Items filtered by date: April 2012

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.

Fans of both American Idol and Aerosmith may have noticed that Steven Tyler has recently been getting media attention not for his singing, dancing or judging skills – but for the wild appearance of his toes! Stephen claims that the years of dancing and wearing ill-fitting, unsupportive shoes have taken their toll on his feet, which now bear a variety of deformities.

The most noticeable problem in Stephen’s feet is his overlapping and underlapping toes. The second toe of his right foot completely overlaps the big toe, or hallux, and toes three, four and five of both feet underlap the adjacent toe. Not only are underlapping and overlapping toes thought of as cosmetically unappealing, but they also can cause painful corns and calluses on the tops of the toes and make finding properly fitting shoes a challenge. Many times underlapping of the toes are a congenital deformity that is present from birth. Most commonly the fifth toe will be rotated and underlap the fourth toe, a condition specifically called digiti quinti varus. There are a variety of underlying causes of digiti quinti varus but one of the most common is a coalition, or fusion of the two bones that normally make up the fifth toe. Another common cause of underlapping and overlapping toes that develop early in life is muscle and ligament imbalances, which can often be treated by taping and bracing. When the condition develops later in life, as in Steven Tyler’s case, a tear of the plantar plate may have occurred. The plantar plate is a thickening in the capsule of the joint at the base of each two and serves as an attachment for ligaments that connect the metatarsals. When the plantar plate tears, these connections are disrupted and the involved toe may deviate over another and metatarsalgia, or pain in the forefoot, and swelling may develop.

Tyler has also complained of a history of Morton’s neuroma contributing to the painful state of his feet over the years. A neuroma is an enlargement of a nerve that typically results from irritation to that nerve. A Morton’s neuroma is found between the third and fourth toes that is the most common location of a neuroma in the foot. Metatarsalgia, tingling and burning pain are common complaints of those suffering from a neuroma. Neuromas may be treated by your podiatrist with injection of corticosteroids to decrease pain and swelling, or surgery to excise the painful neuroma. To avoid Steven’s neuromas and toe deformities, be sure to keep your feet in rock and roll shape with supportive shoes and regular checkups with your podiatrist at the first signs of problems!

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.

Golfers hitting up the greens at the York, Worthington Hills, Muirfield or Tartan golf courses near the offices here at Columbus Podiatry in Surgery, need to take their feet into consideration when looking for ways to lower their scores. While many golfers look to the newest technology in their clubs and golf balls to enhance their drive, custom foot orthotics could be the missing link to correcting many parts of your swing!

Even though golf is thought of a relatively low risk sport, there are many painful foot problems that commonly arise in golfers from the intense amount of walking involved. Heel pain can occur from a variety of causes. Plantar fasciitis can cause heel pain that radiates down the arch of the foot and is often worst in the morning or upon standing after periods of sitting. Stress fractures of the calcaneus, which can occur from chronic strain on bone resulting from excessive walking, are another cause of heel pain. Metatarsalgia which is a term that refers to pain in the ball of the foot also commonly occurs in golfers. Stress fractures of the metatarsals, most commonly the second metatarsal, can be one underlying cause of this pain. Plantar plate tears can be another common cause of metatarsalgia. The plantar plate supports the head of the metatarsal bone and pain results from a tear because the metatarsal head becomes subjected to higher ground pressure with each step.

Many of these problems are caused not from golf itself, but because excess pressure from walking being placed on an abnormally functioning subtala rjoint, which is most commonly functioning overpronated. When this joint does not function optimally, problems can start in the foot, but may also progress higher up the body’s “kinetic chain” or chain of movement. This can result in knee, hip, back and neck pain. Using a digital gait scanner, as is used at Columbus Podiatry and Surgery, an orthotic can be fit specifically to address an individual’s foot problems and create a custom orthotic to correct any biomechanical problems. With improved function, a golfer’s body will have the capacity to achieve the perfect swing!!

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.