits any of the above signs or symptoms please contact our office to set-up a consultation, 440-946-5858, for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Don't Play Through Pain

Sometimes athletes can be their own worst enemy especially when they continue to play following an injury to a foot or ankle. Proper diagnosis and treatment are a necessity to all full healing and proper rehabilitation.

Athletes often misunderstand how serious an injury can be and try to rush back into competition without appropriate treatment and rehabilitation. Some of the most difficult cases seen are those in which athletes have continued to play after an injury. Athletes often make the mistake of ignoring what seems like a minor foot or ankle injury because they are able to walk. Serious injuries can exist even when the foot or ankle is able to accept weight or pressure.

One such injury involves the Lisfranc joint, on the top of the foot. It’s possible to walk with a Lisfranc injury, but this can lead to damage to the soft tissues of the foot or even chronic conditions such as arthritis.

Another injury that may be overlooked is a fracture of the fifth metatarsal—the bone that runs along the outer side of the foot. This can accompany an ankle sprain, or the athlete may think it’s a sprain. However, this injury is difficult to heal, and continuing to participate in sports will make it worse.

Playing with pain is never a good strategy for athletes. Prompt treatment is. Please call our office, 440-946-5858, to determine the best course of treatment for the specific injury and help you get back into the game.

Burning, Tingling or Numbness in Your Feet....Are You a Diabetic?

Do you ever feel burning, tingling or numbness in your feet and toes? If so, these can be warning signs for diabetes.

The symptoms listed above may be caused by a condition called diabetic peripheral neuropathy, or nerve damage. Neuropathy in the feet can lead to permanent numbness, deformities such as bunions and hammertoes, and/or dry skin that cracks open and won't heal.

Burning, tingling and numbness in the toes can also be symptoms of thyroid problems, nutritional deficiencies, back problems and pinched nerves in the ankles. However, in the United States, diabetes is the leading cause of peripheral neuropathy and can lead to further foot complications, such as ulcerations or sores.

Out of the 23 million Americans with diabetes, one in four hasn't been diagnosed. Some people learn they have diabetes only after seeing a doctor for burning, tingling and numbness in their toes and feet. Many people already diagnosed with diabetes aren't familiar with neuropathy's symptoms.

Twenty percent of diabetes patients who develop ulcers will require an amputation. Patients who are black, Hispanic and Native American are twice as likely as whites to need a diabetes-related amputation. Half of all people with diabetes who have a toe or foot amputation die within three years. The annual cost for diabetic ulcer care in the U.S. is estimated at $5 billion.

If you or someone you know is suffering from these symptoms or has been diagnosed with diabetes and needs a foot check please call our office, 440-946-5858, to schedule an appointment.

Feet Flattening?????

Treatment and prevention of adult flatfoot can reduce the incidence of additional foot problems such as bunions, hammertoes, arthritis and calluses, and improve a person’s overall health, according to research published in the recent Journal of Foot & Ankle Surgery publication.

Overweight males in white-collar jobs are most apt to suffer from adult flatfoot disorder, a progressive condition characterized by partial or total collapse of the arch, according to the research. Symptoms of adult flatfoot may include pain, swelling, flattening of the arch and an inward rolling of the ankle. Flatfoot is a progressive disorder by nature and this most recent study suggests that neglecting treatment or preventive care can lead to arthritis, loss of function of the foot and many other painful foot disorders.

Flatfoot disorder may gradually worsen to the point that many of the tendons and ligaments in the foot and ankle are simply overworking, often to the point where they tear and/or rupture. If this occurs, even simple walking and standing become increasingly painful, requiring much more energy.

In many cases, flatfoot can be treated with non-surgical approaches including orthotic devices or bracing, immobilization, physical therapy, medication and shoe modifications. In some patients whose pain is not adequately relieved by conservative treatments, there are a variety of surgical techniques available to correct flatfoot and improve foot function.

As in most progressive foot disorders, early treatment for flatfoot disorder is also the patient’s best route for optimal success in controlling symptoms and additional damage to the feet. The goal is to keep patients active, healthy and as pain free as possible and we are here to help with this goal. Please call our office at 440-946-5858 to schedule a consultation.

Keep Your Feet Safe at the Gym in the New Year

It is 2011, the beginning of a New Year and new resolutions. If your resolution for the upcoming year is to get into shape, don’t forget to keep your feet in tip-top shape while following through with your resolutions to get fit. The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons offers the following tips for foot safety while at the gym.

Start new workouts gradually— Increase your stamina and the length of your workouts gradually to avoid overuse injuries such as stress fractures or tendon strains and sprains. Stretching your muscles before and after workouts also helps prevent these types of injuries.
Wear the right shoe and sock—Wear well-fitted athletic shoes designed for exercise or sport. Shoes that do not support the arch of the foot or provide cushion for the heel can cause heel pain (plantar fasciitis). Shoes that are too small can cause a neuroma, a thickening of the nerve tissue, in the foot, which may require injections, medication or physical therapy. Wearing cotton or non-slip socks are also key to help avoid painful blisters, which can become infected and cause more serious issues.

Use good technique— Improper exercise techniques can result in injury to the tendons or ligaments in your feet and ankles. Incorrect posture or misuse of exercise equipment can cause decreased stabilization in the foot and ankle, leading to joint sprains and muscle strains.

Protect yourself from bacteria—Sweaty shoes, public showers, exercise equipment and the pool deck at the gym are breeding grounds for fungus, viruses and bacteria, including drug-resistant strains like MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) which has become increasingly more common. Therefore, never go barefoot while in public areas and cover cuts and cracks in the skin or ingrown toenails since these minor tears in the skin’s surface can act as an entry point for bacteria.

Above all, it’s important to listen to your body. If you experience an injury or pain, please call our office, 440-946-5858, for evaluation and treatment.