New York Giants co-owner has discovered an unusual good luck charm for his team with a little help from his two daughters.  In late December, his daughters painted his nails in red and blue, the Giants’ colors, and the team has not lost a game since then.  Steve has left the polish on in the hopes that the good luck charm can work its magic for one last game at the Super Bowl. 

While his nail polish certainly may not be looking “pedicure perfect” after 5 weeks, the health of Steve’s toes and nails are in no danger as long as he still has been taking regular care of his feet.  Pedicures for both men and women can be relaxing and safe for as long as you keep the health of your feet a priority.  If Steve decides to keep his trend going there are a few things he should know about the relationship between toenails and overall health.  First, nail polish is completely safe to use on healthy toenails.  However, if a toenail fungus, or onychomycosis is present, nail polish should not be applied.  The polish “locks in” the fungus and allows it to continue thriving on nail tissue.  Treatment should be sought when nails appear abnormally thickened or discolored, as this can be a sign of an invasion of “dermatophytes”, the organisms most commonly at the root of a nail fungus.  After the nail infection is treated with PinPointe Foot Laser or a variety of other medications and the fungus has resolved, regular nail polish may be applied. 

The length of the nail after it has been trimmed can be another area of podiatric problems for those trimming their own nails or having them trimmed at a nail salon.  In some individuals, toenails are extremely curved along the sides.  When these curved nails are cut too short, the individual’s likelihood of developing an ingrown toenail is greatly increased as the nail regrows.  Ingrown toenails can become infected and extremely painful.  Contact your podiatrist at the first signs of an ingrown nail.  Attempting to remove the ingrown portion of the nail on your own can lead to dangerous infection that is capable of spreading beyond the affected toe. 

Whether you are prepping your nails for the big game or a big date before Valentine’s Day be sure to keep your feet healthy and call your podiatrist if you notice any unusual changes!

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 614-885-3338 for an appointment.

By Dr. Animesh (Andy) Bhatia

Holiday parties filled with colorful drinks and rich meals are an integral part of this time of year for many people.  However, all of this drinking and feasting can increase your risk of a painful attack of the arthritic condition that tends to strike in the foot known as gout. 

Gout is a disease of the metabolism or breakdown of purines.  Purines are nucleotides that are essential to the survival of all the cells in our bodies because they are vital building blocks of DNA.  While we naturally make proteins, they are also found in many foods.  When purines are broken down by the body, uric acid is created.  Abnormally high levels of uric acid in the body, or hyperuricemia, precede the development of gout. 

When the excess uric acid causes crystals to form in the joint, the joint will become inflamed and often extremely painful.  Gout more commonly affects men, but its prevalence increases in women after menopause.  The most commonly affected joint is at the base of the big toe, or hallux called the metatarsophalangeal joint (MPJ).  Other than the MPJ of the hallux, gout also occurs in the ankle, wrist and knee.  The affected joint will most often become red, hot and so painful that even the weight of a bed sheet will feel unbearable.  A bump, or mass filled with the urate crystals is also often seen at the joint affected. 

It is important to rule out a paronychia which is an infection of an ingrown toenail, a painful fracture, and other types of arthritis of the foot before being able to offer relief from gout.   With proper diagnosis, gout can be managed and the pain eliminated with various medications.  Lifestyle changes can also be helpful in gout management and prevention.  Excessive alcohol consumption and a diet rich in meat and seafood are associated with a greater risk of gout.  So while it may be difficult to resist this holiday season, you will certainly regret not limiting your intake of these items if you are unfortunate enough to develop painful gout later on! 

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

This past Friday, the Columbus Dispatch published a story in support of “Falls Prevention Awareness Day” in Ohio.  The article discussed ways for the senior citizen population of Columbus to prevent falls and the serious injuries and hospitalizations that can accompany them.  One crucial aspect of fall prevention not directly stated in the article is the importance of foot health in the elderly in maintaining good balance and stability. 

Feet provide the base of support for the body and in an older individual changes have often occurred that weaken that base.  Arthritis of the foot joints, foot deformities, muscle weakness and improper footwear can all play a role in changing the way that the foot keeps the body balanced.   Bunions, calluses, hammertoes, and ingrown toenails can all cause pain in the foot.  The body’s natural response is to avoid causing pain by changing the weight distribution on the foot so less pressure is placed on the deformity.  This change can alter the gait to be more unsteady and increase the chance that a fall may occur.  With a visit to your podiatrist there are many options to relieve these types of pain, and thus increase stability.  Calluses and ingrown toenails can often be removed at an office visit, while hammertoes and bunions can be treated with surgery or their pain can be lessened using nonsurgical methods.  Arthritis or other problems that may not allow the normal range of joint motion also can be treated with surgical methods, or with nonsurgical methods such as custom orthotics that can allow for better functioning of the entire foot while decreasing the pain of the afflicted joint.  Simple foot exercises can be used to maintain muscle strength against the loss of muscle mass that accompanies normal aging.  In the article in the Columbus Dispatch, this concept was being put to practice by the woman “tracing alphabet letters” with her toes.  One last tip is to ensure that shoes fit properly and that the shoe bottom is not slippery.  Shoes that do not fit properly can cause pain if they are too small or can cause tripping from the abnormally increased foot motion in the shoe if they are too large. 

By taking small measures to “fall-proof” your feet with the help of your podiatrist you can avoid the big health problems and expenses that come with a serious fall!

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. To visit our podiatrist in Dublin, Ohio call 614-885-FEET (3338)

By Dr. Animesh (Andy) Bhatia

The movie Black Swan and its stars Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis have been nominated for a ton of awards at the Oscars and have already won an award at the recent Golden Globes. However, the most award-worthy stars of this movie were the beaten down feet of Natalie Portman's character "Nina Sayers" and their ability to keep on dancing with so many issues!!

Dancers are especially subject to injuries because of the thin, relatively unsupportive nature of their footwear. The type seen in the movie are a type of pointe shoe. These shoes allow the dancers to be "standing" completely on the tips of their toes. Just think about how badly walking around on the very tips of your toes would hurt after awhile, and now imagine leaping and spinning around on a hard floor with your foot in this position - Ouch!

According to an article on the complications caused by pointe shoes in ballet, lateral ankle sprains are the most common injury suffered by ballerinas. An example of a lateral sprain appears to occur in "Black Swan" when Nina is practicing her choreography on the tips of her toes, rolls her ankle out and hears a "pop" noise. Pain and swelling in the ankle also occur at this point. This is one example of when Nina may have wanted to call her podiatrist because serious ankle sprains can require surgery for proper healing.

Toenail problems are also commonly seen by dancers and appear in "Black Swan". Nina's mother is seen cutting her toenails to a painfully short length which increases the likelihood of developing an ingrown toenail. Combine too short nails and the pressure of dancing on the tips of your toes and you've got the perfect storm for the corner of the nail to grow into the skin surrounding the nail. This can be very painful and often occurs around the nail of the big toe. Ingrown toenails can lead to infection. A podiatrist can alleviate pain caused by the ingrown toenail, plan the proper course of treatment for healing of the ingrown nail and infection, and work to prevent future ones from occurring.

When watching this movie, aspiring ballerinas should not think that living with so many painful foot ailments is normal. All athletes (and non-athletes too!) need to recognize that their foot pain can often be relieved to drastically improve the quality of their athletic performance and everyday life by consulting a doctor of podiatric medicine. Nina was clearly CRAZY in more ways than one, but especially for not taking better care of the most important tool of a ballerina: her feet!!

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 in between Westerville, Worthington and Powell.

By Dr. Animesh (Andy) Bhatia

Ingrown toenails, also known as onychocryptosis, can be embarrassing, annoying and painful. This common condition occurs when the surrounding skin on one or both sides of the nail grows over the edges of the nail, or when the nail itself penetrates the skin. As the nail digs into the skin, redness, swelling, and pain are often the result.

People develop ingrown toenails for various reasons. Poor nail-trimming is the most common cause, as this encourages the skin to fold over the nail. Other causes include trauma, such as stubbing a toe, or skin conditions, such as fungal infections or nails that are simply too large. In some cases, the condition may even be inherited. Poor-fitting shoes generally aggravate the condition, making it worse.

Many cases of ingrown toenails may be prevented by:

• Wearing well-fitted shoes and socks
• Protecting feet from trauma when possible
• Trimming toenails straight across and avoiding repeated trimming of the nail borders
• Keeping feet clean and dry to prevent infection

If an infection is not suspected of your ingrown, it can usually be safely treated from home by soaking your foot in warm water. Avoid "bathroom surgery" and repeated cutting of the nail as this will only make the condition worse.

When attempts to reduce your symptoms from home fail, or when pain, inflammation, swelling or discharge accompany your ingrown, the toenail is most likely infected and should be treated by a podiatrist at our Columbus OH office. People with diabetes, nerve damage or poor circulation should always seek care immediately if an ingrown nail is detected, regardless of the severity.

A podiatrist can examine the affected toe and determine the best treatment for your condition. For an infection, an antibiotic may be prescribed. Other treatments may involve trimming or removing the infected nail with a minor in-office surgical procedure.

Ingrown toenails may be annoying, but rest assured that they can easily be prevented and treated with the help of your podiatrist. If you think you have an ingrown toenail, visit Columbus Podiatry & Surgery for quick and easy treatment.

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 in between Westerville, Worthington and Powell.

By Dr. Animesh (Andy) Bhatia