If you are trying enjoying the nice spring weather coming up in Metzger Park, Sharon Woods Park or Highbanks Park, you might notice the skin on your feet is a little itchier than usual this time of year if you suffer from eczema.  This disease can be extremely irritating on the feet and elsewhere on the body.  Even Kate Middleton has told stories of being bullied for the rashes of eczema on her skin. 

Atopic dermatitis becomes worse in the spring because spring is also the season when allergies are at their peak.  This skin condition is seen most commonly in children.  Children affected will frequently have other signs of inherited allergies including runny nose and itchy eyes.  Allergens cause a sensation of intense itching but do not cause the actual skin appearance seen in eczema.  The visible rash, small blisters or skin thickening that occurs in eczema is actually caused by the intense itching and scratching as the individual tries to achieve relief.  On the affected child’s foot, it is commonly seen as redness and scales and possibly even fissures, or cracks in the skin from the extended itching.  Darkening of the skin or hyperpigmentation can also be seen after extended periods of itching in the affected area.  The area around the ankle where the top of sneakers may rub and cause friction is a frequent area of involvement.  When cuts or fissures do develop from itching, parents should watch carefully  for any signs of infection of the foot.  If pain, swelling, or pus appear at the affected area, contact your podiatrist as soon as possible so that antibiotics may be prescribed. 

Eczema is treated by both lessening the allergic sensation of the foot being “itchy”and by decreasing the habitual itching that develops as a result of the condition.  Moisturizing creams, topical corticosteroids and medications commonly used for allergies, such as anti-histamines, are used to suppress the sensation of itchiness.  Removing external irritants, such as a high top sneaker that rubs against the irritated ankle would also be utilized to decrease the appearance of rashes.  

Many different skin conditions can affect the foot and ankle.  For this reason it is critical to obtain a correct diagnosis from your podiatrist before beginning treatment of a skin condition.  Dry scaly skin may just be a sign of eczema, or it could be athlete’s foot, in which case applying a moisturizing cream could do more harm than good.  Many skin cancers of the foot can also mimic less sinister skin lesions including athlete’s foot or an eczematous rash.   

Please visit www.ColumbusFoot.com for more information or call 614-885 FEET (3338) to schedule an appointment with a podiatrist in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus Podiatry & Surgery is located on the North side of Columbus, Ohio near Worthington. If you would like to see apodiatrist in Dublin, Ohio near Tuttle Crossing, call 614-885-3338 for an appointment.

By Dr. Animesh (Andy) Bhatia

While it has not become a craze in Columbus yet, a new cosmetic surgery craze in Great Britain has begun making headlines in the US over the past few weeks.  Dermal filler is being injected into women’s feet to provide additional cushioning in areas that are placed under excess pressure by wearing extreme high heels.  The surgery has been nicknamed a “Loub job” in reference to the French shoe designer Christian Louboutin who has been quoted that he does not care if his shoe creations are uncomfortable.  With unpleasant thoughts of wearing painful heels to upcoming graduations and graduation parties for their kids at Westerville South High School, Beechcroft High School or any of the other schools in the Columbus area, women should be pleased to know that less extreme measures can offer great pain relief!

While it would be ideal for optimal foot health to completely eliminate high heels and stilettos from a woman’s shoe choices, it is understandable that there are occasions where dressing up is necessary.  When choosing a dress shoe there are a few things women can do to decrease the pain and potential for injury or deformity caused by the shoe.  Selecting a shoe with a wider toebox versus a pointy toe can limit the development of painful corns and calluses as well as bunions and hammertoes.  If possible, choosing a lower height heel can also decrease the extreme amount of pressure placed on the ball of the foot. 

Certain areas of the foot are affected worse than other when wearing heels.  These areas include the ball of the foot, the bottom and back of the heel and the toe pads, which are some of the areas where dermal filler is being injected in the cosmetic surgery “Loub job”.  High heels are notorious for causing a painful bony bump on the back of the heel in women that is called a “Haglund’s deformity” or “Pump Bump”.  This bump develops from the excess irritation caused by the rigid structure of a pump or high heeled style shoe.  Changing the shoes and adding a heel grip device to the shoe to provide a cushion in the painful aspect are options to decrease the symptoms.  Surgery offers the ability to completely remove the painful bump.  Metatarsalgia, or pain in the ball of the foot, is another issue being targeted by these injections.  There are many custom padding options that your podiatrist can create that will offer the extra cushioning, without having to go through an injection.  It is also important to realize that pain in the ball of the foot may be occurring for reasons that will not be cured by increasing the foot’s cushioning.  For example, neuromas are seen with increased frequency in women who wear heels but often require surgery or injections to remove the irritated nerve in order to alleviate the pain.  For this reason, it is always crucial to have a thorough appointment with your podiatrist to correctly diagnose a problem before self-treating or selecting a treatment from another health professional if they have not identified the underlying cause of the pain. 

Talk to your podiatrist to discuss all the options to enjoy and show off your toes at graduations and spring events without suffering through foot pain!

Please visit www.ColumbusFoot.com for more information or call 614-885 FEET(3338) to schedule an appointment with a podiatrist in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus Podiatry & Surgery is located on the North side of Columbus, Ohio near Westerville. If you would like to see a podiatrist in Dublin, Ohio near Tuttle Crossing, call 614-859-FEET(3338) for an appointment.

By Dr. Animesh (Andy) Bhatia

While people around Columbus may feel as though they have difficulties finding comfortable shoes, one man from Rochester, Minnesota has truly not had a pair of properly fitting shoes in six long years.  Igor Vovkovinskiy is the tallestman in America at 7 feet 8 inches tall.  His feet are so large that no shoe template existed for the estimated size 26 extra wide shoe he would need.  Because of this, the $16,000 price of the shoes posed a major barrier to Igor’s foot health, until he reached out via the internet to ask for donations.  He has now surpassed the $16,0000 goal and has various shoe companies offering to produce the shoes. 

Like Igor, people suffering from a variety of diseases or congenital deficits may also require a custom or modified shoe in order to maintain good foot health.  Nerve disease is one condition that can result in the need for custom shoes.  When loss of sensation occurs in the feet, bony changes can occur that result in arthritis.  This arthritis resulting from nerve disease is called neuropathic arthritis.  Individuals with diabetes represent a major portion of the population who develop neuropathic arthritis in the form of Charcot foot.  In Charcot foot, damage is inflicted on the foot bones as the individual continues to walk on damaged tissue because they are unable to feel pain from the damage.    The bone fragments into pieces, and then coalesces and reforms into an extremely misshapen foot.  A Charcot foot is typically very wide with complete collapse of the arch by the time bone remodeling is complete.  The combination of foot deformity with inability to feel is a potent combination leading to the development of dangerous ulcers for a diabetic patient. 

Luckily, custom shoes can be found with much less work than Igor had to put in to obtain his, simply by visiting your podiatrist.   Charcot and other complications of diabetes can frequently be avoided through regular podiatric care.  It is believed that the biomechanical condition called “equinus” where the foot is unable to lift off the ground, which can result from overpronation, contributes to the development of Charcot foot and ulcers in patients with diabetes.  Your podiatrist at Columbus Podiatry and Surgery can create individualized custom orthotics using a digital gait scanner to correct these biomechanical abnormalities.   Unlike Igor’s $16,000 extremely large shoes, many insurance companies recognize the need and offer coverage of custom shoes and orthotics for diabetic patients meeting specific criteria.

Please visit www.ColumbusFoot.com for more information or call 614-885 FEET (3338) to schedule an appointment with a podiatrist in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus Podiatry & Surgery is located on the North side of Columbus, Ohio near Worthington. If you would like to see a podiatrist in Dublin, Ohio near Tuttle Crossing, call 614-859-FEET (3338) for an appointment.

By Dr. Animesh (Andy) Bhatia

Fans of both American Idol and Aerosmith may have noticed that Steven Tyler has recently been getting media attention not for his singing, dancing or judging skills – but for the wild appearance of his toes!  Stephen claims that the years of dancing and wearing ill-fitting, unsupportive shoes have taken their toll on his feet, which now bear a variety of deformities. 

The most noticeable problem in Stephen’s feet is his overlapping and underlapping toes.  The second toe of his right foot completely overlaps the big toe, or hallux, and toes three, four and five of both feet underlap the adjacent toe.  Not only are underlapping and overlapping toes thought of as cosmetically unappealing, but they also can cause painful corns and calluses on the tops of the toes and make finding properly fitting shoes  a challenge.  Many times underlapping of the toes are a congenital deformity that is present from birth.  Most commonly the fifth toe will be rotated and underlap the fourth toe, a condition specifically called digiti quinti varus.  There are a variety of underlying causes of digiti quinti varus but one of the most common is a coalition, or fusion of the two bones that normally make up the fifth toe.  Another common cause of underlapping and overlapping toes that develop early in life is muscle and ligament imbalances, which can often be treated by taping and bracing.  When the condition develops later in life, as in Steven Tyler’s case, a tear of the plantar plate may have occurred.  The plantar plate is a thickening in the capsule of the joint at the base of each two and serves as an attachment for ligaments that connect the metatarsals.  When the plantar plate tears, these connections are disrupted and the involved toe may deviate over another and metatarsalgia, or pain in the forefoot, and swelling may develop. 

Tyler has also complained of a history of Morton’s neuroma contributing to the painful state of his feet over the years.  A neuroma is an enlargement of a nerve that typically results from irritation to that nerve.  A Morton’s neuroma is found between the third and fourth toes that is the most common location of a neuroma in the foot.  Metatarsalgia, tingling and burning pain are common complaints of those suffering from a neuroma.  Neuromas may be treated by your podiatrist with injection of corticosteroids to decrease pain and swelling, or surgery to excise the painful neuroma.  To avoid Steven’s neuromas and toe deformities, be sure to keep your feet in rock and roll shape with supportive shoes and regular checkups with your podiatrist at the first signs of problems!

Please visit www.ColumbusFoot.com for more information or call 614-885 FEET (3338) to schedule an appointment with a podiatrist in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus Podiatry & Surgery is located on the North side of Columbus, Ohio near Worthington. If you would like to see apodiatrist in Dublin, Ohio near Tuttle Crossing, call 614-885-3338 for an appointment.

By Dr. Animesh (Andy) Bhatia

This past week Logan Steiber of the Ohio State Wrestling team was awarded the Intermat Freshman of the year award.  The exciting wrestling season may have recently come to a close in Ohio high schools and at Ohio State, but for serious wrestlers, offseason training will be starting shortly.  While athletes are supposed to be the epitome of good health, wrestlers can face a variety of foot and other health problems both on and off the mat. 

Wrestlers frequently will often force themselves to extremes to reach their weight class for wrestling.  Those reaching for heavy weight status may, to the detriment of their own health, indulge in unhealthy eating habits.  While the extra weight may provide an advantage in the short term of trying to hold down an opponent, the resulting diabetes later in life may end up knocking the wrestler’s feet out from under them.  These facts were a sad reality this past week for the World Wrestling Entertainment’s retired wrestling legend Kamala when he underwent his third amputation in recent months from complications of diabetes and high blood pressure.  Podiatrists work with their diabetic patients to avoid amputations at all costs, performing them only when it is necessary to save the patient’s life from an infection of the foot travelling further up the leg to the body causing gangrene, or tissue death and septicemia.  By maintaining a low blood sugar, wrestlers with type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes can avoid many of the complications seen in the foot that Kamala likely suffered from including neuropathy, and slow wound healing. 

At the other extreme, wrestlers trying to remain a lightweight frequently take up running in the offseason.  Wrestlers who enter into an intense running regimen too quickly after months spent just wrestling can experience common running ailments including shin splints, heel pain, and the development of painful corns and calluses.  By starting off slowly with low mileage, purchasing proper shoe gear and stretching these injuries may be avoidable.  Orthotics may also be helpful in avoiding painful conditions if the individual has underlying biomechanical and structural problems with their feet. 

When they are in season, a study in the American Journal of Sports Medicine found that collegiate wrestlers have an injury rate second only to spring football.  The ankle is one of the most commonly and most seriously injured parts of the body in wrestling.  During takedowns and sparring, ankle sprains and muscle strains can occur when the foot is planted on the ground and forced to twist in an unnatural way.  Wrestling is also notorious for the occurrence of athlete’s foot or “ring worm”.  This skin condition is not actually due to having worms in the skin, but is caused by infection with a fungus.  When it occurs in the foot this is also known as tinea pedis and can spread to cause fungal toenails if not treated. 

Wrestlers should make good use of the beginning of their offseason to visit their podiatrist and make a complete recovery from any lingering foot and ankle injuries or skin infections.  With good health, they will be quick on their feet when the time comes for their next big match!

Please visit www.ColumbusFoot.com for more information or call 614-885 FEET (3338) to schedule an appointment with a podiatrist in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus Podiatry & Surgery is located on the North side of Columbus, Ohio near Worthington. If you would like to see a podiatrist in Dublin, Ohio near Tuttle Crossing, call 614-885-3338 for an appointment.

By Dr. Animesh (Andy) Bhatia