Kobe Bryant's "Bone Spur"

Thursday night after the Lakers game against the Bucks, the Lakers revealed that Bryant has a "bone spur" in his left foot.  This could mean many things as there are several places that an individual could have a bone spur in the foot.  However, there are really only two places where a bone spur is common.  The most common is at the bottom of the heel bone.  This is also called the "plantar" part of the heel and a band of tissue that attaches there called the plantar fascia can often get inflamed.  Not always, but usually heel spur syndrome and plantar fasciitis are the same thing and treated the same way.

The other common area for spurring is at the back of the heel where the largest tendon, the achilles, attaches.  This can be more difficult to treat and when conservative measures fail surgery to remove the spur and reattach the achilles tendon is often necessary.

It is difficult to say exactly were Bryant's spur is, but Laker fans should hope it is at the bottom of the heel instead of the back.  Either way, however, both conditions can be very painful.  Fortunately, though, both conditions can be treated and in most instances successfully resolved.

Kris Letang's Broken Toe

I have been enjoying my NHL Center Ice subscription down here in Florida as of late.  It allows me to watch every Pittsburgh Penguins game that I can.  (I am happy as a fan that most of them have been wins).  Along with all the great trades the team has made, there is news that Kris Letang, the Pens all-star defenseman, suffered a "lower body injury."  Hockey does not have to say much about a player's injury but most sources said he is suffering from a broken toe.

It is not just athletes who suffer from broken toes.  Anyone can injure his or her toe to lead to fracture.   The most common way I see it happen is from bumping the toe against a piece of furniture.

Many people don't seek treatment because they believe there is "nothing that can be done."  Often times not much treatment is required but the condition can be painful.  Compensation can occur from trying to walk on a painful foot and this can lead to other problems.  Additionally, if an injury is significant enough to cause a broken toe it is not uncommon for another part of the foot to be injured as well.  Therefore, if you do injure your toe (or foot) a trip to the podiatrist is always a good idea.

Kristen Stewart at The Oscars

I am a little late blogging this but I wanted to chime in.  The details are not know but Kristen Stewart walked the red carpet last week on crutches after apparently cutting her foot on a piece of glass while "partying."  Certainly, this can be a serious issue.  A laceration on the bottom of the foot can lead to painful scarring.  Also infection is a very real concern and often antibiotics are needed.

Of course, the best course of action is to prevent injury in the first place.  Protective shoes are important, especially in a diabetic patient that may not have full feeling in his or her feet.  Going barefoot can be dangerous anywhere, even inside the home.  I have had a few patients require surgery to remove a sewing needle that they stepped on at home.

If you step on a piece of glass or any foreign body, you should not wait but should see a podiatrist right away.

Erik Karlsson's Achilles Laceration

Erik Karlsson suffered a 70 percent laceration of his Achilles' tendon on Wednesday night.  The Senators were playing my favorite hockey team, The Pittsburgh Penguins.  Hockey skates are razor sharp and Matt Cooke's skate caused the laceration.  Matt Cooke has been a subject on controversy but has cleaned up his act recently.  The NHL has determined that the injury was accidental (unlike some of Cooke's actions of the past).  As a podiatrist, I deal with achilles injuries on a regular basis.  Karlsson will likely require surgery or at a bare minimum immobilization and extensive therapy.  Hockey players are not the only ones to suffer injury to the achilles tendon which is the largest tendon (muscle to bone connection) in the body.  However, the Ottawa Senators certainly will miss the services of last year's Norris Trophy winner who was voted the best defenseman in the league.

Pau Gasol's Plantar Fascia Tear

Last week, a doctor confirmed that Pau Gasol tore his plantar fascia and will be out for 6-8 weeks from playing with the Lakers.  Apparently it is also unknown if surgery will be required.  As a podiatrist, this is of course interesting to me.  I see plantar fascia problems several times a day.  What confuses me is the issue of surgery as I have never seen a torn fascia repaired.  Usually, the opposite is true as I have seen chronic inflamed fascia "released" surgically.  In fact, I often perform this procedure myself.

Anyone can suffer from problems with plantar fascia but usually a tear or rupture on a traumatic level is much less common.  The plantar fascia is a band of tissue (or fascia) on the bottom (or plantar) surface of the foot.  It attaches at the bottom of the heel and extends out towards the toes widening before attaching in the ball of the foot.

We commonly see inflammation of the fascia or plantar fasciitis.  This is when the fascia tears on a very small scale repeatedly.  This can be caused by wearing the wrong shoes for two long, going barefoot for to long, or sometimes, but not as common, from trauma (as in Pau Gasol's case).  It is important that if you experience chronic or severe heel pain you are seen by a podiatrist.  We will work to 1) reduce the inflammation and 2) try to prevent the fascia from becoming inflamed again.

Ice Hockey is Back!

I was excited to hear that my favorite sport will be returning to the ice in just a matter of weeks.  Here in Florida, ice hockey is often an overlooked sport.  However, we do have some of the best players in the world over in Tampa Bay.  As I have blogged before, ice hockey players can have many injuries to the foot and ankle.  Despite having a supportive skate, ankle injuries are common.  Obviously when a hard piece of rubber hits a bone, it can cause a bone "bruise" or contusion accompanied by swelling and pain.  Lacerations can also occur when the bottom of a skate, which is razor sharp, makes contact with another player.

You don't have to play ice hockey to have these foot and ankle injuries.  Though we will probably not get hit by a puck, we can still bump our toe, foot, or shin into the bed in the middle of the night.  Just because we will likely not slam feet first into "the boards," doesn't mean we can't sprain our ankle awkwardly stepping off of a curb.  Of course, lacerations can occur in a variety of ways other than from a hockey skate.

I strive to provide great care for everyone; hockey players and non-hockey players alike.

It's That Time of Year Again

I admit I am a bit late talking about this, but being from the North I am not quite used to putting up Christmas decorations in 75 degree weather.  As the holiday season approaches, may of us are undoubtedly busy and on our feet.  Some of us do a lot more walking with all our holiday shopping than we are used to.  Our feet and ankles don't like this sudden increase in activity and this is when we set ourselves up for "overuse injuries."  These injuries include: stress fractures, tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, as well as pain from any arthritis that might be present.

Of course we want to avoid foot and ankle pain, so the best advice I can give is to wear a supportive shoe.  If you do experience foot pain after a long day shopping, icing is a safe way to bring down pain and inflammation.  If the icing still does not help, do not put off seeing a podiatrist as often these conditions can just worsen and be more difficult to deal with and also take longer to treat.