Are You Wearing the Wrong Shoes?

Tone It Up (#TIU), a website dedicated to educating people on fitness and nutrition, features a member of their "community" every Tuesday. One of the questions the TIU team asks the members on the feature is "Did you have any setbacks along the way? How did you overcome them?" A recent members response is as follows:

"I did actually have a pretty big set-back. In May 2012, I ran the 500 Festival Mini Marathon, but I ran in the wrong shoes (minimalist shoes). Shortly after finishing, my left foot began hurting badly. I went to the doctor and found out that I had two stress fractures in my foot, which forced me to stop just about all types of exercise for several months. I've just recently reintroduced running back into my routine. Even though it's been over a year, still bothers me. Now, I'm a huge advocate for making sure people wear the best shoes for their body!"

As this member states, you do need to find the best shoes for YOU. A doctor or shoe salesman can't say, "this is the perfect shoe for all runners, walkers, etc." Each person needs to be evaluated in a few different ways and seeing a podiatrist is the first step in a successful exercise regimen.

Alec Baldwin's Wife with Twisted Ankle!

It looks like Mrs. Baldwin went for a run and wound up being chased by paparazzi on bikes! Crazy! One wound up getting too close to her and she twisted her ankle. Her instagram feed shows her icing her ankle (way to go!).

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Have you ever twisted you ankle? It certainly isn't a pleasant injury but completing RICE therapy (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation) can help you get back on your feet sooner than you think!

In addition to treating twisted ankles in our Blacksburg and Roanoke offices, we also treat patients with sprained ankles, fractures, broken bones and of course ingrown toenails, warts and much more!

If you or a loved one is in need of foot and ankle care, either

It's Turkey Day Craft Time!

Are you looking for some crafts for the kiddos while dinner is preparing this Thursday? Well look no further, below our craft is easy and you probably have most of the supplies laying around your house.

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Of course we had to pick our craft by choosing the one with a foot involved! The only supplies you need are:
- red/maroon washable paint
- yellow washable paint
- brown washable pain
- bubble/wiggly eyes
- paper
- glue
- paper plates

Instructions:
1. Press your hands into the red paint and press them onto the paper with palms next to each other to create a feather look
2. Repeat step 1 with yellow paint
3. Now press your foot into the brown paint then on the paper with your heel at the top of your paper
4. Adhere bubble eyes with glue at the top of your heel
5. Dip your finger into the yellow paint and press a dot just below the eyes
6. Dip your finger into the red paint and drag it a couple centimeters next to the nose

Ta-da! You now have fun turkey art and a fairly easy clean up :)

Did you know we treat children in both our Blacksburg and Roanoke offices? Well, we do! Everything from ingrown toenails, warts, broken bones, fractures and much more! If you your child is suffering from pain or discomfort, give us a call and we'll work with your schedule for your preferred date and time!

2014 Gently Used Footwear Drive!

I hope all of you haven't been tossing those gently used shoes and are saving them for our 3rd Annual footwear drive! This year not only will we be donating GENTLY used shoes and NEW socks & flip flops to the New River Family Shelter, we will be donating Troutville's collectiong to the RAM House located off Campbell Ave in Roanoke, VA.

Dr. Feeny Keller showing off our collection during the 1st Annual Footwear drive!

I recently spoke with two representatives from the RAM house (Hi Martha & Debbie!) at the Green Ridge Wellness Fair in Roanoke and they were so pleasant and supportive of the program they were representing. While at the fair they were holding a food drive, the ladies stated this time of year they get extremely busy what with the holidays and cold weather.

I informed them of our annual footwear drive and can't wait to start collecting and donating what we can to help the community. Last year we were able to collect footwear for children and adults which makes our practice so proud of the kind patients and community that surround us!

So when you're unwrapping those sweet new kicks in just a couple (short!) weeks, please set a side your (older) shoes for our drive starting in a few months. If you want to get them out of the house sooner, feel free to drop them by either office and we'll get our collection started early!

Thank you for your support this year and make sure to think of those in need as the holidays get closer and the cold gets tougher to bear.

Metatarsalgia

Metatarsalgia translated means pain in metatarsals or ball of the foot.  In other words it is medicines junk term/diagnosis for pain in the ball of the foot.  It doesn't describe the location or cause of the pain making it more difficult to effectively treat. 

For example if a patient presented with pain in the ball of the foot (metatarsalgia) and radiographs revealed a fractured bone then I would diagnose a broken bone not metatarsalgia.  On the other hand if a patient presented with pain in the foot with no obvious diagnosis after a physical exam/radiographs then I would diagnose metatarsalgia.

If you feel you have any questions or concerns, or you have a foot or ankle concern give us a call at 808-4343!

- Dr. Marshal Gwynn