Summer feet...cracked dry heels OUCH!, Nail fungus or dirt disease?

It is summer time and flip flops and sandals are the shoes of choice. That means our feet are vulnerable to toe nail fungus or is it dirt disease and cracked calloused heels....Let's see.
Nail fungus known as Onychomycosis can turn your toe nails into a thick yellow flaky and painful mess. Fungus nails sometimes start out with just the corner of your toe nail involved. It usually appears yellow or discolored in the corner of the great toe nail first and then can later spread to other toenails. Fungus nails can detach from the nail plate making it possible for the nail to rip off if it gets caught on a sock or jammed into the leg of a table ect. Dirt can also get underneath the nail and cause the nail to have a dark black appearance. But wait the dark appearance in your nail could also be from Dirt Disease.......Dirt disease is when you may have accidentally banged your nail and it became detached from the nail plate. Dirt can get underneath the clear nail plate and cause a dark spot. So check out your nails carefully and you can decide for your self what those dreaded dark spots are underneath your toenails. Visiting your podiatrist is the first step in getting rid of your problem. There are topical and oral medications that can be helpful in treating the nail fungus problem.

Cracked thick painful callouses around the heels of your feet can also be a problem that will drive you to a podiatrist. They can fissure and open up making walking difficult. They are caused by walking barefoot or wearing flip- flops and backless sandals. If not treated the skin could get infected. A few easy ways to treat this problem is by purchasing a foot cream with 40 % Urea in it that will break down the thick callouse formation and moisturise the skin. Another way to treat the problem is to use an abrasive file to smooth the tissue. There are diamond files available that are terrific and is an easy way to treat your feet.

Take care of your feet and your feet will take care of you!

SHOE AND FOOT TIPS FOR TRAVEL

Summer has come upon us and it is time to take those long awaited vacations you dreamed about all winter long. Here are some shoe and foot tips to keep you walking and comfortable during travels. First DO NOT buy a pair of new shoes and take them with you on your trip unless they are fully broken in! That means they should be at least a few months old and have had enough wear that they are like an old friend.

A new pair of shoes can be stiff , uncomfortable and can cause blisters on your toes or on the back of your heel. Soft leather is always a better bet when buying a pair of leather shoes. Shoes can also irate an already existing foot problem like bunions, heel spurs, plantar fasciatis or hammer toes.

Make sure your shoes have a good support system and are well cushioned. This can either be by the support mechanism that came with the shoe, wearing custom made orthotics or over the counter arch supports such as Instant Arches. Buying a soft inner sole that you can place in your shoe can also make your shoes more comfortable. If you are using custom made orthotics always remove the arch system that is currently in the shoe and then place the orthotic in your shoe. If you want to make the orthotic more comfortable place a soft insole on top. This will give you cushion and support. The bottom line is you want to be comfortable and supported for those long days of site seeing.

Wearing sandals or flip flops is not recommended if you are walking for long periods of time because of the lack of support they provide. It is an easy way to develop blisters and arch cramps.

So, travel in comfortable shoes and you will not have to run to the foot doctor when you come back from your trip....!

Can I blame it on mom, dad, aunts, uncles or my grandparents?

Many of us have flat feet or bunions and have no clue how it developed. Well if you look at your parents, aunts, uncles or your grandparents feet you may find that they are similar to yours. Yes, flat feet, high arches and bunion deformities can be hereditary or a genetic predisposition that eventually may surface as you get older.

So if your kids have flat feet, high arches or bunions it probably came from you or another family member. Flat feet (the arch of the foot collapses) can lead to bunion deformities, plantar fasciatis, heel spurs, low back pain and foot fatigue. High arches can lead to ball of the foot pain, heel spurs and plantar fasciatis. So, you do not have to look far to figure out why your feet may hurt or you have developed a mysterious lump or bump.

The good news is that even if you have developed foot problems through out your life, the solution to make them feel better is simply to support your feet using orthotics. Products such as Instant Arches, over the counter foot supports and professionally made orthotics are some ways to keep your genetics in check.

If you have foot pain, ice products such as cool soles, or other ice packs can be very helpful to take the heat off.

How to keep my feet looking great...!

Pedicurist or Podiatrist?

For many women going to a pedicurist is a way of life but for some it can cause a little discomfort in ones life. I have had a number of patients over the years who have come in with ingrown toe toes, nail fungus and skin infections which probably at the the pedicurists salon. The things that you should be aware of when you get your nails done is to make sure you bring your own instruments and basin to soak your feet in. That way you can control the environment your foot is being exposed to and prevent some of the common nail and skin problems that can happen to your feet. When getting your nails cut make sure the pedicurist cuts your nails straight across and then uses a nail file to round the edges of the nails. One of the most common causes of ingrown toe nails (which is like having a tooth ache) is when the corners of the nail are cut crooked it can grow out crooked and therefore cut into the skin causing lots of pain. Another cause is if your shoes are to pointed and tight the sides of the nails can grow in crooked. Nail fungus or in medical lingo onychomycosis is another common problem one sees coming out of a pedicurists salon. In order to prevent that from happening to your toe nails, bring in your own basin and instruments. That will eliminate the chances of contacting a fungus left behind by the last client.

If you develop an ingrown toe nail or nail fungus, contact your podiatrist and have those problems evaluated. Treatment is available to resolve those problems. If you have hard to cut thick yellow flaky nails or red swollen painful skin surrounding the tip and sides of the nails seek professional help and do not perform bathroom toe surgery. Having great looking pedicured nails can make you feel good all day long and knowing that you can prevent some of the more common toe nail problems from occurring will make you feel even better. For more information regarding your feet go to www.rosenbergstevendpm.com or www.footproductsenterprises.com

"When your feet hurt everything hurts"... OUCH !

Standing on hard floor surfaces such as concrete in work environments such as studios, sound stages, salons, sales positions at department stores, bank tellers, cocktail waitress , models, dancers and walking trade shows can take a terrible toll on you physically. The shoes that you wear performing these activities do not usually provide the proper support for your feet. They are not cushioned or supportive enough to absorb the force that the ground creates. Floor surfaces usually do not have a lot of padding and can cause your body to experience fatigue, low back pain, tired & sore muscles, tendonitis and foot pain.

Often times these problems can be easily resolved by supporting the arches of your feet. With a supportive arch support in your shoes many of those symptoms will disappear. Dr. Rosenberg's Instant Arches is one of the supportive arch support products available to help solve those problems www.instantarches.com and to cool off those hot tired feet after a long day of standing at work, Dr. Rosenberg's Cool Soles is another helpful product www.coolsoles.com Placing a soft insole in your shoes is another way to help cushion your feet.
"So be kind to your feet and your feet will be kind to you"!

Orthotics... to get or not to get....that is the question !

Orthotics are hand casted molded devices made of high-impact plastics or graphite materials. They are designed to gently correct the position of the bones of your feet and hold them in proper alignment. They will fit in most flat shoes and can also be made for fashion shoes. They can slow down the development of Bunion deformities, relieve plantar fasciitis and heel spur pain as well as reduce knee, hip and back pain. Many foot injuries are the result of poor foot mechanics where you have exceeded your own physical limitations. This can cause muscle fatigue or break down causing tired and painful feet. Orthotics reinforce the proper alignment of bones and muscles so that those painful problems will not occur.

Orthotics will improve postural and spinal alignment. They will also allow your foot to adapt to different types of walking, running and hiking surfaces by providing better shock absorption for the bones and joints of your feet.

The answer to the question is to get them, if you want to feel more balanced reduce the risk of foot injuries and improve your over all walking and exercising comfort.

If the shoe fits......wear it !

Some foot problems can occur because you love the shoe but it is not your size, your really are a size 8 and you want to wear a size 7 or it is just a "Hot Looking Shoe, you have to have it and you are only wearing to the restaurant and kicking it off once you get there". By trying to stuff your foot in a shoe that dose not fit properly can cause all sorts of foot problems. It can aggravate an already existing foot problem that usually dose not bother you, such as a bunion or hammer toe. It can also cause a soft tissue injury such as a tendonitis, bursitis or myositis. This is an inflammation of a tendon , bursa or muscle in the foot.

If the shoe is too narrow you can develop a neuroma which occurs by irritating and pinching the nerves in the front part of your foot or aggravate one that you already have but does not hurt. If you have bunion deformities a narrow shoe can trigger pain in that specific area. If your shoe is to big for your foot it can cause toe problems in the tip of the shoe and your foot will slide forward causing friction problems on the ball of your foot, top of your toes and the back of your heels. If you have one foot bigger than the other, fit the larger of the two feet and place an insole pad, arch pad or tongue pad in the shoe that fits the smaller foot This will take up some of the extra room and make the shoe fit better.

"So be kind to your feet and they will be kind to you"!