AF&A Blog

We all know of Colt McCoy.  This Longhorn had a 45-8 college record making him the NCAA’s winningest quarterback.  After being selected in the 3^rd round of the NFL draft, Cleveland Browns president noted that Colt McCoy would be unlikely to see much playing time since the team already had three quarterbacks.  That prediction proved to be completely untrue after ankle injuries to Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace.  McCoy made an impressive rookie NFL start in week 7 when he led the Browns to a win against the defending Saints.  After a bye week, McCoy then helped the team to their 3^rd win of the season against the Patriots in week 9.  Weeks 10 and 11 were disappointing, even with over 200 passing yards from McCoy they couldn’t pull out another win.

This former Longhorn had a noticeable limp as the game progressed, but that didn’t stop him from leading a valiant effort late against Jacksonville.  After leaving the stadium with his right foot in a walking boot, it has been reported that he sprained his ankle.  We have talked about ankle injuries, especially in the NFL, several times before.  The collection of ligaments that keep your ankle in place are prone to injury when the leg and foot are strained in different directions.  For the average individual, getting knocked off your feet by a sack isn’t too much of a worry.  Even so, there are a variety of activities that can cause you to strain, or in other cases tear, the ligaments in your ankle.  Colt McCoy was able to continue playing through his injury, we hope without furthering his injury.  We here at AFAS would never recommend this course of action.  The possibility of making your injury worse and keeping you out longer should always keep you from continuing your activity once you are hurt.  Instead implement the RICE principle and seek medical attention.

Until next time, keep those ankles happy and healthy Austin!

In honor of diabetes awareness, this month’s blogs will focus on different topics concerning the disease. We have discussed some aspects of living with diabetes in past blogs. It is a challenging disease to manage, but one that should not limit your aspirations. With a growing incidence of diabetes in a growing population, not even athletes, a physically fit population, are immune to acquiring this problem. There are actually a number of athletes who have reached the professional level while living with diabetes. The NFL boasts three such athletes in Jay Leeuwenburg, Mike Echols, and Mike Sinclair.

Both Leeuwenburg and Echols have type one diabetes. This type of diabetes is also known a juvenile diabetes as it is frequently discovered when you are young. Before the advent of the portable glucometer, a blood glucose measuring device any diabetic is quite familiar with, the ability to manage this disease was quite difficult. Medicine today offers many tools to monitor blood sugars and treatments to stop damage caused by changes in blood sugar from occurring. While a different beast than adult onset, or type two diabetes, the diligence of management is of equal importance in juvenile diabetes. The players we mentioned have to keep very close tabs on their blood sugars, using diet and insulin to keep the proper levels.

Players like Mike Sinclair, DE Philadelphia Eagles, face the same disease that affect tens of millions of Americans. Type two diabetes is often associated with obesity and poor diet and increases in prevalence with age. When diagnosed early, changes to diet and exercise can often be enough to keep this disease a bay. In the case of Mike, who is getting plenty of exercise, swapping the double bacon, half pound burger for a turkey sandwich helped him get his blood glucose in check. Regular checkups with your primary doctor as well as your podiatrist can help you detect changes early. By discovering glucose changes early, changes to diet can have a greater effect on managing this disease. Lifelong medication may be needed to manage if your diabetes goes undetected for months or years.

Don’t let diabetes interfere with your life. Educate yourself about your disease, visit your primary doctor, consult Dr. Thomajan and learn the things you can do you keep your diabetes in check. Doing so early will help you continue doing the activities you like to do.

Until next time, keep those feet happy and healthy Austin!

The Texas Rangers face the San Francisco Giants in Game 5 of the World Series tonight.  Trailing the series 3 games to 1, a win at Rangers Park is the only thing to keep hope alive.  This team has won some tough games throughout the season to arrive at this point.  They have had a rough time with the Giants for several of the first 4 games, but they’re not about to let that history play on their future.  Every member of that team is going out to win tonight and bring that trophy back to Texas. Doing so will make them only the 6^th team in history to make such a comeback.

We want to use all that excitement and determination to explore a facet of foot health.  Wound care, especially combined with diabetes, can be a difficult challenge.  For our younger audience, wound care more than likely consists of a bandage and maybe a little Neosporin.  This paradigm becomes a little more complicated when age and disease, like diabetes, are added in.   Wounds that occur in the diabetic foot can require a large dose of determination to go along with the proper care.  While there are many different doctors who will help to get you well, the care of a podiatrist is of utmost importance when dealing with problems in the feet.  Some of the components that go into healing foot ulcers may be overlooked by other physicians.  One such component may be what is causing the wound. Typically, footwear and foot structure can cause unfavorable pressure points which eventually lead to ulceration.  A podiatric physician will off-load these pressure points with a special boot or shoe. Doing so, allows the wound to heal by eliminating further insult.  Along with this assessment, a podiatrist may take a swab of the wound to assess for possible infection.  Flushing, debridement, gels, grafts, or other modalities may all be used individually or together to promote healing.  What methods are utilized is all dependent on the type of wound you have.  As the patient, you need the determination to follow your doctor’s instructions for the weeks or months it may take to get you better.  Just a reminder, but anyone living with diabetes should examine their feet every night and seek treatment at the first sign of a problem.  If you have diabetes and a foot wound that won’t heal, make an appointment at AFAS today!

Until next time, keep those feet happy and healthy, Austin! Go Rangers!

We are halfway to the NFL’s Week 8 and there are a number of high profile quarterback’s whose seasons have become questionable. Tony Romo, who may not recover from his shoulder injury until the last few games of the season, and Brett Favre, who severely injured his ankle, are just two of them. While there may not be a lot of us rooting for the Vikings, the career achievements of Brett Favre have made him a much publicized player. Records including most consecutive starts by a player, most consecutive wins, and most career playoff completions just a few of a long list of achievements for him. The latest injury to the aged player caused him to limp off the field after a loss to the Packer’s on Sunday. This injury may cause him to end his streak of consecutive starts as well as his ability to be an effective player.

He may be the first one to admit that he’s ‘no spring chicken anymore.’ As with any older individual, it takes your body a little longer to heal than it may have when you were younger. Brett Favre, at around $1 million per game salary, isn’t your average 41 year old and has expressed a desire to play through the pain. While it has been reported that he can’t do further damage to the broken bone by playing, we here at AFAS have our reservations. This week he has been seen in a walking boot to help off load the ankle allowing it to rest and heal. While rest is important, it may be of no use if he rests all week only to jump into a game on Sunday. This athlete has played through injury before, and his high profile status may bring him to do it again, but at what peril to his health and performance?

This should be a word of warning to any ‘weekend warriors’ out there who are anxious to bounce back from an ankle injury. You must be sure to give your injury ample time to heal. Additionally, you should slowly work up to your activity with the proper exercises and physical therapy. Conditioning your body for your activities is the best way to prevent initial or recurring injuries. Failure to properly rehabilitate an injury can cause re-injury and continued complications…..even for professional athletes.

Until next time, keep those feet (and ankles) happy and healthy Austin!

It was game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals in May 2009 that Yao twisted his ankle. That year was one of his healthiest since a long list of injuries that began in 2005. That year, osteomyelitis infected his big toe; the 06-07 season brought a break to the right leg and 07-08 required foot surgery for a stress related fracture of the left foot. After coming back from all that, Yao was a significant factor in the 08-09 Rockets march to the NBA semifinals. He told reporters after game 3 that he played through a ‘twist’ in his ankle each quarter. Doctors took subsequent CT scans of the injured ankle and noted another fracture. After spending the year recovering from that surgery, Yao has spent the preseason slowly working up to his old self.

So, why are basketball players, especially the tallest ones, so susceptible to injury? There are several factors that play into this. One factor that we have talked about before is the compounding pressure and weight applied to your feet when you run. Many of the tallest players in the NBA are also the heaviest. When one foot takes the impact of a 300+ pound athlete sprinting down the hardwood floor, their bones and ligaments are put under a stress many of us will never experience. Add to that, a second factor. Quick changes in direct, pivots and cuts all subject the foot to ligamentous strain that can easily turn into injury. For these reasons, footwear and orthotic inserts are of the utmost importance to basketball players be they professionals or high school players.

Let’s get back to Yao. Is there hope for our center? Can we expect a productive season out of this international star? Only time will tell. For now, his doctors have limited him to playing only 24 minutes per game. This will provide time for him to work back to performance condition, but will provide challenges for the Rockets team. We can hope that Yao follows in the footsteps of Zydrunas Ilgauskas of the Miami Heat who has fully recovered from a similar surgery. Unfortunately, there is the old adage ‘the bigger they are the harder they fall’ and there are many big players who have never recovered. Here’s hoping some medical expertise, the proper physical therapy, and a little luck make Yao Ming the strong center that has helped the Rockets out in the past.

Until next time, keep those feet happy and healthy Austin!

With Nebraska’s impending move to the Big 10, this would be last time the Husker’s could attempt to get a conference win in Texas. The last few weeks of football have been tough here in Austin. The rest of the football world was looking at us as underdogs against the number 5 ranked Nebraska team. It was pretty obvious that Mack Brown and the Longhorn players didn’t pay any mind to all that talk as they prepared for this weekend’s game.

Every member of the UT team put forth the effort to bring home the win. Whether it was Garrett Gilbert picking up yards running, or the defense limiting Nebraska to less than half their average yards, the Longhorns won the game on the ground. Football cleats are especially designed for the traction and durability needed on play on the field, but it is those players feet that must stand up to the running game every Saturday. With over 200 rushing yards collected in this weekend’s win, those players’ feet need some TLC to optimize their play rest of the season. Key things such as applying heat and massaging your feet will increases the circulation and allow their body to bath the muscles in tendons in nutrition and healing growth factors.

After a long day of walking, your feet could also benefit from the same therapy athletes apply. Rest, stretching, and massaging are all things that can help your feet avoid and prevent injury. The Longhorn players benefit from having a team staff to provide the right physical therapy and physician care. You don’t have to be a college athlete to give your feet similar care. Take the time after a long day on your feet to rest and massage them, and be sure to visit AFAS on the first sign of pain or damage.

Until next time, keep those feet happy and healthy Austin! Hook ‘em horns!

Tonight’s game aside, the second week of NFL football is complete and along with it some players season. Only two weeks into the season the injury list for the NFL is quite long. With the hard hits on the run, it is no surprise that most of these injuries occur in the knees, ankle and feet.

Cycling is a great way to get some cardiovascular exercise and stay fit! Riding a bicycle is an especially good choice for individuals with knee or feet problems. There is a wealth of studies indicating the benefits of daily exercise as well as the benefits of ‘non-weight bearing’ in cases of healing injury or pathology to the lower extremity. While there are many positives to using cycling in your workouts, there are a number of problems that can arise.

Stress fractures are one type of problem that can be caused by any type of overuse or increase in activity. Other types of injuries can occur by not having the proper fit. Just as improper shoe size can complicate or cause injury, a bicycle that is not adjusted to your limb length, height, etc can cause a number of problems. Sore ‘calves’, pain between your toes, or pain in your feet are all problems that can be associated with improper foot/pedal placement. Pain or discomfort in your knee (‘cyclists knee’), ‘hamstrings’, side of your leg, or hip can all result from a seat that is placed too high or too low. It is a good idea to have a professional help you achieve the proper fit to your bicycle in order to repair or prevent cycle associated injuries.

Remember your local podiatrist, Dr. Thomajan, is trained in all aspects of medicine. A specialist of the foot must still be aware of the individuals overall heath and receives training accordingly. If any of the problems mentioned are afflicting your cycling routine, make an appointment to come by AFAS. Until next time, stay active, and stay healthy Austin!

In a previous blog, we first addressed barefoot running and a few issues to be aware of with the expansion of this ‘new’ idea. The protection and padding of your feet were two issues we discussed in one of last month’s blogs. True barefoot running should be approached with extreme caution as these two factors can limit or stop your training all together. These obvious problems are eliminated by the use of foot wear such as the Nike Free® and the Vibram Five Fingers®. Both shoe types attempt to blend the support & protection of traditional foot wear with the flexibility & proprioception (feeling/sensing) of barefoot running. By offering protection and minimal support, the idea is that your foot will function more naturally and strengthen themselves in all the right places. The use of this type of footwear has big advantages over no foot wear at all.

There are many people who have found barefoot running or use of the Free® or Five Fingers® to be quite beneficial to their running regime. One should use extreme caution if you are thinking of throwing out your running shoes for a pair of these barefoot styles. As with most changes to your footwear, such as the addition of inserts or orthotics, you should begin to use them slowing. Begin by using them for a short portion of your entire run running (for instance, in the last half mile or so) and if you find this is comfortable slowly increase the distance or amount of time that you wear them. This allows your body time to adapt and help to eliminate any problems that would occur with a quick transition. Before we go, it is important to remember your foot type. Not all shoes work for all people. A visit with Dr. Thomajan at Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists will help you identify your foot type. This will give you a ‘map’ of the type of foot wear best suited to your foot, for what activities , and when or how often to use them. Until next time keep your feet happy and health Austin!

No, no, we are not talking about some crazy college ritual, but rather the bare foot running movement that seems to be popping up in the media now a days. Obviously, man walked around barefoot long before shoes were even an idea and this ‘theory’ of running without shoes is not a new one. The theory behind this movement, in short, is that shoes weaken the muscles that support your foot and ankle allowing runners to increase their performance by running without shoes. Scientific studies to support these claims are quite limited and often originate in other countries. Because of these short falls, yet the continued interest, we at Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists want to point out a few things that you should be conscious of if this is something you are considering.

The protection value of foot ware should be the first thing to think of. While you may think the area or machine that you are running on is free of foreign objects that could damage your feet, how many have us a swept up all of a broken glass only to find a small shard weeks later? Secondly, many factors, such as hydration, can affect the amount of padding on the bottom of your feet and in high impact activities, like running, it may prove to be inadequate. A good pair of running shoes provides proper protection and padding to allow for safe running. Good shoes are designed to complement your foot and ankle while you are running. As was mentioned in previous blogs, the ankle is an area of great force benefiting from proper support.

While you always hear that you should ‘consult your doctor before beginning or changing any exercise program’, embarking on this type of running program should definitely involve a consultation with your podiatrist. Until next time stay healthy Austin!