Archive for July, 2010
Refer a friend and win a new iPad
Posted by drchrismilkie in Events & Charity, General on July 22, 2010
I hope your summer is going well in spite of the humidity and massive rain. We have an exciting new summer referral contest going on right now. We have referral cards in the office that you can pass on to friends.
Many of your friends have foot problems and most don’t know a foot specialist. I can’t tell you how often a new patient will tell me how grateful they are that someone gave them a card. They were suffering from foot pain, but didn’t know which doctor to go to. What’s more, the referral card offers a $25 discount.
I thought it would be really fun to give away a cool new iPad this summer. My kids have really been wanting one. The contest rules are simple. For every person you refer, your name goes into the hat. Refer five people and you have five chances to win. On September 1st, one lucky name will be drawn. Will it be you?
Stop in and pick up the referral cards, or call the office to have a few sent to you by my staff.
Severe Foot Pain May Benefit Greatly from Surgery
If you suffer from severe foot pain, you might discover that foot surgery may be necessary. Foot surgery repairs many reasons such as a broken bone, structural damage or to relieve foot pain caused by another condition.
Many foot conditions that go untreated will need surgery as the only means to correct the conditions such as:
• Bunions: When all other non surgical treatments such as supports, pads or wearing roomy shoes don’t work, or when the bunions have gotten too big, surgery may be required. The most common way to correct a bunion with surgery is shaving the bump and realigning the bones. Recovery time for this type of surgery is approximately 4 weeks. You are never completely off your feet, but rest and elevation are important for the first two weeks.
• Hammertoes can become more rigid and foot surgery is the only solution to relieve the pain and discomfort. The most common surgical procedure is called arthroplasty, where a small section of the bone is removed from the affected area. Recovery time for this type of foot surgery is mainly pain for 2 to 3 days and can be controlled by ibuprofen or Tylenol.
• Calluses and corn removal may result in surgery if all non-surgical treatments don’t work and/or if the pain on your foot, from the callus or corn, becomes too much. A doctor will cut away the callus or corn, or will need to change the underlying bone structure. Recovery time for this type of foot surgery could be pain lasting for 2 to 3 days and can be controlled by ibuprofen or Tylenol.
• Flat foot that goes untreated can lead to deformity of the foot and/or excessive pronation (ankles turn inward) and foot surgery is the only way to correct the problem. Most surgeries involve removing a wedge of bone to change the angle of the heel bone. Recovery time for this type of foot surgery can last for up to several weeks as the foot will need to be casted and immobilized.
• Morton’s Neuroma, when all non surgical treatments don’t work surgery is usually necessary. There are generally two ways to have surgery: Making an incision from the top of the foot and removing the affected nerve, or making an incision from the bottom of the foot. Most surgeons prefer going from the top of the foot because the recovery time is much faster. Most patients can walk right away whereas if the surgery is performed from the bottom the patient will need to stay off their foot for several days.
Foot Health Tips for Summer
Posted by drchrismilkie in General, Orthotics, Toenail fungus on July 4, 2010
I would like to share with you my Top Ten Summer Tips for Foot Health. Obviously, we expose our feet much more during the summer season, and have less support in our summer shoes. Add to that the heat and sun… well here goes:
1. Apply sunscreen to the top of your feet. Whether it’s going barefoot at the beach or around the pool, or wearing flip flops, our feet are much more exposed to direct sunlight. Applying sunscreen is easily forgotten but just as important as any other part of the body. Since the skin on our feet is less exposed to sunlight throughout the year, it is important to use at least 30 SPF sunscreen. Don’t let the fun of a day in the sun be ruined by the pain of sunburned feet.
2. Wear flip flops in public places such as pools, showers, and hotels. it is great protection against fungus and warts.
3. If you have othotics, wear them in the summer just as you would any other time of year.
4. Don’t go into a pool or lake with a suspected foot infection.
5. Wear a high quality pair of walking or running shoes at all our wonderful festivals and the State Fair.
6. Treat sweaty feel with an over-the-counter anti-fungual foot powder such as Zeasorb.
7. Avoid flip flops, bare feet and sandals when walking and standing for along period of time.
8. Wearing water shoes in lakes provides protection against injury form broken glass or sharp sticks or rocks.
9. Stress injuries to the feet increase in the summer, so ease into any outdoor exercises and activities.
10. Most foot problems can be fixed without surgery, so don’t wait to be seen because you are afraid of being laid up in the summer.