A Stress Fracture from Golf?

Yes, it is true.  The best swimmer in the world injured his foot, not by kicking a pool deck, but from golfing.  I read the article and found that it wasn't actually from golf itself but from walking the golf course.  Apparently, Phelps walked something like 20 miles over the course of the tournament.  This lead to the injury, a stress fracture of his foot.

There is a lesson in this for all of us.  A stress fracture can occur over time.  It does not have to be a single instance.  In fact, in my experience, Phelps is a perfect example of what can lead to a stress fracture.  It is usually when we walk too much or wear a new or ill-fitting pair of shoes and are too active that leads to stress on the bone.

A stress fracture can lead to a swollen foot that is very painful to walk on.  It does not always even show up on x-ray but left unchecked can lead to a complete break in the bone (usually a metatarsal).  This can be much more difficult to treat and may even require surgery to repair.  Therefore, it is important to see your podiatrist right away with any foot pain.

Something to Celebrate

As a podiatrist, I read with interest a recent study that shows a drastic increase in lower extremity diabetic amputations.  The study was published in this month's Foot and Ankle International.  The study pointed out when looking at Medicare claims from 2000-2010, lower extremity amputations decreased 28.8%.  I am wondering if this is related to the 143.3% increase in the treatment of foot ulcers in the same time period.  Also interesting is that amputations at the upper and lower leg level are down 47% while partial toe amputations increased 24%.  (Sometimes a toe amputation is needed to be done by a physician like myself to prevent the infection from getting worse).  To me this means podiatrists are saving feet and legs.

This is a big deal on many levels.  First, it saves money.  Lower extremity amputations cost our health care system a lot of money.  Second, it improves patients quality of life.  Obviously, having a limb amputation is a big deal and can lead to other problems.  Earlier studies have found that a lower extremity amputation has a mortality rate of 50% within 5 years.  So one can argue that saving some one's limb, saves some one's life.

I am proud to have a hand in all of this and excited to continue to help bring down the level of amputations in my community.