Foot Health Friday

Staff

October 31, 2013

For years now we have been hearing about the minimalist or barefoot running fad which is now almost over as it failed to deliver the promised benefits and the science did not support all the claims being made for it. During this fad the super cushioned Hoka One One running shoes were releases to a lot of ridicule by those who were promoting a more minimalist approach to running shoes. The Hoka One One shoes have got the last laugh as sales of minimalist running shoes continue to decline and the sales of the Hoka One One continue to increase. Runners have voted with their feet! A number of pundits are calling 2014, the year of the maximalist running shoe as a number of companies are starting to produce these shoes.

The pain of hallux rigidus

Staff

October 25, 2013

Hallux rigidus is the technical name for a stiff (rigidus) big toe (hallux) joint. It occurs when the joint does not move and is usually painful. The most common cause of the condition is osteoarthritis; in fact, some people use the term hallux rigidus to mean osteoarthritis, but it is not technically correct. Trauma or overuse are the most common causes of the osteoarthritis that causes the condition. Not only is the osteoarthritis painful, but the limited range of motion in the joint causes changes elsewhere in the gait that can be painful in other places.

The treatment of hallux rigidus can be challenging as it can not be fixed. You can not make osteoarthritis go away. The approach varies from person to person, but often the joint has to be splinted to help with the pain. Medication can also help. A rocker under the sole of the shoe can help with the gait problems that get created by this. Physical therapy can also often help. If done of that helps, then surgery can be carries out to totally fuse the gait or replace the joint surfaces with a spacer.

The Haglunds deformity or ‘Pump Bump’

Staff

October 17, 2013

The back of the heel bone, just where the achilles tendon inserts into it can be bigger in some people than in others. In those in which it is bigger, this is known as a ‘pump bump‘ as the enlargement is just where the pump style shoes can rub on it. The other name that this is given is Haglunds deformity. The problem with the enlargement of bone is pressure from the shoes pushing on it and it becomes painful. Often a bursa forms and this becomes even larger. It can become red and inflamed.

The best way to treat this is to not wear shoes that press on the enlarged bone or to wear a heel raise inside the shoe to move the enlarged bone and bursa away from the rim of the shoe that is pushing on the lump. Wearing open heel shoes is often helpful. Padding can sometimes be used in the shoe to keep the pressure off. If all this fails, then surgery to remove the enlarged bone can be an option.

Take Growing Pains in Kids Seriously

Staff

October 10, 2013

Growing pains in children are a benign self limiting problem, but a couple of potentially serious health problems can have similar symptoms to growing pains, so they do need to be taken seriously. The classic description of growing pains is pain behind the knee that most occurs at night, usually early in the evening. The pain is usually in the upper calf muscle and wakes the child from sleep. They can be quite distressed by this. The treatment is just reassurance, gentle massage and stretching. Anti-inflammatory drugs are reserved for the most serious cases.

If the pain occurs at times other than early evening and the pain is in the bone or joints, then a further investigation is needed, as pain at this time and places is not the typical growing pains. Juvenile arthritis and a bone tumor are two are possibilities that need investigating.

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