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

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

Recently, a man named Mike Stevens travelled from Mississippi to California to undergo a surgery that would transfer his big toe to his hand where it will replace the thumb he lost in an accident.  This may be a surprising idea to many people because the thumb and toes are not thought of as being as functional as the fingers.   However, the musculature and bone structure of the hands and feet are remarkable similar. 

 While it is very exciting that Mike will hopefully regain a large portion of the function of his thumb and be able to use his hands better in his career as a mechanic, he will have to take extra care to prevent additional deformities from occurring in his foot.  While Mike’s case is extreme, smaller changes in the action and structure of the muscle and ligaments of the foot are what can lead to various deformities and a decrease in the functionality of the foot.  One common example of this happening is the development of hammer toes.  Commonly, a muscle known as the tibialis posterior becomes weakened and muscles that attach to the bottom of the toes and act to flex them or pull them towards the ground are forced to “fire” earlier, longer and with more force to compensate.  This constant force leads to hammer toes which can cause painful corns on the tops of the second, third or fourth toes.  An excessive pull from one of the flexor muscles that causes hammer toes can also cause mallet toes.  The difference between a hammer toe and a mallet toe is that in mallet toe only the very tip of the toe is bent down towards the floor, while hammer toes have the base of the toe bent up away from the floor and the other 2/3 of the toe bent towards the ground.  Mallet toes can also cause corns or even black toenails from the nail abnormally hitting against the shoe forming a bruise. 

A variety of surgical procedures exist to successfully eliminate these deformities, but there are also many less invasive options for pain relief.  Corns should never be removed at home, especially in an individual with diabetes, as it can lead to serious infection if done improperly.  Your podiatrist can safely remove any corns or calluses and fit padding over the affected toe to lessen the development of painful corns in the future.  Custom orthotics can also be used to help correct the underlying muscle imbalance and any other abnormal changes in foot structure.  So whether you just had your big toe removed or you are tired of corns and your feet feeling tired and aching, contact your podiatrist to address these problems and allow your feet to function to the best of their ability!

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

Halloween can be a rough time of year for children with diabetes as well as for parents trying to keep their kids healthy.  Several Columbus area dentists and doctors have made efforts to give more options to keep Halloween healthy and fun for diabetic kids.  A local dentist’s office has offered to buy candy from kids after Halloween for $1 per pound to then be donated to Operation Gratitude which then gives the candy to troops overseas.  

Type 2 diabetes typically develops later in life than type I diabetes, but is becoming more common in children.  This increase in diabetes in kids has been linked to the increase in childhood obesity.  While type 2 diabetes has a genetic component, individuals who are overweight or do not exercise are at a greatly increased risk of developing the disease.  In this sense, while walking house to house may provide good exercise for kids, the excessive consumption of candy should be avoided. 

People with both types of diabetes often develop nervous system disease with loss of sensation in their foot.   When sensation is lost in the foot, people may develop injuries without being able to feel any pain and continue to cause further damage to their tissues.  This is why it is critical for diabetic patients perform regular self-foot exams and have complete checkups with their podiatrist.  These areas where sensation is lost are typically where ulcers develop and can lead to amputation. 

While diabetic ulcers are not often seen in children’s feet, it is important to take preventative measures to avoid serious diabetic disease changes that increase the risk of ulcers later in life.   One good preventative measure to start with during the Halloween season is to avoid excessive sugar consumption.  The more extremely elevated, or uncontrolled a diabetic individual’s blood sugar is, the higher their “HbA1C” values are.  The HbA1C indicates an excess amount of sugar that gets “stuck” to hemoglobin, the molecule that transports oxygen to tissues.  When the HbA1C is elevated, there is a much higher risk of developing problems with blood vessels, leading to diseases including high blood pressure and problems with the retina of the eye.   By not eating too much sugar and getting a lot of exerciseat Halloween and all year, kids with and without diabetes will be sure to have a scary good time keeping their feet healthy!

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 Powell. 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

On Sunday August 21, Columbus, OH fans of the Cincinnati Bengals will have to travel all the way to New York City to see their team play the New York Jets.  The trip may be worth it to witness a Bengals win, which the odds are improved for by the fact that the Jet’s first string running back, Shonn Greene will be on the bench for the game.  Shonn Greene is not playing because team doctors recently caught the start of a skin infection in his foot and are now giving him time to recover while he takes antibiotics. 

While many people may think that skin infections of the foot only occur in people with diabetes, the elderly, or others with a compromised immune system, Shonn Greene shows that even a professional athlete at his peak level of health and fitness needs to watch for signs of infection in the foot and ankle. Shonn was receiving a local anesthetic to have a callus removed by the Jet’s team doctor when he pointed out another area of his foot that had been bothering him.  He was lucky for the callus bringing him in the presence of medical experts who were able to diagnose the painful area as a low grade skin infection.  For Shonn, increased pain was the first sign of an infectious process occurring.  As infection progresses, other common signs to watch for include: swelling, redness, tenderness, heat, and red streaks extending from the affected area.  Because his infection was caught early on, the Jets have made a statement that his infection is responding well to treatment and antibiotics.  Shonn’s infection also brought to mind for many teams, the importance of a clean training and locker room.  While the Jets believe that this was not the source of the infection, athletes must take extra care to keep their feet clean and dry.  Wearing shower shoes or flip flops when walking in moist areas where many other bare feet have walked such as locker rooms and public showers is also a good measure to avoid Athlete’s foot. 

A foot infection can spread quickly to become much more serious than just pain and swelling on the surface of the foot.  If allowed to progress, infections can reach the blood and bone, leading to osteomyelitis (a bone infection) or even worse can spread in the blood throughout the body leading to a bacteremia (blood infection) with systemic shock and possibly death.  Luckily, Shonn and hopefully anyone else with a suspicious wound or area of pain on their foot know to talk to an experienced podiatrist and get help immediately!  Prompt treatment of an infection can stop the infection before it gets to a more severe stage.

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. To schedule an appointment with a podiatrist in Dublin, Ohio, near Tuttle Crossing Mall, please call 614-885-FEET (3338).

By Dr. Animesh (Andy) Bhatia