My name is Dr. Animesh (Andy) Bhatia. I am a practicing Podiatrist in Columbus, Ohio. In an effort to offer my perspective on healthcare to the general public, I blog through my website, www.columbusfoot.com.

During Foot Health Awareness Month, I posted an educational blog about the use of orthotics on April 17, 2011. I referenced Ohio State University Football’s Spring training and one of the players, J.B. Shugarts’ use of orthotics for foot pain. On April 21, 2011, I was sent/issued a Cease and Desist from The Ohio State University to remove my blog.

Isn’t this a David vs. Goliath situation?  Solo podiatrist vs. The Ohio State University.  I am disgusted that The Ohio State University Athletics Department would put forth the effort to issue a Cease & Desist to a small podiatry practice trying to educate the public about foot and ankle health. Is it okay for them to bully me, dictate what I blog about? As a blogger, am I not considered a recognized news entity? The information referenced about the player was released into the public domain by OSU themselves. Yet they asserted that somehow I was trying to benefit by using one of their players’ name. How is my blog considered advertising? 

There have been several press releases over the last year regarding J.B. Shugarts’ foot pain. I thought tying that with the use of orthotics would be of interest to others; therefore providing education to the public regarding orthotics’ use in treating common foot conditions by having someone to relate to. Please note that I have never had a patient seek out my services from reading my blog. I blog to provide patient education and public awareness about foot and ankle health.

To top it off, I got a comment from none other than from that player’s father! And he insinuated the same thing. And threatened to report it to OSU! It is of course understandable that he feels he should be the only one milking his son’s name for financial gain, and he can by all means do so. But OSU Athletics and Mr. Shugarts Sr. need to be educated that blogging is neither considered advertising, nor does it lead to more patients or any other type of financial gain. The whole world references people in the public eye in their blogs. I could mention, say LeBron James, or Tom Brady , or Paris Hilton, if they had a foot problem. The idea is to educate the public and inform them what a podiatrist does and how to take care of their feet. I have NOT had a single patient to date because of reading my blog, and I doubt if I ever will. People are smarter than that. But not according to OSU Athletics.

For a multimillion dollar program to try to intimidate me like that, they should be ashamed. The Cease/Desist was sent by Chris Rogers. Several other cronies were cc’ed in the email, I presume lawyers or others in the department with too much free time on their hands…as they draw unimaginable salaries from you, the public.

In an effort to appease The Ohio State University Athletics Department, I immediately removed J.B. Shugarts’ name and picture from my blog: http://www.columbusfoot.com/blog.html.

Brett Shugarts sent this comment about my blog:

Mr.

Re: Buckeyes’ Offensive Tackle Utilizes Foot Orthotics to Stay on his Feet and Knock Opponents off theirs!

By Bret Shugarts on 2011-04-19 14:38:01

“Since you are not my son's Dr. and have no knowledge of what his circumstnaces are but merely trying to benefit yourself by using Ohio State Football I suggest that you delete this blog. Ther Ohio State Atletic Dept will be notified as well.”

I have also blogged about Kobe Bryant, Wendy Williams - Dancing with the Stars, Scott Podsednik and Serena Williams. Oddly enough, they haven’t issued Cease and Desist orders. Their parents aren’t accusing me of benefitting from their children’s condition.

Here’s another  BLOG http://ernpolia.blogspot.com/2011/04/ohio-state-tackle-jb-shugarts-says-feet.html  that has a picture of Shugarts, his condition and quotes him, "I'll be fine," said Shugarts, who said he spent the off-season rehabbing his feet and getting new shoe inserts to help take the pressure off his feet. "They haven't bothered me at all this spring or this winter."

Were they issued a Cease and Desist? Are they advertising?

A few links on google-search- Shugarts foot & Shugarts Orthotics

http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2011/04/post_44.html

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2010/10/29/foot-injury-shortens-shugarts-playing-time.html

http://www.the-ozone.net/football/2010/Minnesota/shugartsfeet.htm

http://www.buckeyecountry.net/ohio-state-tackle-j-b-shugarts-says-feet-feel-good

http://ohiostate.rivals.com/barrier_noentry.asp?ReturnTo=&sid=&script=content.asp&cid=1143906&fid=&tid=&mid=&rid=

http://ernpolia.blogspot.com/2011/04/ohio-state-tackle-jb-shugarts-says-feet.html

http://www.daylife.com/topic/J.B._Shugarts

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2011/04/16/offensive-linemen-trying-to-fill-many-holes.html?sid=101

http://www.topix.com/forum/sports/T64Q6S11C846IM0MK

http://www.buckeyeplanet.com/forum/1907569-post824.html

http://www.scarletbuckeye.com/football-talk/8280-spring-ball-o-line-competition-3.html

http://localwireless.com/wap/news/text.jsp?sid=1087&nid=45674908&cid=19470&scid=-1&ith=1&title=OSU+Football

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=145&f=1079

http://www.the-ozone.net/football/2011/SpringFootball/LastLineofOffense.html

http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2010/11/05/sports/doc4cd381ea176de630186370.txt

As I stated before, I posted my blog about orthotics on April 17^th. This article below was posted by the Columbus Dispatch on the 16^th.  

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2011/04/16/offensive-linemen-trying-to-fill-many-holes.html

Shugarts' foot feels fine

Last season, a chronically sore right foot forced Shugarts to the sideline for extended periods of several games.

The bright side of the situation was that it gave Norwell some valuable playing time as a freshman, but it's not something Shugarts wants to repeat this fall, in his senior season.

"My foot is doing great," he said last Saturday. "I had a great winter rehab. I got some new orthotics for my shoes and really put a lot of extra time and effort into (it). I've been fine all spring. (The foot) hasn't messed me up at all."

So… why come after me? Is there more to this than meets the eye? Maybe. I strongly believe this warrants an investigation by the media.  Should The Ohio State University be able to control what I blog about? Especially when all the other sources above have done the same thing with apparently no threats issued to them?

Best regards,

.

The local favorites, the Buckeyes have begun their spring training for the upcoming fall’s football season.  Many people would have expected the Buckeye’s to be spending a little more time sulking, worrying and dealing with the controversy surrounding some of the players that has resulted in their suspension.  However, it seems that the ordeal has motivated the team to work together and show everyone what they are made of this upcoming season.  To start preparations, players have been working to be at their peak level of health and fitness.  One example of this, has been with an offensive tackle for the Ohio State University Buckeyes.  After suffering from foot pain for a good part of last season, the unnamed, OSU offensive tackle is utilizing specialized foot orthotics to keep him pain-free and on his feet this year. 

While the Unnamed Ohio State Football player was not especially clear on exactly what was causing his pain, it is clear that the orthotics he was trying out last season to initially combat the pain were not as effective as he had hoped and continued to suffer for an extended number of games.  While it is possible that he simply needed time off to recover from his foot injury, it is also possible that he may not have been able to get a custom foot orthotic quickly enough and was forced to use an over the counter version.  While an over the counter foot orthotic may be adequate for a minor issue with mild symptoms, in many cases they do not adequately adjust the foot to fix the specific issue in the patient.  There are generally two basic types of custom orthotics called accommodative and functional.  An accommodative orthotic adjusts the patient’s body weight so that it is no longer distributed over a painful area and is usually made of a softer material.  Accommodative orthotics are commonly used in diabetic foot care to adjust the patient’s body weight away from an area of increased friction in order to prevent development of an ulcer.  Functional orthotics place the foot in a corrected position to prevent the development of pain and deformities that result from walking with an abnormal foot position.  These are typically made of rigid or semi-rigid materials, depending on whether they are intended for everyday walking use, or for athletic activities.  Functional orthotics are also known as “arch supports” because they frequently are used in people with flat feet who require an orthotic to create an arch and prevent their feet from pronating, or rolling inwards.  The unnamed Buckeye would have greatly benefitted from a custom orthotic that had properties of both accommodative and functional orthotics last season in order to avoid pain by adjusting his body weight away from his injury, while also correcting the abnormality in foot structure that may have caused the injury in the first place. 

Orthotics offer a non-invasive treatment option for many ailments including bunions, plantar fasciitis, and arthritis.  When specially casted or designed to treat a patient’s specific foot problem, they can have significant pain relief and prevent future injuries and pains.  Hopefully the unnamed, offensive tackle for the Ohio State Buckeyes has seen his podiatrist to get the custom foot orthotics that will allow him to help the Buckeyes football team to many victories in the Fall 2011 season!!

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