Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Fall Foot Blues



Do your feet hurt more than ever since summer has ended? If so, you are not alone. We see a lot of patients like you each fall. When it comes time to put the summer shoes away, these people get the shoe blues. 


In summer, sandals provide the freedom which allows your feet to feel comfortable. If you start wearing closed shoes again in autumn, the shoes can rub against bunions and hammertoes and cause you pain. Sometimes the friction of shoe against skin can cause painful corns and calluses to build up. Your first line of defense is to wear comfortable, well-fitting shoes. Pick footwear with a toe box wide enough so that your toes aren’t crowded together. If you wear shoes with heels, keep the heel height to two inches or less to avoid putting pressure on bunions. Wear socks to reduce the friction of shoes against your feet. You may also want to take your shoes to a shoe repair shop and get them stretched in the areas that are bothering you. Using the pads to shield the corns may help, but avoid medicated pads, which contain acid that can be harmful. 

If you try our tips to no avail, contact our office. There are several types of conservative treatments we can offer before we suggest surgery including:


  • Trimming corns and calluses professionally- don’t attempt this yourself because you run the risk of injury or infection.
  • Providing custom shoe inserts
  • Injecting corticosteroids, which ease pain and inflammation or prescribing pain medication


If conservative measures like these don’t give you results, surgery may be your next alternative.

Don’t let painful feet and toes keep you from enjoying all that fall has to offer, visit our www.ShenandoahPodiatry.com!

Foot Cream to Kill HIV?

Ciclopirox, a drug commonly used to treat foot fungus, has been suggested to kill HIV cells. "In a study performed at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, not only does the drug Ciclopirox rid infectious HIV from cell cultures, but the virus also doesn't bounce back when the drug is withheld." - CNet.com

source

However, because the drug is a topical it does not treat the whole body (a systematic treatment) meaning it only prevents HIV not actually treating it.

Luckily, since the drug is already FDA approved for human use, the process of approval for HIV use might be sped up!

To learn more about the research and interviews head to cnet.com