Generating great excitement in the world of musculoskeletal medicine is the development of shockwave therapy, beneficial for many common conditions including heel pain, chronic tendonitis, and many others. This is an extremely effective therapy, which has no complications or side effects, and boasts an 80-90% success rate. It is a technique well established for decades.
Read MoreHow often, during the course of my day, do I deal with the consequences, many as there are, of the “A” word. Do you know which word I’m talking about? Everyone should.
Read MoreOver 80 percent of the population will experience an episode of low back pain over their lifetime. For many, the course is benign, but some develop a chronic problem. The condition is costly, with total amounts estimated to be between 100–200 billion dollars annually.
Read MoreChronic wounds are a significant health problem, and affect an increasingly large number of people. In the US, for example, chronic wounds are reported to affect 6.5 million patients with more than $25 billion each year spent by the healthcare system on treating wound-related complications. Diabetes is a disease that is becoming more common, and many of those so afflicted will develop chronic wounds, with studies revealing approximately 25% of diabetics experiencing an ulcer at some time in their life.
Read MoreI have a new case for you, and it’s one that some of you may be able to relate to. Have you ever experienced pain from the bottom of your foot? Suzie, our protagonist, did and had for years. She considered herself to be fairly normal: brought up in an average, middle-class family, worked in an office. Medically, nothing remarkable, being moderately over-weight, with mild, controlled hypertension, and that’s about it. Certainly, she was not able to be as active as she used to be, but she attributed that to the pain from her foot.
Read MoreHave you heard of the phenomenon of the weekend warrior? It’s not just a cliché, but a real thing, the desk-bound office worker, who sits at a desk for the 40-hour work week, then glued to the television after another tough workday. On the weekend, he goes to war on the local football field, the neighborhood hard court, or whichever is his game of choice. This type of combatant may be limited in his conditioning, but not his enthusiasm, and he harkens back to the days of yore, when he did battle with the energy and vitality of youth. He is no longer young in body, only in spirit. This is the prototypical weekend warrior.
Read MoreMost educated readers of this publication are likely aware of the changing global population trends, with the blossoming number of seniors certainly being one of the most impactful. Persons 65 years or older represented 14.5% of the U.S. population in 2014 and that number is expected to grow to be 21.7% of the population by 2040. World-wide, the number of older people is projected to increase more than 60 percent in just 15 years—in 2030, there will be about 1 billion older people, equivalent to 12.0 percent of the total population.
Read MoreCertain diseases are more popular than others, which may sound like a strange statement, but to those in health care, this is a well-recognized phenomenon. I speak of popularity in terms of media attention, research efforts into cures, charitable organizations aiming to support this research, and support groups providing emotional succor to those afflicted. Heart disease must be considered one of the top attention-getters, as is diabetes. Skin cancer probably does not get enough. Those in wound care know that it’s a huge problem getting far less than it should. But this is not going to be an article about wound care, surprisingly.
Read MoreWhen Susan, a 56-year old, advertising executive began experiencing pain in the back of her heel, she immediately attributed it to her new exercise regimen. Surprising, since it only consisted of walking farther, and more often. She wasn’t yet doing any treadmill work, or the yoga she was hoping to return to. Her fitness plan was largely due to the weight gain she had experienced over the last years, which had been steady, and quite disconcerting. Yet, over-all, her health was good. She did have a urinary tract infection some months ago, which had dragged on for weeks before an antibiotic knocked it out.
Read MoreSo you have back pain, and you’re suffering. How many activities, actions, and tasks don’t involve the back? Ask anyone with a chronic and painful condition that is causing back pain, and you will get an immediate response: NONE! How to find relief? What to do if the usual first-line treatments for this problem have been attempted, with inadequate benefits obtained? Injection therapy, a brace, physical therapy, these and many others may be utilized in the treatment of chronic back pain, but it is not infrequent that these fail.
Read MoreThe vitality of youth is manifested in how quickly and powerfully we are able to walk, when our muscles and joints are healthy and undamaged. But the years take their toll, and walking speed generally slows appreciably as the years pass.
Read MoreThere is an epidemic occurring (I know what you are thinking: another??), considered “silent” by many, taking place world-wide. Although research is on-going, and advances in technique and technology are announced almost daily, no one wants to talk about the non-healing wound they have. But chronic wounds affect around 6.5 million patients in our country, and the costs of caring for those afflicted is staggering.
Read MorePodiatric physicians have been essential in allowing many to begin, or continue, their exercise regimen. Many individuals, especially seniors, utilize walking as their primary form of aerobic exercise, obtaining many health benefits in the process. But what do you do when your favorite pursuit causes pain? Consulting with the appropriate health care provider is important to attain optimal health status.
Read MoreRegular readers of this column will be well acquainted with the topic of diabetes, and especially some of the lower extremity complications. These facts bear repeating, partially because diabetes is now epidemic, but also because some of the most harmful and dangerous effects of this disease are preventable. I am referring specifically to lower extremity amputations, a life-changing event, in more ways than one.
Read MoreNo one thinks about walking. Walking is an incredibly complex act, that requires little to no conscious thought, but does demand the work of many muscles, the motion of hundreds of joints
in the body, and the stretching of ligaments throughout. Walking is the primary means of exercise for many individuals, but it’s a delicate balance of bone and muscle allows us to stand and walk with ease, and without pain.
Each era of medicine brings new advances. One of the most recent hot topics is wound care, which is the study and treatment of wounds that don’t heal in a normal and timely fashion. This frustrating and often painful condition is far more common than many realize, since it is almost always covered and out of sight. Intensive research has revealed much about wound care, including new and exciting ways to treat them.
Read MoreAhh, the poor, lowly shoe. It has been blamed for so much over the years. The source of much misery and pain, they protect our feet like nothing else can, allowing us to walk on the worst surfaces, protected from the elements, and humanity’s debris. But too often, they are held responsible for a painful toe or an ingrown nail.
Read MoreThe Charcot foot is one example of some of the strange diseases that can befall the human body. It is characterized by the sudden development of a severely deformed foot, without any history of trauma. And it is accompanied by no pain whatsoever!
Read MoreHave you ever been burned by a hot pan? Can you imagine having that feeling from your whole foot? It’s called diabetic neuropathy, and it’s what some diabetics have to endure. Their nerves stop working correctly when their sugar levels rise high enough, and for long enough. Numbness is the most common sensation experienced, but there can also be tingling, “pins and needles”, or the aforementioned burning.
Read MoreSpring is upon us! And if you are like most, getting outdoors, and getting active, are priorities. A sudden increase in activity levels, whether it’s jogging, walking, or mountain biking, can cause a variety of injuries. Quite common is a muscle strain due to over-use.
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