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It’s time for New Year’s resolutions, and at Superior Foot & Ankle Care Center, we know that many of our Douglas Park/Los Angeles County area patients will be thinking about starting new exercise regimens. One of the best and easiest fitness activities you can do is walking.
Before you begin any new fitness program, you should consult your physician. It’s also a good idea to make an appointment at our Long Beach office (call: 562-420-9800) for a podiatric checkup. Our podiatrists, Dr. Victoria M. Foley and Dr. Constance Ornelas will want to do a complete foot and ankle examination. If you have any chronic podiatric conditions such as bunions or plantar fasciitis, the foot doctor will want to evaluate how that condition has progressed and alert you to specific shoe features that will make walking safer and more comfortable. Once you’ve got the green light from your doctors, take the next steps:
If getting in shape is one of your New Year’s resolutions, we at Superior Foot & Ankle Center would like to encourage you to consider walking. Walking is a very effective exercise, particularly if you have been inactive in the recent past. Consider these benefits:
Of course walking can cause problems as well. Blisters, corns and calluses, plantar fasciitis, shin splints, and Achilles tendonitis are all potential conditions that can occur as a result of walking. You can help prevent these problems from developing, however, by following a few simple tips:
A little soreness or stiffness when you start a new fitness routine is normal but if you find you are experiencing ongoing pain or any swelling or other unusual symptoms contact our Long Beach office by calling: 562-420-9800.
Have you been experiencing a sharp pain in your foot, but you can’t figure out why? Chances are that you have developed a condition called bone spurs.
A bone spur is a small bony growth or a collection of growths which form on joints like the spine, shoulders, hands, hips, knees, and the feet. While we will be focusing on the feet, much of the information below will apply to bone spur treatment in general:
A bone spur occurs when the body attempts to repair itself by building extra bone on areas affected by long periods of pressure, rubbing, or stress.
Bone spurs rarely cause pain on their own. If they grow on the feet, however, calluses may form to cushion the affected area. As the wear and tear on the joints continue, the spurs may compress the surrounding ligaments, tendons, or nerves. This results in injury to the surrounding tissue, in addition to swelling, pain, and tearing.
There are several factors which may contribute to a bone spur. The aging process is partly to blame: cartilage, which covers the ends of bones in a joint, slowly wears away due to a process called osteoarthritis. The damage to the joints will lead to pain and swelling, and will often result in a bone spur. Osteoarthritis is a common cause of bone spurs in joints of the feet and spine.
Tight ligaments will also make you more vulnerable to bone spurs. Many factors can cause this tightness, including strenuous activities which affect the feet like dancing, running, long periods of walking, basketball, and tennis. Other factors include:
Bone spurs rarely require treatment, unless they cause frequent pain or damage to surrounding tissues. Unless these symptoms are present, it is difficult to detect a bone spur without an X-ray (though it is rare to use an X-ray for this condition, since it rarely causes symptoms). Since heel spurs and plantar fasciitis are closely related, many of the same treatment methods for plantar fasciitis will be used for bone spurs as well. Consider these tips to find relief:
Bone spurs are difficult to detect, and the volume of potential variables related to foot pain can make it difficult to determine the cause. If you’re suffering from foot pain, schedule your consultation with expert podiatrist Dr. Vikki today. Dr. Vikki has a reputed record of patient satisfaction, and is the trusted podiatrist of Special Olympic athletes.
For this and all related foot care concerns, the caring professionals at Superior Foot & Ankle Care Center are happy to help with your podiatric needs.
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