A common foot ailment called hammertoe affects about 3% of the US population or 7 million people. Hammertoe is a foot deformity that is caused by an imbalance of the ligaments, tendons and muscles in the toes. A person with a hammertoe will notice an abnormal bend in their 2nd, 3rd or 4th toes. Causes of...

We don’t often find ourselves chuckling at infections, heart disease, or other illnesses that can affect us. But gout? This excruciating condition has been at the center of jokes of cartoonists and comedians for centuries. The reason why gout is sometimes depicted as humorous lies in its causes. It is known to be a disease of...

Read Part 1 and Part 2 How Can I Treat Gout? The goals of the treatments are alleviation of pain, prevention of future gout attacks, and most importantly, prevention of the development of long-term complications like kidney damage and joint damage. Medications are an efficient way to treat an acute attack of gout. This includes: Non-steroidal...

You can read Part 1 of this blog here. What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Gout? Gout is characterized by sudden attacks of severe pain, along with swelling, redness, and tenderness in the joints, often at the base of the big toe. This is called podagra. It may occur suddenly and can be extremely painful...

Do you often wake up in the middle of the night with sudden attacks of severe pain in your joints? Having a hard time moving or walking? If the answer is yes, it’s probably gouty arthritis.Gouty arthritis, or quite simply gout, is one of the most painful types of arthritis. It remains a major health concern,...

   This a complaint we hear from patients on a regular basis.  This is characteristic of a condition called bursitis or metatarsalgia. The pain experienced with this condition is generally in the ball of the foot, the area toward the bottom of the foot underneath the toes. It can occur underneath any of the toes, but...

Many of my patients claim their shoes are comfortable, but in the same breath they tell me their feet hurt. If your feet hurt, your shoes can't possibly be doing the best job! The best way to check to see if your shoes are supportive enough is to put the shoe through these three tests. Check...

Many of my patients are disappointed when I scold them for wearing high heeled or unsupportive shoes. They come to the doctor asking for a solution to their foot pain, but are unhappy when I tell them their poor choice of shoes is a large part of the problem.    The bad news: just like...

Are you experiencing heel pain and keep hearing your podiatrist tell you about ESWT Treatment? So what is ESWT Treatment? Extracorporeal mean outside the body and this is exactly where the therapy is applied. Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy is a noninvasive treatment that uses sound waves to increase blood flow and metabolic activity, accelerating the...

We live where fire ants live, or what Kenny Loggins would refer to as the "Danger Zone". Fire Ant Frustrations We live in the South, so it's happened to us all. We are out at a barbeque, picnic, gardening, etc. and all of a sudden, ouch! Fire ants! You didn't even notice you've been standing on...