Todos los padres que hacer: corer a la zapateria mas cercana para que sus hijos usen los zapatos de ultima moda para la escuela, para jugar o para ambas cosas. Pero antes de que los padres inviertan en par nuevo de calzado infantil, deben considerarse algunos factores relacionados con los pies.

Los pies de los ninos cambian con los anos. Puede ser necessario cambiar de talla de zapatos y medias pocos meses a medida que les crecen los pies.

Los zapatos que no calzan en forma adecuada pueden ser perjudiciales para los pies. Mida siempre los pies de los ninos antes de comprar zapatos.

Nunce pase el calzado a otros ninos. El hecho de que una talla de zapato sea comoda para un nino no significa que le calzara a otro de la misma manera. Ademas, si se comparte el calzado, pueden transmitirse hongos, como el pie de atleta y hongos en las unas.

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Parents everywhere know the drill–running to the nearest shoe store to outfit their children in the latest pair of shoes for school, play, or both.  But before parents invest in a new pair of shoes, some foot factors need to be considered.

A child’s foot changes as it grows.  It may be necessary to change shoe and sock sizes every few months as feet grow.

Shoes that don’t fit properly can aggravate the feet.  Always have a child’s feet measured before buying shoes

Never hand down footwear.  Just because the shoe size fits one child comfortably, it does not mean that it will fit another the same way.  Also, the practice of sharing shoes can spread fungi like athlete’s foot.

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It’s only a broken toe. There is no treatment. Just tape it to the next one. This is what we hear daily. Unfortunately, however, it is completely WRONG!

Fractures (breaks) of the bones of the toes are the most common fractures of the body. The fifth toe is the one most recently fractured. This usually happens when walking barefooted and hitting the toe against a piece of furniture or an object, often while walking in the dark. This injury has the nickname of the “bedpost fracture”.

Toe fractures can have several symptoms, including pain, swelling, bruising, weakness, stiffness, numbness, and displacement. The only way to determine if the bone is fractured is to take an x-ray. Often, suspected fracture will actually be a deep bruise or a sprain, both of which still require treatment. If the bone is fractured, it must be determined if it is in proper alignment , or if it is displaced. Displaced fractures have to be realigned, or “reduced”. This is usually done under local anesthesia in the office, but occasionally may require a surgical procedure. Once reduced, the fracture must be immobilized so that it will heal correctly.

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By now, everyone knows the common symptoms of the COVID-19 infection: cough, fever, shortness of breath. However, several less common symptoms have recently been reported. These include appetite loss, diarrhea, loss of taste or smell sensation, and “COVID toes”.

In April, a report from Spain introduced the first cases of COVID toes. These patients developed strange red or purple discoloration of the toes, associated with positive testing for the virus. Many cases have since been reported , and some cases have also involved the fingers. The discoloration is often accompanied by pain, swelling, itching, and burning. Sometimes a rash resembling chickenpox appears. COVID toes resolve without treatment , and no permanent damage occurs.

COVID toes tend to occur most often in younger patients, especially those in their twenties. The condition can occur before any other COVID symptoms occur, or may occur long after a diagnosed COVID case resolves. The cause of the condition is unknown, with the two most popular theories being an inflammatory reaction to the virus, or small blood clots in the small vessels of the skin.

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Performing surgery through a small tube? This would have been considered science fiction a century ago. Now, surgery through small scopes is commonplace. This includes endoscopy in gastroenterology, laparoscopy in general surgery, and arthroscopy in orthopedics.
The use of small scopes (arthroscopes) to operate on joints was first described nearly a century ago, but was not developed until the 1970’s. Since then, the equipment, techniques, and indications for arthroscopic surgery have advanced significantly.
The knee has been the joint most commonly treated arthroscopically, but other joints are now being treated very successfully. Arthroscopy of the ankle joint has become very popular. The technique is useful for a variety of conditions.

Arthroscopic surgery of the ankle as many advantages over traditional open surgery. It involves very small incisions, has faster healing, and earlier ambulation. It is easily accomplished on an outpatient basis.

Arthroscopy allows better visualization of structures within the ankle joint that are sometimes not prominent on imaging techniques such as MRI. Through the small scopes inserted, bone and cartilage fragments can be removed. Ankle impingement by bony or soft tissue structures can be repaired. Reconstructive procedures can be performed. Reducing the thickness of inflamed joint soft tissue ( synovectomy) is a particularly popular and effective arthroscopic procedure.

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Verruca vulgaris!
That sounds like a spell cast by Harry Potter, or a witch’s curse! This horrible- sounding phrase is the medical term for the common wart ( verruca is the Latin term for wart, and vulgaris means common). The term is used to describe warts on any part of the body, while those of the sole of the foot, so-called plantar warts, are called verruca plantaris.

Warts are benign skin lesions caused by a virus. The wart virus is everywhere in the environment, and is even thought to be part of the normal flora of our skin (along with many other viruses, fungi, and bacteria-Gross!). It is thought that the wart virus enters small cracks or wounds of the skin and start a wart lesion. Warts can spread from person to person by direct contact such as shearing shoes.

Conservative or nonsurgical treatment of warts is often effective and is generally tried initially before any surgical intervention. Conservative treatment can consist of paring down the outer callus layer and applying a medication to kill the virus. Sometimes a compounded prescription medication can be used daily by the patient to kill the virus.

Other interesting conservative treatments include oral cimetidine (a stomach medication), and therapeutic ultrasound. Cimetidine is thought to somehow stimulate immune system to fight off the wart virus. It is more effective in children that in adults. Another older treatment is the application of therapeutic ultrasound, which can kill off the virus.

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Humans have worn shoes for the last 30,000 years. Although shoe shapes and materials have changed, the basic function of the shoe in protecting the foot remains the same. The challenge of properly fitting the foot into the shoe also remains. Improper fit not only adversely affects the shoes function, but it can also lead to foot pain and foot disorders.

A recent study involving over 1600 medical journal articles on shoe fitting and injury found significant associations between improper shoe fit and foot pain and disorders and impaired quality-of-life. Of the improperly fitted shoes, 98% were too short, 72% were incorrectly fitted for length and width, and 47% of footwear was smaller than the total area of the foot.

There is very little standardization of shoe sizing today. A given foot might wear several different shoes sizes and widths, depending on the shoe brand. Therefore, knowing one’s shoe size is a good place to start when shopping for shoes, but trying on several pairs until proper fit is obtained is essential. The best approach is to purchase shoes from a store where a training associated can measure the feet and assistin selection. Purchasing shoes online can be difficult in obtaining proper fit.

The most important aspect of shoe fit is length. It is recommended that there should be 10-20 mm length between the shoe at the tip of the longest toe, measured when standing. This is approximately the width of the thumb. Regarding width, this should be adequate room on the first metatarsal (behind great toe), and the fifth metatarsal (behind the fifth toe). The back of the heel (the heel counter) should fit snugly and should not move up and down walking.

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Sean, at 12 years of age, was the star forward on his soccer team. The season started out well, but after the second game, Sean developed pain in both heels. He, his parents, his coach, and his pediatrician were all perplexed, especially since he had no history of injury.

Someone told Sean’s parents about our office, and they made an appointment. On examination, there was pain on the sides and soles of both heels. X-rays were taken and showed a growth plate disturbance called “calcaneal apophysitis” or “Sever’s disease”. Sean was treated with strappings of the feet and modified rest. On follow-up a week later, his pain was gone and he was able to return to play with some heel cups in his shoes.

Several conditions can cause heel pain in children, including stress fracture, bone infections, and tumors. All of these more serious conditions are fortunately uncommon. The most common cause of heel pain in children is Sever’s disease. This benign condition , first described by American surgeon Dr. James Sever in 1912, is a temporary disturbance in the apophysis, or secondary growth center of the heel bone. It occurs in children of ages 8-15 years, especially athletic children. Treatment consists of temporary protection and immobilization of the foot with a strapping, or more rarely, a boot, for a week or two, followed by heel cups worn in the shoe for a few months.

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Soccer is by far the most popular sport in the world. According to FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, over 240 million worldwide play soccer. Billions more watch the game. In the USA, youth soccer is very popular, with over 2.3 million young people participating.

Soccer is known as “football” in most of the world. In fact, the term “soccer” was coined in 1895 and is derived from the formal name of the game, “association football”. Games similar to modern soccer have been played around the world since ancient times.

The injury rate in soccer is only 1/5th that of American football. About 60% of soccer injuries involve the lower extremity, of which 25% involve the foot or ankle. Common injuries include ankle sprains, foot fractures, Achilles tendinitis, Achilles tendon rupture, stress fractures, plantar fasciitis, and muscle strain.

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Thick, ugly toenails.

Everyone has seen them, nobody wants them! People often associate these unhealthy nails with fungal infection.
In truth, about 40-50% of thick, discolored toenails are due to fungal infection. The other 50-60% aredue to a variety of other conditions, including psoriasis, lichen planus, injury, and , most commonly, degenerative changes of the nail.

T is important to determine the exact cause of diseased toenails, as the treatment varies based on the cause. Your podiatrist can determine the diagnosis by taking a small clipping of the nail and sending it to a laboratory for analysis. When the results are available, treatment options can be discussed.

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