What shoes should you wear?

Being a Disney lover, I still have to "pinch myself" that I can go to the parks on a very regular basis.  Recently on the "Disney Parks Blog," the following video of "feet at EPCOT" was posted.  Most non-podiatrists do not notice people's shoes but I find this interesting.  Most of the feet are covered in sneakers but I also saw several flip flops.  Everyone is different, but typically I find you can never go wrong with a supportive sneaker while active.  If you are going to wear a sandal, I recommended one with an arch.  These can be more difficult to find, but are available.  In fact, we have several in our office.  Foot pain is never normal and at Central Florida Foot and Ankle we pride ourselves at keeping on patients on their feet so they can do whatever activity they like including walking around all the great theme parks we have here in Central Florida.

Paula Deen

This past week, Paula Deen admitted that she had diabetes.  This likely made the news because she has been known for her cooking of what many people believe are unhealthy foods that could lead to diabetes.  Diabetes, in the most simple of terms, can be described as a disease of high blood sugar.  As a podiatrist, I see the manifestation of the disease in the feet everyday.  This includes nerve damage that can be painful and / or not allow a patient to feel his or her feet.  Also poor circulation in the lower extremities can occur.  Finally, the patient's ability to fight infection can be compromised.  We worry about all of these issues as combined they can lead to serious problems.  For example, a diabetic can step on a tack or get a rock in the shoe and because of nerve damage may not feel it.  This can cause a sore that can get infected and the diabetic patient's ability to heal the area is poor and antibiotics can not get to the area due to poor circulation.  The infection can worsen and to prevent severe life-threatening sickness, amputation of a toe, foot, or even leg can be necessary.  So prevention is key.  Diabetics are encouraged to establish a relationship with a podiatrist for regular evaluation and if, after daily inspection of the feet any problems are observed, a visit to the podiatrist is imperative.  At Central Florida Foot and Ankle, we are experts in the care of the diabetic foot.

Our new EHR

The physicians and staff at Central Florida Foot and Ankle Center have just completed training on our new EHR.  EHR stands for electronic health record.  We were already using a very comprehensive EHR but believe updating to a well programmed, podiatry specific EHR will help us care for our patients even better.  Once it is fully integrated into the practice, we think it will make seeing patients more efficient and allow us to spend less time with patient records and more time caring for and discussing with our patients as to how to get them feeling better.  We are very excited!

2 months in Florida

2 months ago today, I started at Central Florida Foot and Ankle Center.  I have been impressed with the great care we provide at the practice.  Now that my family and I are "settled," I look forward to continuing to improve what I do and make our practice even better.  Later this month, I am attending the SAM conference in Orlando.  I hope to see what is "new" out there in the field of foot and ankle medicine and surgery.  I am sure some of these ideas can be incorporated into the great things we are already doing at Central Florida Foot and Ankle Center.  I am excited to be part of it!

Big Ben's Ankle Sprain

Many of the patients I have met during my brief time in Florida know that prior to coming to Florida I practiced for a few years in Pittsburgh.  Though not a fan myself, football in the Steel City is a huge deal.  Of course, the city is always on edge when its star QB is injured.

Apparently Big Ben has a sprained ankle.  As a podiatrist I treat sprained ankles on a very regular basis.  Ankle injuries are certainly not unique to athletes.  A person hurts his or her ankle and they often go to the ER and are given crutches and an ace wrap.  They hop around with the foot hanging down.  This leads to poor healing and can lead to ankle instability in the future.  It is imperative that injured ankles first be evaluated for fracture, and even if no fracture is seen, still be carefully treated.  Soft tissue injury can be just as bad as a broken bone.

I, as a podiatrist, have a very beneficial protocol for the treatment of ankle injuries.  I encourage people to not wait with ankle injuries but to be seen as soon as possible for proper treatment.

Moving

Here I go again, it is moving time for my family.  Over Thanksgiving weekend, my entire family made the long trip down to Florida from Pittsburgh.  This reminds me of the many patients I have had that have ended up with various foot problems while moving or helping a friend or family member move.  Those that are not used to being on their feet often experience certain over-use injuries such as stress fractures, tendonitis, and plantar fasciitis.  Even over the past week I have developed some occasional arch pain.  The best way to prevent problems is to wear a good supportive shoe and orthotic.  (Yes I have heard of people unpacking barefoot).  Of course should problems develop make sure you see us at Central Florida Foot and Ankle or your local podiatrist.

Beware of airport shoe removal

It is the busiest travel day of the year today.  Many people, including myself, will travel via airplane over the holiday weekend.  That means we will have to deal with the TSA.  If you fly, you know all too well the requirement of shoe removal.  In the summer up North and year round down here in Florida, shoe removal means no socks for many people and therefore going through the security checkpoint barefoot.  I have never seen a study specifically at airports but the practice of going barefoot in these high traffic areas where others have done the same can possibly lead to contagious organisms being passed from one individual to another.  These can include athlete's foot (tinea pedis), fungal toenails (onychomycosis), warts (verrucae plantaris), and possibly even a bacterial staph infection if there is an open sore or cut on the foot.  Though the only real prevention is for the TSA to change its rules and allow the wearing of shoes, a good start to protect yourself is to simply wear socks (thick cotton would be best) through the checkpoint.