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

This past Tuesday, June 7, I read an article in the Columbus Dispatch about a local man who was successfully treated for sepsis at the Ohio State University Medical Center.  Sepsis is a concern for any doctor to watch for in his patients, but is especially important to watch for in a podiatric setting because it occurs more commonly in diabetic individuals and often involves the feet or legs.

Unfortunately for the man mentioned in the article, even though his life was saved he still lost parts of his hands and one half of each foot to gangrene.  In sepsis, a bacterial infection has spread through the body in the bloodstream.  This triggers a body-wide immune response that creates tiny clots, inhibiting blood supply to tissues that require blood to remain vital and functioning.  In diabetic patients, whose blood supply is often already compromised to their lower extremities, steps must be taken to prevent infections and thus sepsis and gangrene as well.  While the man in the article did not know where his infection came from and his first sign of an infection was a sore throat, hospitalized patients and those recovering from surgery are often at the highest risk for sepsis.  All patients, but especially diabetic patients, need to avoid any open wounds, cuts or lesions on their legs or feet.  If a wound goes unnoticed, it may become infected with bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus which can worsen and spread to become sepsis if not treated. 

To prevent wound infections and sepsis, self-foot exams are very important.  Identify any breaks in the skin as soon as possible.  Take proper care to clean and bandage wounds and watch for abnormal changes.  Pain, redness, swelling and discharge are all possible signs of infection that you should contact your podiatrist to examine immediately.  If you can visibly see an infection spread from one part of the foot to another, this is also cause for prompt medical attention.  If an infection is present and you develop a fever, elevated heart or respiratory rate this is indicative that the infection has spread to become sepsis and treatment becomes even more urgent.   The earlier an infection is stopped the better the treatment outcome will be for the patient.  Hopefully patient awareness will increase thanks to survivor stories such as the one featured in the Columbus Dispatch to prevent amputations and save lives!

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.

By Dr. Animesh (Andy) Bhatia

Last week on 10 TV News, I caught a clip of a local Ohio State student who suffers from an allergy to the cold. The segment showed that cold allergies really do exist and can cause an allergic reaction with hives or an itchy rash on exposed surfaces. While many of us certainly FEEL like we're allergic to the cold this time of the year, luckily this allergy affects a relatively small percent of the population.

Unfortunately, however, the bitter cold of the Columbus area can have a variety of negative effects on the skin of those even without a legitimate cold allergy and can be especially troublesome in the foot! When the skin of the heel becomes overly dry a condition called a heel fissure can occur more easily. A fissure is a crack into a deep layer of the skin, below the superficial layer called the epidermis, and can occur anywhere in skin that is thickened or callused. Because the heel is generally the thickest skin of the foot, fissures can occur in the heel when it becomes dry. The fissure can bleed and be very painful. As with any open wound in the skin, this provides the potential for an infection to enter the body. Without regular self-examination of the foot and wounds, and knowing when to call a podiatrist, infections are capable of causing gangrene. Diabetic patients are especially at risk for gangrene, which is the death of tissues near the infection from loss of oxygen supply. You should immediately call a podiatrist if you suspect infection or gangrene near a heel fissure because it can spread through the body and cause tissue death in vital organs.

To prevent all of these problems, several steps can be taken to avoid heel fissures in the first place! One way to begin preventing a heel spur is to try to prevent any heel calluses from forming. Ways to do this would be to decrease the amount of friction and rubbing that your heel has to deal with by purchasing properly fitting shoes. Some calluses can also form as a result of an abnormal bony growth in the skeleton of the foot which may require orthotics or surgical correction in order to stop the development of calluses. Another step in heel fissure prevention, especially in the cold dry winter months, would be to properly moisturize the skin of your feet. So remember that even though it's still a few more months until it's time to bust out the sandals and flaunt your toes, moisturizing and taking good care of your feet is important all year long!!

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