Houston Podiatry News

Tanglewood Foot Specialists provides summaries of news stories, research and other relevant information that may be of interest to patients experiencing foot pain or foot injuries. If you have a foot or ankle problem or need diabetic foot care, call Tanglewood Foot Specialists at (713) 785-7881.

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Running and Triathlon Injuries

Vibram Five Fingers Sued By Runner Claiming Deceptive Advertising Claims
Apr 06, 2012
A Florida runner has filed a class action lawsuit agains Vibram Five Fingers based on deceptive claims made on the health benefits of running in their shoes. This is the second fad shoe style that has been sued, the other being Sketchers Shape-Ups. The Five Fingers are the most popular minimalist shoes that claim to simulate barefoot running.
Vibram claims that running in their shoes help to build the strength and range of motion in the foot and ankle. They also say that it stimulates nerve function and improves posture. The lawsuit claims that these claims have not been proven and even put the runner at increased risk of injury.
To Vibram's credit, they do acknowledge on their website that running in the Five Fingers does require a significant gait change and does offer tutorials on how to properly run in them. Even so, I see many Houston patients in my podiatry practice who don't educate themselves on running properly in minimalist shoes and end up with stress fractures and other related injuries.
If you are experiencing pain with running in conventional, minimalist, or no shoes, contact our Houston office to schedule an immediate evaluation to get you back to running as soon as possible.
Is Running While Pregnant Safe? Houston Podiatrist Discusses
Nov 08, 2011
Houston may be one of the most improbable running cities. The one thing we have going is the flat terrain. Other than that, our air quality is poor, our allergens are high, and not to mention our heat and humidity. These all play a factor as to how safe running is while a woman is pregnant.

Amber Miller was 39 weeks pregnant when she participated in and completed the Chicago Marathon. Shortly thereafter she had her baby. This raises the issue about what are safe parameters to run for fitness and certainly to compete at an advanced level. It is recommended for pregnant women to participate in exercise for 30 minutes a day.

Your best bet is to consider your current fitness level. If you were not one who exercised ever, pregnancy isn't the time to start. If, however, you were fit coming in, exercise should be safe for you and your baby. It is best, of course, to seek the advice of your obstetrician for a definitive answer.

This article was featured on www.active.com and explores this topic in depth.

Sports Injuries

Texans QB Matt Schaub Snubs Houston Foot Specialists For Opinion On His Injury
Nov 22, 2011
Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub is scheduled to get another opinion on his foot injury on Wednesday. He is travelling to see a foot specialist in Charlotte, NC. This opinion has been delayed, since the doctor has been out of town. Schaub could have received superior care here in Houston, however.

Houston boasts some of the best foot and ankle surgeons in the country. Aside from disregarding the Texans' own team doctors, he is also overlooking world renowned podiatrists who could have already put him on the road to recovery. Instead, Schaub is still hobbling around untreated in a fracture boot. The Lisfranc injury he is dealing with needs definitive therapy, probably surgery, and delaying the treatment will not do him any favors.

I am proud to be part of a community that has offers some of the best in foot and ankle surgery. Dr. Sam Mendicino, Dr. David Blumfield, Dr. Asia Lo, and Dr. Vito Speciale all come to mind as the right choice to care for an injury such as Schaub's.
Can High Heels Be Linked To The Economy?
Nov 21, 2011
Does the height of high heels relate to the health of the economy? Researchers at IBM says that it does. Research has shown that heel heights tend to go up in a poor economy (interestingly, the same study shows skirt lengths shortening too). The reasoning is that women turn to high heels as a means of escape.

The economy may be turning around, however. Those who are monitoring social media are predicting a coming decrease in heel heights. This may not indicate a full economic recovery, however. Experts feel that it also can be a sign that people are beginning to reach a comfortable point with the economic downturn.

Bunions

Don't Let High Heels Cause Foot Pain To Ruin Your Holidays
Dec 09, 2011
The holiday season is upon us and out come the celebratory high heeled shoes to all of the holiday parties. Consistently wearing high heels can lead to problems, however.

As the heel is raised by shoes, pressure is moved forward onto the midfoot and the ball of the foot. This excess pressure can lead to pain in the joints of the midfoot and forefoot, which can lead to arthritis, and can make certain foot deformities, such as bunions and hammertoes, worse. The pressure in the forefoot can also cause an inflammation of the nerves, known as a Morton's neuroma.

Constantly raising the heel can also lead to strain and shortening of the calf muscles and achilles tendon. This can lead to painful conditions such as plantar fasciitis and achilles tendonitis. These conditions will not only cause pain when you wear high heels, but all shoes be painful.

One way to combat issues caused by high heels is to stretch out the muscles in the calf. Rolling a Thera-Band foot roller, especially when frozen, will stretch out the muscles under the foot and the cold will reduce the inflammation.

Preventing foot pain should be top of your holiday list. If you find it difficult and painful to stand at your holiday parties, contact Houston podiatrist Dr. Andrew Schneider to see how it can be solved quickly and easily.
British Healthcare System Targets Bunion Surgery As "Low Priority"
Nov 29, 2011
It is true that bunion surgery is elective surgery, however it does not mean that it is unnecessary surgery. This is what the British National Health Service would have us believe. They have recently ruled that bunion surgery will not be covered until the patient is in extreme and debilitating pain.

Not every case of bunions, or hallux valgus, are the same. In our Houston podiatry practice, we see patients with severe bunion deformities that offer no pain. We also see patients with minimal deformity in severe pain. Since pain is subjective, and the NHS system will look for objective signs of bunion progression, those that are in pain and require bunion surgery may not be eligible if the deformity is not deemed severe enough.

By no means does every bunion require surgery. In fact, we counsel patients every day, discouraging them from pursuing surgery for a bunion that is not symptomatic. That said, the decision for surgery should be a clinical one, not based on arbitrary criteria set forth by the government health system. Such choices are sacrificing the patient's health and well being for a cost savings.

Bunion surgery is not a cosmetic procedure. A bunion deformity causes pain that limits the shoes that one can fit into and the exercise that one can do. Left untreated, the patient suffering with a painful bunion is more at risk for other joints to start hurting, progressive arthritis, and instability which leads to falls. Hopefully the NHS in the UK will reevaluate their decision and reverse it in the future.

Achilles Tendon Pain

Are Your Shoes Killing You? The High Heel Dilemma.
Nov 09, 2011
Are High Heel shoes getting out of hand? The average heel height on women's shoes have gone up from 3 inches to 5 inches over the past few years. Along with that, women's visits to the doctor with foot, toe, and ankle complaints have risen 75%. In our Houston podiatry office, we regularly see women coming through with pain directly related to wearing high heeled shoes.

High heels can directly cause or influence a variety of foot complications. They can influence foot deformities such as bunions and hammertoes. They can cause heel pain, plantar fasciitis, stress fractures, and pain in the ball of the foot caused by a Morton's neuroma. Studies have also shown a thickening and shortening of the Achilles tendon related to extended use of high heels. High heels also alter the posture and how the body is aligned. This puts excess pressure on the knees and can cause them to break down and become arthritic.

Is the answer to never wear high heels? Absolutely not! But to wear them in moderation is key to allow years of enjoyment in the future. If you find it difficult to wear high heels because of foot pain, call our Houston podiatry office for an immediate consultation.

Diabetic Foot Care

Cost for Prosthetic Feet Rise as Diabetic Foot Amputations Decline
Feb 15, 2012
Improved education and foot care in diabetics has led to a significant decrease in lower extremity amputations. In fact, a 66% decrease in amputations has been seen from 1996-2008. This, of course, has led to a decrease in the utilization of foot prostheses. The amount that is spent on these prostheses, however, seems to be rising significantly.
The issue at hand is the improvement in technology that goes into the prosthetic feet. Many of them function with a computer interface that allows users to be more active while using them. The question stands, however, does everyone need a high-tech foot?

Of course, not everyone is the same. Some patients are more sedentary and don't require an overly technical prosthesis. It is unclear, however, if prostheses are being prescribed based on the patient's needs and activity, or if the prostheses are being overutilized.
The best way to avoid this issue is to continue to have regular diabetic foot examinations. The houston diabetic foot specialists at the Foot & Ankle Institute of Texas will help to ensure that you keep your feet, despite diabetes. Our experts on diabetic foot ulcers will use the most advanced methods to heal your wound to prevent further complications. Contact our Houston office to schedule an appointment.
Early Detection Of PAD Responsible For Drop In Amputations
Nov 30, 2011
A study done in Malta is reverberating throughout the world. Over seven years, the number of lower extremity amputations performed has been reduced by 33%. What was responsible for this was an effort to screen diabetics for risk factors, especially Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD).

Early detection of PAD allows for restoration of the blood supply, often with a minimally invasive procedure such as an angioplasty. This allows ulcerations to heal and lowers the risk of amputation significantly. Amputations of the lower extremity strain the healthcare system, since they usually command a 30 day hospital visit at a minimum. 10-20% of those amputated don't survive 30 days and only 5% returned to full function.

The goal of a podiatrist in Houston is to assess diabetic patients for PAD. In our practice, we use PADnet technology, which is a non-invasive test for PAD. This allows us to identify PAD early and seek intervention to minimize complications in the future. If you have diabetes and have not been screened for PAD, contact us for an appointment.
Regular Checkups Key To Saving Diabetic Feet
Nov 22, 2011
How can we prevent the 60,000 lower extremity amputations performed on diabetics each year? The answer may be a simple one. Studies have shown that routine foot examinations can drastically reduce that number.

Diabetes can cause diabetic peripheral neuropathy, which is a numbing of the nerves in the feet. The numbness limits the amount of feeling that the diabetic has. This can cause them to miss issues that would ordinarily be painful. The most common of these is a diabetic foot ulcer.

There are several effective treatments for a diabetic foot ulcer, however many people delay treatment because they do not know that an ulcer is present. A regular diabetic foot evaluation helps to prevent this from happening by inspecting the feet and educating the diabetic patient on the proper care of their feet.

Diabetic foot ulcers are slow to heal, even with proper treatment, and the best way to treat them is to avoid them from occuring altogether. Having regular foot examinations and protecting the feet with therapeutic diabetic shoes are the best ways to keep your feet healthy for years to come.