AF&A Blog

Do you feel like you have a marble in your shoe? Maybe you are experiencing pain or numbness between your toes, particularly when you have your shoes on? These symptoms are common in a condition known as Morton’s neuroma. While the exact cause is unknown, this condition is typically exacerbated by wearing ill fitting shoes. You need to make sure that your shoes have enough room forward for your toes, as mentioned in previous blogs, as well as adequate width.

Your podiatric physician will first assess your condition with a physical exam. X-rays will be taken to rule out more serious bone problems and then MRI or ultrasound will be used to assess the nerves and surrounding soft tissues. Morton’s neuroma will appear as a thickening or enlargement of this tissue which is complicated by the movements of walking or squishing your feet into shoes that are too small. At this point, you could probably care less about why or what is going on in your foot, but rather ‘how can we alleviate the pain?” Well, if you are visiting Dr. Thomajan at AFAS, there are many different options that can be implemented.

Our first goal is to get you some immediate pain relief and attempt to stop it from returning. This is accomplished through ‘conservative treatment’. There are a number of options, including metatarsal raise padding, orthosis fitting, or shoe gear change that must be exhausted, before moving onto more invasive treatments, such as surgery. The metatarsal raise, is a pad placed into your shoe, works by keeping the bones of your feet from rubbing against the painful neuroma by spreading them out and is typically quite helpful for eliminating your pain right away as well as for a long period of time. If one of these conservative treatments does not eliminate the problem, your podiatric physician will discuss the more invasive surgical treatment with you. This type of treatment is usually considered a ‘last resort’ as there is the chance of complications with any surgical treatment. If the problem progresses to this stage, the damaged nerve will be removed while you are under sedation and effectively eliminate the pain.

Just remember Austin, a trip you a specialist does not always involve surgery. Our goal here at Austin Foot & Ankle Specialists is to keep you healthy and feeling well. There are often many options for treatment and surgery is typically the last one implemented. Stay healthy and keep those feet happy!

It has been over a week since David Beckham left the field in significant pain from a tear injury to the left Achilles tendon. By Wednesday, the surgical repair was complete and Mr. Beckham is currently on his long road to recovery. This injury will require a period of immobility, followed by range of motion exercises, and lastly physical therapy slowly introducing weight bearing exercise. The road to recovery will take approximately 6 months. Unlike the ancient Greek hero Achilles, there is a high chance that Beckham will play again; unfortunately, this injury effectively ended any chance of playing in this year’s World Cup.

The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the human body and required for vital activities, especially for a footballer, such as walking, running, and jumping. Your ‘calf muscles’, on the backside of your leg, are actually a number of different muscles that unite as this tendon before inserting on the top your ‘heel bone’. This injury most commonly afflicts middle aged men. Due to the vital functions it performs and the increased weight placed on it during movements, it is easy to see how it is a target for injury.

After a thorough physical examination and imaging studies (ultrasound, MRI), your podiatric physician can assess if there is a tear of the tendon or a total rupture. Both cases typically require surgical intervention in which the injured portion of the tendon is removed and the healthy portions united by suturing. This video outlines a typical procedure:

Mr. Beckham did the best thing he could once suspecting the injury, stopping the activity. If you feel any type of severe pain, especially at the back portion of your heel, it is important you stop whatever activity you were doing to halt any further damage. The RICE principle should be utilized until you can seek out medical treatment. If you suspect an Achilles tear, or any other injury to your foot and ankle, schedule an appointment with Dr. Thomajan at Austin Foot & Ankle Specialists!

Fashion? Podiatry blog? No, you didn’t click on the wrong link. You may be thinking this is a far cry from the sort of topics you find on the 

^{Austin Foot & Ankle Specialists blog} , but think again. We talk about the right kind of foot wear fairly often but very few of us wear the type of shoe that is best for your feet on every day. In fact, more often than not your ‘dress’ shoes are not going to accommodate orthotics and probably are not the best fit for your foot. This may be especially true for many women’s shoes which may often put fashion before function.

We know that you are never going to wear a pair of tennis shoes with your slacks. There may even be a few of you reading this thinking ‘you can have my high heels, when you pry them from my cold, dead fingers’. Well, maybe you are not that extreme, but we want to offer you a little bit of advice when selecting and wearing those stylish shoes. First off you should always make sure they are a good fit. Your toes should not be crammed into the front, but rather have about a finger’s width of space between the tip of your toes and the tip of the shoe. This is important because as you walk, your foot slides forward in your shoe. Your toes need somewhere to go or they will take the brunt of this motion getting smashed to the front with every step. Secondly, since we mentioned high heels earlier, a quick suggestion: use them sparingly. Walking on your toes or the ball of your foot frequently, can be painful and lead to a variety of problems later on. Remember Austin, you should never ignore your feet hurting. Making sure you have a good fit and visiting Dr. Thomajan should help to keep your feet pain free!

…..and the foot bone connected to the ankle bone. Most of us are familiar with this children’s song. Though simplistic, it holds some basic ideas that should help you maintain your health. The topic of your foot health related to your general health has been touched upon in previous blogs, but is so important to your understanding of your health and well being that it is worth repeating.

Back to the idea that each body part is connected to the other part as the children’s song reminds us. Your foot striking the ground sends that stress from your foot to your ankle, up your leg to your knee….and onward. That aching back that has been bothering you for some time now may not be a problem with your back at all. A small discrepancy in the length of your legs or improper foot wear could easily manifest as a lower back ache. The aching knee could be due to over pronation, or the exaggeration of a normal foot movement. By allowing your podiatrist to correct this issue in your foot, he may resolve the ache in your knee.

Your local podiatrist, Dr. Thomajan of Austin Foot & Ankle, is a specialist of the foot & ankle. As with any medical specialist, extensive knowledge of entire body is necessary before focusing on a specialty. This allows your podiatrist to treat you as an individual and not just a body part. We just want to remind you again that ‘putting the right foot forward’, with the help of your podiatrist, can eliminate or avoid problems in other parts of your body. Keeping your feet healthy Austin is a good part of your overall health!

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!