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Using The Budin Toe Splint

Transcript:
Here we have the hammer toe regulator also called the Budin toe splint it comes in both single toe and double toe it is made out of a comfortable sturdy foam and elastic materials which gently straightens out either one or two hammer toes this helps to pull down the toe and help it to align straight it also prevents your hammer toes from becoming worse and assists them in bearing weight nor it prevents unsightly bulges in the top of your Footwear that hammer toes can cause the well patted bottom part of the splint will pushing the ball of the foot giving you extra comfort when you’re standing the button splint gives immediate relief from Footwear pressure this splint is universal for either foot and it also fits easily into most shoes it is washable and reusable the Budin toe splint should be removed for a few hours a day so to allow for your skin to breathe let’s pretend like Ashley had hammer toes and they were sticking up like this um she has two hammer toes that I’ve created so in this case I would use the double button splint so I’m going to loosen it up here with this elastic and I’m going to place her toes in it let’s pretend like her toes were crooked pull it all the way down gently make sure it’s not too tight and then when I pull it a little bit it pulls or toes very straight and while she’s walking it helps to straighten out her toes

Transcript:

Hi I’m dr. Mark Lewisohn performance with comm I’m here to show you the best way to use our products to get maximum relief this is a single loop Budan toe splint it’s used to relieve discomfort related to hammer toes or crooked toes to use it you would slide the loop over the crooked toe and then tighten to desired tightness with the strap on the bottom.

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How to treat Haglund’s Deformity

Transcript:
hi guys so have you been told that you’ve got a haglund’s deformity in the back of your heel or a heel spur that’s causing your pain in your chest tendon or at the back of your heel well in this video i’m going to explain why you don’t have to pay too much attention to the fact that you’ve got a haglund’s deformity and why you can absolutely get yourself better and pain-free without doing anything to that bony prominence in the back of the heel so for those of you who don’t know me my name is mareka i’m one of the physiotherapists from treatmentplease.com where you can get online physiotherapy assessment as well as treatment all via video call so have a look at the description of this video if you want to link to our website okay so what is haglund’s deformity now in this x-ray you’ll notice that on the back of that hill there’s a bony pro pointy bit there and then also some bone at the bottom there now the top arrow is pointing to the haglund’s deformity and that’s quite a small one you can get it a little bit larger than that as well and the bottom one is pointing to calcification in the tendon so just there where the achilles tendon is attaching it started foaming a little forming a little bit of bony bits in there so how does it normally happen that you diagnosed with this what happens is you develop pain in the back of your heel and you go to the doctor the doctor says let’s do an x-ray they do an x-ray comes back like this and the doc says um you’ve got a haglund’s deformity that’s the cause of your pain well not really let me explain to you what is causing your pain so that bony bit on its own is not painful it’s just there it’s the shape of your bone okay so that doesn’t create pain if you look at an mri scan the pain you feel in your back of your heel usually at that point is coming either from the achilles tendon insertional tendinopathy or from the bursa behind the tendon which is called the bursitis when it becomes inflamed and sore and painful you can have either of those or both of them at the same time now why am i saying that the haglund’s deformity is not the cause of back pain so let me explain to you why people tend to think it is the cause of the pain so the theory is you’ve got the bony spur there or the haglund’s deformity there so if you think if you can picture this at the back of my heel if i go over my heel like when i walk can you see that the achilles tendon pulls tight over there and it causes compression and that’s quite normal and happens in all of us and it’s in painful in itself that bursa that’s in there is meant to stop friction between the tendon and the bone and again so that gets compressed every day with every step you give absolutely normal now the idea why people say that haglund’s deformity can cause pain in those structures is because it can decrease the the um space you have in the back of the heel so you’re more likely to compress it in that position then but now here’s why i say and there’s quite a few people who agree with me on this in the research it’s not necessarily the cause of that pain because you can get somebody who’s been diagnosed with a haglund’s deformity if you x-ray both feet have it in both feet they shaped exactly the same but they have pain in one foot and don’t have it in the other foot also that heightens deformity is not something that forms overnight or in a week or in a month even it would be there for years and years and years without causing trouble before one day you now develop heel pain then also you get lots and lots of people with insertional tendinopathy plus bursitis because remember that’s the structures actually causing the pain and they’re not the deformity who doesn’t have a haglund’s deformity so there’s three reasons why i say it’s not necessarily the cause of your pain um so what if i’m saying it’s not why do you then have the heel pain there it’s a classic case of overload so if we think of this your eclipse tendon as well as your bursa is used to receiving a certain amount of compression load and the body is brilliant at building the structures up to cope with that so you’re walking around running around doing your runs and stuff no issue but now if for some reason you make a sudden change in your habits and you massively increase the amount of compression that this part is under over a period of time it will be too much for it because because you haven’t given the time to slowly build up to that point and that’s when it flares up now what type of activities can cause it to suddenly overload and suddenly say whoa this is too much compression to what i’m used to classic one that i see and this is in non-runners as well as runners is when they move from wearing a shoe with a bit of a heel to flat shoes so if we think of regular people non-runners it can be when you go from winter shoes to summer shoes so flip flops or walking barefoot a lot so now your achilles tendon and bursa was in this position the whole time so you can see it’s not going to get that much compression over there because it’s not pulling that tight but now you go to flat shoes or to barefoot can you see that the compression is now going to increase suddenly now if you make that switch slowly and you’ve built up to it absolutely fine because the body then has time to adapt those structures and cope with it for runners it’ll be if you go from a shoe with quite a bit of a heel drop so heel toe drop do minimalist shoes for instance that can make that’s one of the most common reasons why i see in runners um why the insertional achilles can flare up another common cause can be if you do a lot of walking on flat and then suddenly you add in a lot of hill walking because walking up the hill again you’ll pull that tight and you increase the compression there so massive increase in compression forces or in lockdown what we’ve seen a lot is suddenly people are working from home so now you have all this free time because you’re not commuting so you can increase your exercise dramatically and it can be that you walk a lot more than what you used to same distance than what you use the same route but just more often same thing for running you’re used to running three times a week brilliant i’ve got time for five or six times a week now but guess what your structures hasn’t adapted to it so yes the haglund’s deformity decreases the space there and it may predispose you to get being more sensitive to increased compression forces but it’s that sudden increase in load of the compression forces that causes it so how do you get it better um do you need surgery to take that haglund’s away well i hope from the previous bit you would have realized that no you don’t really um because and the reason i say that is one you would have had that haglund’s deformity for years without pain and two i’ve seen plenty of patients get better with the haglund’s deformity back to full sport still have the hygienes there so it obviously wasn’t the main issue there so how do you get it better we treat the bits that’s causing the pain so if we think it’s excessive compression when the foot goes into dorsiflexion that’s causing the irritation in the achilles tendon as well as the bursa we want to take that compression off for a little bit so for a short period of time we may get you to only wear shoes with a heel on it so regular trainers for instance or even put a heel lift in your shoe so that you don’t go into that areas where it compresses and that may mean that you’ve got to wear shoes for a short period of time in in your house until it decides to calm down how long that period of time is will depend on how sensitive yours is how long it’s been irritated for um and a lot of other factors around that so that’s the first step is offload it get it out of that position um second bit on that as well you’ll often find that then other activities like squats and stuff in the gym can flare it up as well because it causes that dorsiflexion so lifting your heels without so putting a plate under your heels when you squat brilliant way of continuing squatting then then the second bit will depend on whether it’s a bursitis or tendinopathy or the combination if there’s a bursitis involved then using a short course of anti-inflammatories may be useful for it to calm down more quickly but remember to check with your doc because you may not be okay with taking anti-inflammatories there may be a reason why you shouldn’t take them anti-inflammatories doesn’t help for tendinopathies what we know from the research is that tendinopathies don’t really have a massive inflammatory component to them so don’t take it just for healing for tendinopathy it’s only if there’s a bursitis that you could try a short course but when i say short course five to ten days but check with your gp um then also if a business is really really really persistent and does not want to calm down there are certain injections that can be useful for it but those are only as a last resort because usually for business they will inject corticosteroid into the bursa not the tendon but the bursa is really close to the tendon and we know that corticosteroids is not good for the tendon and you can’t keep it to just the bursa there will be a little bit that spreads to the tendon as well so it’s a last resort if the bursa doesn’t want to calm down usually what we find is for our patients if we can offload it okay with the shoes they don’t need any of that the next bit with offloading is to stop stretching your calf and your achilles and into dorsiflexion so i was really shocked once again when i googled haglund’s deformity to see if i could get nice pictures for this talk um to find how many articles of people who claim to know how to treat this tell them to stretch so that typical calf stretch for the runners or put a band around it pull your foot towards you now can you see that if you’re going to stretch your foot like that all it’s going to do is increase the compression increase the load on those structures that’s sensitive and doesn’t like compression and it’s going to be like poking a bruise so your pain is just going to escalate and it’s just going to get worse so please if you’re doing calf stretches for an insertional tendinopathy or bursitis or haggling deformity that you’ve been told for is causing the pain stop stretching that’s one of the best things you can do is just to stop stretching and get yourself into a shoe that doesn’t cause that drop and you’ll be amazed after a couple of weeks how much your pain decreases now we do need once that acute pain is settled down we do need to start loading it up gently but when it comes to this condition it’s not the first thing you need to rush into you need to get it to calm down a little bit first okay so when we do start loading it it’s going to be with heel raise type things where you go up in your toes but it’s going to be different from your mid portion at least tendinopathy you’re not going to load it over the side of a step because can you see if you drop your heel over the side of a step you’re going to get that compression again and it won’t be ready for it so we may opt for things like isometrics where you just hold it or doing your heel raises but doing it to floor level sometimes i get my patients who are really sensitive to start going up and down but with a shoe with a heel on so we’re really limiting that range of motion where we we strengthen it through and then as you get stronger as it calms down as it starts to accept more compression we bring it into more positions where it’s more compressed but it’s really useful working with a physio to to know and understand when to make those transitions because if you do it too quickly then you’ll just flare it up so these things are not stuff that needs to be thrown at it all at once it’s a stage by stage process of okay it’s calmed down for this now let’s add that so that’s how i get my patients back from an insertional tendinopathy anabasis with or without a haglund’s deformity now yes of course it won’t ever treat 100 of people and there are some cases that eventually go on to surgery and does well with surgery but why is it that some people don’t get better so one is that it could be that your haglund’s deformity or bone spur or stuff is just so severe and so big that it does poke directly on that tendon and because of the shape of your foot and everything else it just doesn’t get to a position that we can get it to not do that so in those cases it may be useful to shave that piece of bone off second what i often find is that people just don’t offload it for long enough so they don’t give it enough time to recover and calm down this is not something that you can say oh i offloaded it for a week or two and now it’s it’s still not getting better achilles tendinopathy and bursitis takes at least three months 12 weeks to show good good improvement and then it can take up to six months to get back to where you want to be now that may sound long but listen recovery from surgery isn’t any shorter so please don’t see re surgery as a short term solution um if you’re going to have surgery depending on what they do you can have long standing recovery after that i’m working with people who still a year later after surgery for this type of thing is not much better than what they were before the surgery so but then i do have other people who is massively better so don’t take it as surgery is always a bad thing it’s just about make sure you really follow the guidelines properly before you decide to go on to surgery also i would go for other things first before surgery so if rehab and offloading loading’s not worked consider shockwave especially if it’s an insertional tendinopathy i’ve had good results with patients with that when it’s not wanted to react to the treatments the other types of treatments we’ve tried another one that could be useful is if you try different types of injections there are different things that clinicians can do so prp doesn’t seem to work that well at the moment i don’t think they figured it out properly beside this seems to react well to corticosteroid but like i said not the first instance to decide to do that i wouldn’t go for steroids into the egres tendon that is in my books a little bit irresponsible because it does predispose you to achilles stairs but there are there are high volume injection type injections and there are other injections that’s experimental that’s coming onto the market and if the risk is low with an injection i would always try that first before you go on to surgery okay oh yes and then the other thing is again why it may not work conservative treatment is if you’ve just neglected it for too long so you’ve taken months and months and months that you’ve just kept on annoying it didn’t follow the right treatment device so that the bursa may be a bit thickened and there’s just no way that it can be offloaded um or that it becomes happy to carry loads so in those cases taking the bursa out can be a solution for it as well so let me know if you’ve got any questions and if you need more help with your injury you’re welcome to consult one of us via video call the link is top of this video but also in the bottom in the description take care

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Dealing With Lace Bite in Ice Skates

Transcript:

Hey guys this is coach Chris from Burbank roller hockey and I’m here today to do the hockey skate lace show a lot of people ask me questions about how to lace your skates what type of laces I should use the size of my laces yada ya y so I’m going to kind of do a little bit of myth busting and and talk to you a little bit about your laces today so there are two basic types of laces you got your standard lace which comes available with every hockey skate it’s just a real flimsy lace as you can see it just moves real freely you can tie it in all kinds of knots just a really really easy lace available any local shoe store now this is your typical ice hockey waxed lace you notice the difference in it just the rigidity of it it it’s just a stiffer uh uh lace now I’ve got uh my skates right here they’re they’re laced with the uh breast cancer wearing this pink waxed laces and the way that I lace my skates is the way that I think is the best way to avoid lace bite and to get your skates the tightest I lace them from the outside in through the eyelets and I Lac them uniformly so so it’s always the exact same pattern over under over under over under so the key things about lace bite when you’re talking about this the lace bite comes from your lace being up against the tongue of your boot putting pressure on your ankle now the way you avoid this is my my pressure here doesn’t actually come from the inside lace the pressure comes from the outside and it pulls the boot down not necessarily the lace itself because the next time this this lace goes through this boot it’s going to go over the outside and it’s going to clamp that boot down now a couple of guys from the uh older series of hockey they know the uh the old school way to uh to add movement and create some space for your uh toeses in there to prevent lace bite you basically create a loop which allows your lace to go back through got my loopy [Music] here got my loopy on the other side so you take your lace from across cut through the loop take out the lace put it through the loop pull it tightly pull it tightly that is the other way you can go to get a little bit more tightness with zero lace bite it’s actually pulling from the outside once again it’s pulling the boot in instead of putting pressure on your foot itself against the tongue so the common mistakes we see when people are lacing up their skates is they always lace them from the same way they do their tennis shoes they do them from the inside out and as you can see when you lace from the inside out show you in a second here so I’m going to lace this from the inside to the outside inside outside now as I pull this down it’s pulling on the outside of the boot to make it tighter but on the inside here if this is my if this is my foot this is where the lace bite channel is going to be look at this as I pull that it’s pulling on my finger long before it pulls that boot in tightly that’s how you get your lace bite it’s going to pull on the inside of this t tongue and put pressure against your foot as you’re trying to pull that boot outward the inside of that lace is what’s really going to pull on your foot that’s why I lace my skates from the outside to the inside I pull pressure on the boot rather than on the tongue of my foot all right I hope that uh answered all your questions and uh gave you a little bit more insight to the way that we lace our skates uh you know you can feel free to check out my other videos um coach Chris from bur Road hockey

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Iselin’s Disease

I want to talk for a couple minutes about pain on the outside of the foot in children, particularly a very common problem called Iselin’s disease. Now Iselin’s disease is a type of what’s called an apophysitis. An apophysis is another name for a growth plate and “itis” means inflammation, so this is actually the inflammation of the growth plate, and it’s on the outside of the foot, right at the base of the fifth metatarsal bone. So, when we’re born this bone is mostly cartilage, as we grow it starts to become bone. But it grows from two spots, one spot’s up here and one spot’s down there, and between the ages of eight and about thirteen, there’s a space between these two areas of bone, that’s the apophysis of the growth plate, and that’s the weakest portion of that bone.

Now, let’s look over at this picture here, attaching into the base of that bone is a tendon, it’s called the peroneus brevis tendon, and it pulls right on this area here.

So this is a problem that’s very common in athletes, child athletes like soccer players, lacrosse players, that type of thing where they might start to turn their foot a little bit or they’re just a little bit too active, that tendon is tugging on this area and they start to get this achy type of pain, sometimes sharp on the outside of their foot. Fairly easy to treat, our primary goal is to reduce tension on that tendon initially and try and decrease the inflammation. Initially we will often use an over-the-counter arch support. With children, if we can avoid doing custom orthotics we usually will, because they have this tendency to grow out of them of course, but there are some very good over-the-counter supports that work.

We might do some special types of wedging on that device that will push the foot this way and take some more tension off of there and helping Iselin’s disease. We’ll do that along with using some icing and other anti-inflammatory measures.

If it’s not healing, we might put the child in a boot for a week or two and let it calm down. Some other conditions that can occur in this area might be inflammation of the tendon itself, could be a small fracture, so these are definitely things that you want to get checked out. But the most common cause of pain on the outside of the foot is Iselin’s disease or apophysitis, it’s usually very amenable to treatment, but it does require getting some tension off of that.

So, if you have a child with this type of pain on the outside of their foot (Iselin’s disease), please make an appointment to see us if you are in our area, or if you’re not in our area find another podiatrist that has a specialty with treating children..

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Taping for Turf Toe

Transcript:

So this one we’re going to try and stop movement going in that direction there okay and we’re looking at this joint here so we’re going to place an anchor around the foot very important we don’t put any tension especially in this part of the foot because it will be very uncomfortable

Okay so we’ve got an anchor below we’re now also going to put an anchor around the base of the first toe like so again don’t put it around otherwise you’ll end up blocking the circulation and the toe will go Blue um and you’ll have to take it off again so just make sure that there’s no tension uh and that’s not too tight in that area now what we’re going to do is we’re going to place some strips of tape underneath the foot to try and stop it from coming upwards so what I’m going to ask you to do Jenny is put it a foot there like

so okay I’m going to place one on rip it there that’s number one and all we’re going to do is do three versions of that underneath the toe second one there now depending obviously if you’ve got a a bigger toe to strap then you’re going to use more than three you have to go across the full base of the toe and use these as your supports okay three is enough here and then all I’m going to do is then put the anchors back on again very important you remember the anchors because if you don’t put the anchors on then the the strapping becomes useless because you as soon as they go to to um move the toe then the the strips of tape will come off I’m going to put the other anchor underneath the foot again with no tension and now we’re in a scenario where where if we really wanted to pull that foot up now I haven’t done that too tight what you can do is put the foot put the toe into that position there and tighten those and then obviously how depending on how sore that toe is will depend on how tight you want those strips if it’s very sore you might want to put the toe in that position there and then apply those strips and then put the fixers on if it’s if it’s not too bad then as I say you can let the toe relax a little bit because it otherwise it will become too uncomfortable

A Simple Guide To Turf Toe, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions
Turf toe: throw the kitchen sink at turf toe
Strapping for Turf Toe

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Why do feet smell?

Do you stress out going through airport security? Can’t stand going to your best friend’s house because you have to leave your shoes at the door? Would it make you feel a little better to know that technically it’s not you that smells disgusting? Let’s get into the chemistry of why your feet reek. (Reactions Splash Intro) To understand how your feet produce those nasty odors, first we’ve got to talk sweat.

Your body is covered in glands that secrete sweat in order to cool you down. There are spots on your body that have much higher concentrations of sweat glands, your feet being number one of the list. Sweat is actually odorless on its own, but it plays an integral role in fueling the stench. Shoes and socks don’t leave much breathing room for your feet, which trap in all that sweaty moisture – all the better for a bacterial family to settle down and start a life, but they do have other specific criteria to check off a list first. The best environment for bacterial growth involves these four qualities: Your feet are warm.

They’re sweaty and cause foot odor. There’s oxygen getting into your shoes, and the dead skin on your feet is a nutrient buffet for bacteria.

And when these bacteria feast, they spit out nasty gases – the main culprit of your stinky feet. These are the three main stinky bacterial waste products. (Text onscreen – Methanethiol, propanoic acid, isovaleric acid).

Methanethiol makes your feet smell like sulfur And is produced when dead skin is eaten up by a genus of bacteria called brevibacteria – this is what causes the odor. This stuff smells similar to a limburger or munster cheese. Nice. Isovaleric acid is another compound that shares the cheesy aroma, along with a sort of rancid, vinegar-like scent. Isovaleric acid is produced when a bacteria called Staphylococcus epidermis chow down on your dead skin.

Why Do Feet Smell?

Propanoic acid adds a rancid, sour smell and is produced by propionibacterium when it gobbles up amino acids found in your sweat. Every time you put your shoes on, you basically refuel these three odor -causing bacteria and perpetuate the stinky feet cycle. So here’s what you need to do to get a grip on odor control. You want to target sweat, dead skin, and the bacteria they support. You can wash your feet with antibacterial soap and also use a pumice stone to remove dead skin – cutting out that bacterial food supply.

Obviously, use fresh socks daily, and also make sure they’re made of a breathable, natural material like cotton to let moisture out and wick away foot odor. When you take your shoes off, let them air out and try to keep them dry. To keep your feet dry, you can actually use the same antiperspirant that you use for your underarms. Follow these steps, and kiss your foot shame goodbye. On the topic of smells, check out this video on why garlic gives you bad breath.
Also we’ve got this interesting one on human pheromones. Thanks for watching folks, make sure to hit the subscribe button on the way out, give us a quick thumbs up and hit us with your chemistry questions in the comments.

How to eliminate foot odor?

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Freiberg’s Disease

There are many different causes to get problems in the ball of the feet. A less common reason could be a condition referred to as Freiberg’s disease or infarction. It is a condition where the head of a metatarsal bone which is near the bottom of the toes within the front foot results in being weakened and has minuscule bone injuries. This most commonly occurs in the 2nd and 3rd metatarsal heads, although they all might be affected. It is considered to be caused by recurring overload to the metatarsals bone that create a localised insufficient blood circulation to the area. These metatarsal bones then become weakened and has micro fractures. Freiberg’s disease mainly occurs in younger sports athletes above approximately the age of 12, and much more typically impacts younger girls a lot more than younger boys. The actual micro trauma appears to result from overloads especially in sports activities which involve lots of sprinting, leaping or weight bearing over the ball of the foot. Wearing non supportive or non-cushioning footwear could bring about increased loads upon the metatarsal bones.

The typical signs and symptoms include things like increasing discomfort around the affected metatarsal head. There is typically a swelling and slight bruising about the affected region. The pain could get worse with an increase in weightbearing actions. Commonly there will be a decreased range of motion with the affected toe joint along with pain and discomfort existing on movements in the damaged toe. Limping to get weight off the impacted joint is furthermore common. The diagnosis of Freiberg’s disease is done by a medical practitioner and it is depending on quite a few characteristics such as a complete clinical evaluation that can incorporate a biomechanical examination and a walking analysis. You will have an assessment of the full pain background and medical history assessment to rule out any other causes for the features. The joint range of flexibility will be examined, along with a thorough palpation of the region will be done. The conclusive analysis is normally done by x-ray which usually shows a flattening with the metatarsal head, resembling a smashed egg shell within the most extreme situations.

The treating of Freiberg’s disease starts with rest along with immobilisation with the area for as much as 6 weeks. This is required in the early part of therapy for it to allow for the micro fracture area to get better. The immobilisation can often be done with a moon boot or perhaps cam brace suggested by a health practitioner. Foot supports might be used to minimize the painful signs and symptoms of Freiberg’s disease. The intention of the foot supports is to try to achieve this by off loading the area as well as with some posture change of the foot. They ought to give support for the uncomfortable bone and so are generally recommended after that first duration of immobilization. A steel or even carbon fibre insole also can often be helpful to make the footwear more rigid. Because of this there’s less flexion or bending with the shoe with the front foot and also this reduces stress on the metatarsal head. Non steroidal anti-inflammatory prescription drugs like ibuprofen may be used for pain relief and to decrease inflammation. If this fails to improve then a surgical restoration with the micro-fracture site are usually necessary to solve the damaged tissues.

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Useful socks for chilblains

Chilblains (pernio) are a condition characterized by red-colored, itching, and also swollen area on the skin as a result of cold exposure. The most beneficial treatment is to use a effective ointment and use socks which keep your foot cozy. When you’re thinking of determining the best socks for chilblains, it is extremely important to focus on warmth, insulation, and never use socks that impair the blood circulation. There are several concerns to think about, for example materials, size, and insulation. Examples of the most useful sock alternatives that will help consist of:

Wool socks: Wool is really a natural insulator which can supply warmth and control temperatures effectively. Cashmere wool is much more warming as compared to merino wool, especially for socks for the cold feet.

Thermal socks: Thermal socks are supposed to provide further warmth in cold conditions. Try to find socks having a high TOG (Thermal Overall Grade) ranking to ensure that optimal insulating material.

Moisture-wicking socks: It is crucial to keep your feet dry to avoid chilblains. Look for socks with moisture-wicking properties that could pull sweat from your skin which helps manage moisture levels.

Compression socks: Compression socks might improve blood circulation, that is a consideration for avoiding and dealing with chilblains. They can help promote the flow of blood and minimize swelling. Search for hosiery with graduated compression for the right outcomes. Compression socks should not be used if you have poor blood flow because they will even more limit that.

Layering socks: Layering socks can provide added insulation which help regulate temperature. Consider wearing a thin moisture-wicking sock being a base layer to maintain your feet dry, followed by a heavier wool or thermal sock for warmth.

Fleece-lined socks: Fleece-lined socks use a soft lining that gives higher insulation levels and also comfort. They may help capture warmth and keep the feet cozy in cold temperatures.

Remember, it is probably extremely important to keep your entire body warm and protected when confronted with chilblains. Apart from using proper socks, make sure you dress yourself in layers, have on insulated shoes, and steer clear of prolonged exposure to cold temperatures. If you’re experiencing persistent or extreme symptoms, it’s advisable to seek advice from a podiatric doctor for more advice and treatment.

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Understanding Plantar Plate Tears: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Introduction: The human foot is an intricately designed structure comprising numerous ligaments, tendons, bones, and muscles that work together to provide support, stability, and mobility. Among these structures, the plantar plate plays a vital role in maintaining the integrity of the forefoot and facilitating efficient locomotion. However, injuries to the plantar plate, such as tears, can lead to significant pain, discomfort, and impaired functionality. This essay aims to explore the concept of a plantar plate tear, including its causes, symptoms, and available treatment options.

Definition and Anatomy: The plantar plate, also known as the plantar plate ligament, is a thick band of fibrous tissue located on the underside of the foot, specifically in the region of the metatarsophalangeal joints (MTP joints). Its primary function is to provide stability to the MTP joints, preventing excessive motion and allowing for normal foot function during walking, running, and other weight-bearing activities.

Causes of Plantar Plate Tears: Plantar plate tears commonly occur due to repetitive stress, trauma, or structural abnormalities. Some of the common causes include:

  1. Overuse and Repetitive Stress: Continuous stress on the forefoot, such as prolonged running, jumping, or walking on hard surfaces, can lead to microtrauma and degeneration of the plantar plate.
  2. Trauma: Acute injuries, such as a direct impact or a forceful hyperextension of the toe, can cause a tear in the plantar plate. These injuries are frequently observed in activities like sports or accidents.
  3. Structural Abnormalities: Conditions such as bunions (hallux valgus) or hammertoes can create imbalances in the alignment of the foot, leading to excessive pressure and stress on the plantar plate.

Symptoms and Diagnosis: The symptoms of a plantar plate tear may vary depending on the severity and location of the injury. However, common signs include:

  1. Pain and Discomfort: Persistent pain and tenderness in the ball of the foot, especially near the affected MTP joint. It can often feel like  the “sock is bunched up under the toes“
  2. Swelling and Inflammation: Swelling and redness may occur around the injured area, accompanied by localized warmth.
  3. Instability: A feeling of instability or the sensation of the affected toe “popping out” of its joint may be experienced.

Diagnosing a plantar plate tear typically involves a comprehensive physical examination, medical history assessment, and imaging techniques such as X-rays, ultrasound, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These diagnostic tools aid in assessing the extent of the injury and ruling out other possible conditions with similar symptoms.

Treatment Options: The management of plantar plate tears aims to relieve pain, promote healing, and restore normal foot function. Treatment options may vary depending on the severity of the tear, the patient’s overall health, and individual circumstances. Common approaches include:

  1. Rest and Activity Modification: Reducing or avoiding activities that aggravate the injury allows the plantar plate to heal. Temporary immobilization through the use of orthotic devices or braces may be recommended.
  2. Non-Surgical Interventions: Conservative treatments such as physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, corticosteroid injections, and orthotic shoe inserts can provide pain relief and support the healing process. The Fix Toe device can also be used. The Fix Toe device holds the toe in a plantarflexed position.
  3. Surgical Intervention: In cases where conservative methods fail to provide relief, surgical intervention may be considered. The surgical procedure may involve repairing the torn ligament or, in severe cases, joint realignment or fusion.

A plantar plate tear can significantly impact an individual’s quality of life, causing pain, instability, and limitations in physical activities. Understanding the causes, symptoms, and treatment options is crucial for effective management

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Carbon Insoles for Foot Pain

Soreness inside the great toe or hallux joint that hurts when walking is usually frequently as a result of osteoarthritis and is commonly given the name more frequently referred to as hallux rigidus if the joint is very stiff or hallux limitus if it is not so stiff. Hallux rigidus is painful while walking, so if the joint is really painful resting, it can much more likely be gout pain than a hallux rigidus. With the hallux rigidus, when we are walking and the back heel commences to raise up off the floor, the big toe joint has to move for this motion to occur. If that movement is limited or there exists a painful osteoarthritis in the joint, then that it is not really as easy to walk. It’s a good idea that if this big toe joint hurts if walking, then a rational method to manage the pain on motion should be to restrict exactly how much the big toe joint flexes.

There are lots of methods to try this. One particular way that Podiatrists use is with felt pads which might be stuck on the foot beneath the big toe and front foot or strapping may be utilized to tape the joint. Both of these usually are excellent temporary methods, however unrealistic in the long run. Should you prefer a foot support for other reasons, there’s an extension that a Podiatrist can add on the front edge of the foot support which is termed as a Morton’s extension that can be used to stiffen up the big toe joint by restricting bending or flexion of the joint. One other way is by using a carbon fibre insert plate that usually are under 1.5mm thick for them to fit easily into the footwear and therefore are really inflexible. These carbon fibre plates are often helpful to take care of hallux rigidus along with other issues such as turf toe that need to restrict the movement with the big toe joint. The scientific data is that they are rather efficient at reducing the symptoms in the hallux joint in these conditions. A different way to treat the discomfort from the osteoarthritis and hallux rigidus is to just use shoes that can be more firm through the front foot. The more flexible the sole of the footwear is, the greater that the great toe or hallux joint will bend and the much more likely it is to be uncomfortable when walking. There are several shoes, particularly the Hoka running shoes, which have a rocker and further cushioning constructed into them that are especially beneficial at that. The consequence of the rocker in these footwear might be that the big toe does not have to flex just as much as the foot rocks forward on the rocker. A pedorthist or shoe tech can add a rocker to numerous different types of footwear to get the same thing.

In case you have hallux rigidus or arthritis of the big toe joint, then there are options for the short term to manage the pain and alternatives in the long term to control the movement of the hallux joint that it is much less painful.