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Posts for tag: ankle injury

By drbhatia
September 20, 2011
Category: Foot Care

 

Many diabetic patients may have heard warnings to look out for “charcot foot” but they may not know exactly what this means.  Different from diabetic charcot foot is an inherited disease with another characteristic foot type called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.  As a part of September’s Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease awareness month, it is critical for patients to understand the differences between these two neurological disorders. 

CMT

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is caused by a gene defect that is often inherited.  If CMT is seen in other family members, parents should be on the lookout for the development of slowly progressing muscle weakness in the lower extremities before age 20.  Individuals with CMT have nerves that lose their myelin covering, which normally allows signals to be sent to and from skin and muscles at a normal speed allowing sensation and muscle contraction.  Patients will not usually complain of any numbness because their sensation was likely never completely normal.  As a result of the weakness and loss of sensation, first in the legs then typically seen in the upper extremities, kids with CMT may seem clumsy and have difficulty walking without tripping or rolling their ankles. The feet will often have a high arch appearance and may be prone to ulcers from damage caused by lack of ability to sense pain. 

Diabetic Charcot Foot

Patients with diabetes need to be concerned about charcot arthropathy when they develop areas of the foot where they can no longer feel anything.  The combination of lack of sensation allowing damage to the foot that patient cannot feel and an increased blood flow supplying mediators of the inflammatory process allows a “charcot joint” to develop.  In the charcot joint, the repeated small injuries occurring cause bones to gradually fracture and dislocate.   This causes deformity (often an extreme flat foot) which typically places the diabetic patient’s foot at a greatly increased risk of developing ulcers and subsequent infection with severe consequences.  The most common signs of the development of charcot arthropathy are swelling and increased temperature of the affected area of the foot, redness, pain and the feeling of a “loose bag of bones” when the joint is moved. 

In both diabetes with loss of sensation, and Charcot-Marie-Tooth, foot self-exams are immeasurably important in preventing ulceration and further complications.  Protective shoe gear and custom made orthotics can provide additional protective measures for the foot.  As shown by these two disease processes, loss of sensation in the foot is a major problem that should always be evaluated by your podiatrist.  

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

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By drbhatia
March 20, 2011
Category: Foot Care

 

As everyone in the Columbus area, and all around Ohio focuses on Ohio State’s win against University of Texas-San Antonio in the NCAA March Madness tournament, Kobe Bryant had a much less successful NBA game last Saturday.  Late in the third quarter, Kobe landed a jump and appeared to severely roll his ankle. 

For anyone watching the game it was clearly a painful injury and resulted in a sprained ankle.  Kobe’s sprain occurred when his foot was in the position most commonly associated with a sprained ankle, where the foot is “inverted”.  When this happens, the arch portion of the foot moves rolls upwards from the ground and the bottom of the foot faces the opposite foot.  This will overstretch or tear the ligaments located on the outer surface of the foot and result in a sprain.  Two of the ligaments that support and stabilize the ankle joint, the calcaneofibular ligament and the anterior talofibular ligament, are the two most commonly injured ligaments in an ankle sprain.

After rolling his ankle, Kobe immediately fell to the ground in pain and eventually struggled to stand up and call a timeout.  With a sprain, swelling, tenderness, pain and bruising around the ankle will occur immediately.  For a severe sprain, other immediate effects can include an inability to put weight on the affected foot, numbness, and stiffness.  Luckily, Kobe’s sprain may not have been as serious as it looked because he was able to get up and walk with only a slight limp. He even ended up reentering the game in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers beat the Dallas Mavericks. 

Ankle sprains and injuries are an especially common injury for basketball players to look out for.  Proper fitting basketball shoes that feature a high top or three-quarter top can help to give additional support to the ankle.  Ironically, in 2009, Kobe was featured in a viral video campaign for Nike jokingly selling “Ankle Insurance” against broken ankles to advertise for Nike’s “Zoom Kobe 4” basketball sneaker.  While the viral video may have been humorous, treatment of a sprained ankle, especially for an elite athlete is serious business.  Ankle surgery can be necessary in some sprains to ensure that the tendons are correctly aligned and attached to allow for complete and healthy healing of the ankle joint.  Even in sprained ankles not requiring surgery, the injured foot should at least be iced and elevated to bring down swelling.  A period of rest should also be allowed for the tendons to strengthen and re-grow.  This may be an issue for Kobe, who should have sat out for the entire rest of the game to allow the healing process to begin and not cause any further damage. 

Not properly caring for his ankle could lead down dangerous path for both Kobe and the Lakers.  If Kobe does not follow the proper course of treatment for the best healing of his ankle, he could end up experiencing chronic lateral ankle pain and ankle instability.  By allowing for the healing time recommended by a skilled podiatrist, Kobe will save himself future ankle sprains and extra recovery time down the road and thus get back to helping out his team more effectively!!

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

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Podiatrist - Animesh Bhatia, D.P.M., C.W.S. , Sarah Newby, D.P.M. , Columbus OH, 43235, Dublin, OH 43017, (614) 885-3338
If you are in search of an experienced podiatrist in Columbus Ohio, you have come to the right place. Our podiatrists in Columbus, OH and Dublin, OH are highly skilled in many aspects of podiatric treatments. Selecting a foot doctor in your area can be a difficult task, but it doesn't have to be, especially when you have Dr. Bhatia and Dr. Newby as options.