DPM Blogs
How A Sagittal Z Osteotomy Can Be Beneficial With Revisional Surgery Of The First Metatarsal
An important part of any busy podiatric surgeon’s practice is revision of failed foot surgery. Since forefoot surgery makes up the majority of procedures performed on the foot, one commonly encounters aberrations of the metatarsals from prior surgery. One of the most common conditions affecting the forefoot includes excessive shortening or sagittal plane malposition of the first metatarsal.
Educating Patients About Soccer Cleat Design
A competitive soccer player recently came into my office with a new $250 pair of Adidas adiPower Predator TRX FG soccer cleats. When he asked me to evaluate his cleats, I was shocked to discover that they sat everted on the table as the image at left shows.
Emerging Trends In Antibiotic Prescriptions By Podiatrists
I recently came across some fascinating data that breaks down the number of outpatient prescriptions written by podiatrists for all different classes of drugs in 2010. Unlike various surveys that have been done over the years by different magazines, this is hard data based on the actual number of scripts. I would like to comment on some findings I find interesting in the use of antibiotics.
Why I Made The Decision To Specialize In Wound Care
Welcome to my new blog. I am honored to share information, insights and ideas with my colleagues. It is my hope that by sharing my experiences with the readers of Podiatry Today, you will be encouraged and inspired in your efforts when treating patients affected with wounds of varying etiologies.
Rethinking My Position On Preventive Ankle Bracing In Athletes
I have a special interest in the debate over preventive ankle bracing in athletes. In fact, I have voiced my opinion several times over the past two years in articles and blogs in Podiatry Today (see http://bit.ly/cs4JkR and http://bit.ly/qdlUJ9 ).
Most of my previous opinions about preventive ankle bracing have remained consistent. However, I have begun to rethink recommendations I have made in previous articles because of two recent studies. Specifically, I have changed my mind about recommending preventive ankle bracing for adolescent athletes.
How To Find Balance In Your Practice And Life
Do you have balance in your professional career and personal life? I am not sure I do. From my discussion with other colleagues, I believe most of you do not either.
One of the reasons I became a podiatrist was to have a “normal” lifestyle but that has never seemed to materialize. I have always had a good work ethic but why does a good work ethic still seem to create an unbalanced life? As we start a new year and I enter my 21st year of practice, I am going to strive to find better balance in my life. I hope this provokes you to consider the balance in your life.
Do Running Shoes Still Need Heels?
Has anyone ever pondered the fact that almost every shoe we put on our feet contains a "heel”? This is true whether it is a $200 motion control running shoe or simply a dress shoe that has the ¾-inch heel to accommodate our perfectly hemmed slacks. Let's not leave out the eye catching high heels that we all tell our patients are biomechanically inappropriate.
Surprisingly, it's not simply 1 ½-inch pumps that can be wreaking havoc for our patients’ feet. It may very well be the majority of shoes that most of us are wearing.
Can Sympathetic Nerve Blocks And Spinal Stimulation Help Children With CRPS?
Rarely in my profession do I encounter a patient whose story profoundly affects me. It happens more often when I see children. As a parent, I cannot possibly imagine any of my children in chronic pain.
This is why I was so disturbed when I met a young lady and heard her experience over the last six months or so. Her pediatrician sent her to me because she was in so much pain. She could not ambulate properly and would not put her heel down flat on the ground. Her pediatrician wanted me to evaluate her and see if this was a mechanical or sensory issue.
Breaking Out Of Our ‘Echo Chamber’ At Conferences
As a new year begins, so does a new slate of podiatric scientific conferences. Podiatric physicians have no shortage of educational experiences from which to choose.
Can Sesamoiditis And Hallux Valgus Be A Nerve Entrapment?
Several weeks ago in the pre-op area, I greeted a patient and started going over the planned surgical procedures we had listed on her informed consent. She was here for her second extremity surgery. We had performed peripheral nerve decompressions for her six weeks previously. She did well and wanted to have the other side done.
A New Review Of Antibiotic Therapy For Osteomyelitis
I wish all of my readers a healthy, happy and prosperous 2012. With this post, I am trying something a bit different. In the past, I usually waited to put up a post until I come up with an “aha” moment on something I have seen, heard or read about, and then pontificate on this site. These moments could occur only days apart but usually it was a much longer time period leading to relatively infrequent additions to the blog.
Should Surgeons Recommend Vitamins Before Surgery?
Surgeons understand the science behind healing. Nutritional building blocks are necessary to rebuild and repair surgically traumatized tissue. As the surgeon, what do you to ensure your patients are nutritionally maximized at the time of surgery to have the best chance for an optimal recovery?
Blog Readers Argue About Board Certification: Is It Fair Or Another Way To Discriminate?
When I think about subjects that cause controversy, my last blog topic, “Making Interprofessional Education a Priority to Improve Podiatric Parity,” (http://tinyurl.com/cuefzz5 ) would not be at the top of my list. However, for some readers, it met the qualifications for controversy and they started a verbal parry over what I had said.
Exploring Surgical Solutions For Insertional Achilles Tendinitis In The Absence Of A Heel Spur And/Or Haglund’s Deformity
Achilles tendon disorders are commonplace in a podiatric practice. Achilles tendinopathy encompasses a wide variety of pathologies. When I evaluate patients with Achilles tendon pain, I divide the tendon into three zones.
Teaching Patients How To Use Rocktape For Injury Prevention And Rehabilitation
We use tape for many conditions. We use tape to illustrate what custom orthotic support might feel like. We use tape to rehabilitate plantar fasciitis. Typically, however, we do the taping as opposed to teaching our patients how to tape themselves.
Are New Surgical Gadgets Really Better Than ‘Old’ Technologies?
I recently returned from the Windy City Podiatry Conference in Chicago, which was co-hosted by the Podiatry Institute and the Illinois Podiatric Medical Association. Marking the first collaborative effort between these two organizations, the meeting had an exceptional turnout and was among the best I have attended in many years. I was honored to be part of an exceptional faculty who taught me so much in just two short days.
My Top Ten Podiatric Pet Peeves
10. Podiatrists instructing patients to cut their toenails straight across. Where did this originate? Where is the evidence-based medicine for this approach? If everyone’s nails are shaped differently, why would everyone cut them the same? I have always told patients to follow the shape of the nail when trimming.
Breaking Out Of Our Apathy About Plantar Fasciopathy
As I wrote in last month’s blog, I want to know more about human plantar fascia (see http://bit.ly/vDJesC ). I know you do as well because of the overwhelming response I had to the upcoming largest paper ever published on the subject of plantar fasciopathy. My goal is to have data on 1,000 plantar fascia, which come to the office cloaked in the simple costume of heel pain. I want to know what these fascia look like with high-resolution diagnostic ultrasound.
Do Dilemmas Over DVT Prophylaxis Keep You Up At Night?
As physicians, we try to do everything in our powers to heal and improve our patients’ quality of life. Medicine and surgery are part science/part art and some problems have no definitive answers.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis and foot and ankle surgery is one of my top clinical dilemmas and one I actively discuss with colleagues, fellows and residents. I would love to hear the online community’s thoughts as well.
Navigating Parental Minefields When Treating Kids
As many of you know, I love working with kids. There is something about treating that population that I feel makes all the hard work in school and residency worth it. However, it does take a special kind of person to know how to deal with the challenges of this population. In the last couple of weeks, I was reminded why some of my colleagues just outright avoid this age group altogether.
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