The Origin of Shoes

Shoes have come along way since their invention. Some anthropologists believe that the invention of shoes happened as early as 40,000 B.C. These anthropologists noted substantially different toe bone sizes between different generations. The older generations had very big bones; the kind that are associated with a lot of hard work. Then fairly suddenly, the toe bone size got a lot smaller. A very possible explanation to this change is the invention of shoes.

Shoes had an open toed sandal design until about 1600-1200 B.C. when people in colder weather climates created ‘soft shoes’ made out of leather, similar to moccasins, covering the whole foot, and therefore inventing the first close toed shoe. The next major advancement in shoe technology was made by the Egyptians who where the first civilization to make shoes ornate. When the Pharaoh’s where dressed in all their glory, their outfits would be incomplete if they where wearing boring shoes. Shoemaking became a profession in the Egyptian society, making shoes more like jewelry than simply for necessity. Necessity for a hardier shoe brought about the invention of the boot during the ancient Greek era. They needed boots to keep their soldiers protected from different elements in nature and in war. Shoes where not particularly sturdy until about the Middle Ages, when due to the Crusades and the great deal of walking associated with those events, shoes needed to be more durable and more comfortable. Since then shoes have progressed into the styles we know and love today.


In 1850 the first shoe was designed to fit specifically the right or left foot. Soon after that, inventors created special sewing machines that made it able for someone to sew the soles of shoes to the uppers. This new machine expedited the time it took for shoes to be made, leading to the first mass manufacturing of shoes. In 1892 shoes started to look more like the shoes we wear today. Nine rubber companies used their resources and creativity to come up with a new kind of shoe, one that is very quiet and easy to bend. This new rubber sole shoe, a sneaker, was a huge success! Since then, shoes have progresses to fashion as well as necessity, being manufactured and computer engineered instead of handmade, and now mostly made from man made material instead of natural material. Though styles of shoes and techniques of how shoes are made have changed drastically over time, peoples love for shoes and desire to keep inventing haven’t.


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Common Symptoms for Foot Ailments

Do you suffer from itching or scaling between your toes? Have you experienced this sensation in the past but now your feet are painful, inflamed, and possibly have blisters?

You might have Athlete’s Foot. Athlete’s foot is a fungus that enjoys the dark dampness between your toes. This is usually taken care of with an anti fungal cream or powder.

Does your big toe point towards the rest of your toes? Does your big toe look like its overlapping or invading the space of your second toe? Does the portion of bone that connects your big toe to your foot look like its protruding from your body?

You might have bunions. A bunion occurs when the bone starts pointing outward. This puts extra pressure on the toe joints which can cause inflammation and pain. Different splints and spacers can help slow this process or relieve pain but surgery is the only way to correct it.

Do you have sections on the skin of your foot that seem thicker than the rest of the skin?

You might have corns or calluses. These can be red flags for more serious foot ailments because they are caused by constant rubbing. These should only be removed by a professional.

Are your toe nails discolored, misshapen or smell? Is it painful to walk?

You might have toe nail fungus. The fungus can be gotten rid of by topical or oral medication. In extreme cases the toe nail will be completely removed so a healthy nail can have the freedom to grow.

Do you have severe and sudden attacks of pain, redness, or tenderness in your joints?

You might have gout, a form of arthritis that is caused by a build up of urate crystals in your body. These crystals are formed by uric acid, a by-product of breaking down of proteins. Different forms of therapy are now available to help cope with Gout.

Like any medical condition, the key to getting healthy faster is by listening the symptoms you have and treating the problem right away instead of just ignoring them and hoping they will go away. The sooner you see a podiatrist for your feet ailments the sooner your life doesn’t have to be run by them.

Pain!!! A cry for help.

If you called the fire department when your house was on fire and they didn’t come, that would be really bad. Since nothing was done to put out the fire, you’d end up losing everything. This is essentially what your body is doing when it creates pain and the results of ignoring pain can be just as bad. When something hurts, your body is saying “Help, something is not right! Something is malfunctioning!” Most people try to ignore the pain, take pain killers, or think that once the pain is gone the problem will be gone as well. Sometimes the pain does just go away. But this can be very deceptive. Just because your body has stopped sending calls for help doesn’t mean the problem is fixed. Often our bodies will try to correct the problem by compensating in another way, but this ends up putting unnatural pressures on another part of our body and can cause even more problems.
If you have an ingrown toenail, don’t think that just because it’s on a smaller part of your body you can be a surgeon for a day.

If you have pain in the arches of your foot in the morning and it goes away after you stretch a little bit, don’t think your body is just being cranky.

If your toes are starting to look bent and you get corns frequently, don’t think you are just looking in a fun house mirror.

These are all symptoms of foot problems and unlike wine they do not get better with time. Listen to your body. It knows what it needs. If you are experiencing foot pain in any way or a part of you foot is starting to look different than it has in the past, call a podiatrist before the problem gets out of hand. We want to help put out the fire.

Ankle Injuries: More than just an annoyance.

Though ankle injuries are painful when they first occur, the long term damage that is caused can be even more detrimental. Ankles that have suffered an injury are seven times more likely to become arthritic that ones that have seen no trauma. Injuries can very in severity and still have the same long term affects. From inconspicuous reoccurring ankle sprains to more seemingly detrimental ankle fractures or broken bones, the damage that is caused is irreversible. Ankle cartilage is quite strong and can usually withstand a life time of movement but when the cartilage gets damaged its cells are unable to be repaired. Cartilage is made to glide smoothly to create movement but when it becomes worn or frayed the movement is not fluid. This leads to swelling, inflammation, and pain in the ankle joints. If proper treatment is not attained after the injury, post-traumatic ankle arthritis could very well occur in the future.

A study taken from 1991-2004 at the University of Iowa, studying 639 patients with grade 3 or 4 arthritis concluded that ankle injury is the most common cause of ankle arthritis. Trauma was the primary cause of arthritis in 445 patients out of the 639 patients surveyed. That is about 70%. The other 30% was caused by rheumatoid disease and primary osteoarthritis.

Symptoms of ankle arthritis include: pain or tenderness, stiffness or reduced motion, swelling, difficulty walking, bone spurs, and instability. No matter what stage of arthritis is present, or if arthritis is just a possible threat in the future, professional care should be sought. Podiatrists everywhere have many surgical and non-surgical options to help cope with the pain, prevent arthritis from over running everyday life, and catch arthritis before it become a problem.



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This little piggy...

This little piggy ran a mile. This little piggy swam three. This little piggy bench pressed. This little piggy danced free. And this little piggy showed up everyone else in the gym. But how did these piggys get so strong?? Because their owner never forgot to work them out before and after the physical actives the owner participated in.

When exercising, feet are usually forgotten to be warmed up and cooled down with the rest of the body. Rarely are they considered a body part that needs to be strengthened. They are smaller than other parts of the body, attract less attention, and are usually out of sight and out of mind. But these little guys under go a huge amount of impact during a work out or a physical activity.

Stretching and strengthening feet is a very important way to prevent foot injury from occurring during the everyday life not and in the future. This is also a very effective way to help relieve foot pain if an injury has already occurred. A little tender love and care is important to keep your feet healthy and pain free enough to get you the places you need to go.

Here are a few stretches, exercises, and massage techniques to keep your piggys marching on.


Stretches:
- Toe Raises: Hold onto a wall for support. From flat foot, rise up so you are standing on your toes only. Hold for 5 seconds. Repeat 10 times.
- Toe Points: Sitting down, flex the arch of the foot so the toes are pointed into a straight line and the heel is close to the back of the leg. Hold for 5 seconds. Repeat 10 times
- Toe Curls: Sitting down, scrunch all your toes together so they are pointing away from the top of your foot. Hold for 5 seconds. Repeat 10 times.

Exercises:
- Toe Squeezes: Hold a toe separator between your toes. Squeeze for 5 seconds. Repeat 10 times. This exercise is great for people with Hammer toes of suffer from toe cramps.
- Towel Scoop. While standing, place a towel on the floor, pick it up with only your toes. Repeat 5 times.

Massage techniques:
1. Apply an ample amount of lotion to feet.
2. Start by massaging the length of your feet up and down. Repeat 3-5 times.
3. Cup your heel and gently assist your foot in rotating the ankle. Repeat 5 times both directions.
4. Hold toes in one hand and heel in another. Gentle bring toes back towards your shins. This will stretch the calf. Hold for 3-5 seconds and repeat 5 times.
5. Gently grab each toe individually and pull directly away from foot to stretch and lengthen the toe. Hold for 3-5 seconds and repeat 5 times.
6. With your thumb, in circular motions, gently rub and apply pressure to the arch of your foot. Continue for 60 seconds.
7. To finish, once again massage the length of your foot 3-5 times.



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