Footcare during Hot Weather

Did you know your feet contain 250,000 sweat glands?  A fact you probably don't want to learn with the temperatures rising into the hundreds.  However, if your feet are always sweating like it's 100+ degrees outside, you may be suffering from hyperhydrosis. 

According to the APMA, excessive sweating of the feet is called hyperhydrosis.  The condition is more common in men than woman and is often paired with excessively sweaty palms.  The causes of hyperhydrosis are somewhat unknown but it is though to be heredity. 

Good foot hygeine is especially important for those with hyperhydrosis and in this very hot weather.  Here are some tips for keeping your feet clean.

• Wash feet daily with an anti-bacterial soap, being sure to wash and dry between the toes. Try Dr. Smith's Deodorizing footwash, available through our online product store. The wash is made specifically for feet and can help reduce odor sometimes associated with excessive sweating.
• Dry feet thouroughly and apply cornstarch or baby powder to soak up excess moisture.
• Invest in socks that wick away moisture instead of trapping moisture in the sock.
• Change your socks during the day.  Keep an extra pair at school or work and switch your socks mid-way through your day.

If your feet are sweating excessively, make an appointment with our doctor.  A podiatrist can help control this inconvenient condition.  Call our office at 419-423-1888 or visit our website, vailfoot.com, to request an appointment. 

Foot Care For Seniors

It's normal for people to experience some foot problems as they age. But experts say that problems with feet can be the first sign of more serious medical conditions, particularly among older adults. Health problems, such as arthritis, diabetes, nerve issues, and circulatory disorders, may first be manifested in the feet. That is why it is important to pay attention to your feet and seek medical attention as soon as you notice a problem.

Here are some foot care tips for older adults:

• Practice good foot care. Check your feet regularly or have a member of your family check them for you.

• Keep blood circulating to your feet as much as possible. Do this by putting your feet up when you are sitting or lying down, stretching if you've had to sit for a long while, walking, having a gentle foot massage, or taking a warm foot bath.  Try Infracare socks these socks are embedded with Bio-materials that work on proven scientific principles to deliver infra-sound waves that warm up your feet.  If you are suffering from cold feet due to a medical condition succh as poor circulation, diabetes, Raynaud's deseas, use Infracare socks for 2 weeks and you will notice that your feet feel warmer when wearing them.
• Wear comfortable shoes that fit well to prevent pressures that can lead to friction and infection and keep your foot structure properly aligned.
• Avoid exposing your feet to cold temperatures.
• Don't sit for long periods of time (especially with your legs crossed).
• Don't smoke because it decreases blood supply and increases the chance of swelling and other circulatory problems.

Athlete's Foot

Athlete's foot is a fungal infection of the skin. It is also known as ringworm of the foot or tinea pedis.  Athlete's foot causes scaling, flaking, itching, and redness in the skin.  Other symptoms of athlete's foot include, blisters, cracked skin, and bacterial infection.  If left untreated, the condition can spread to other parts of the body. It is contagious and can be spread through public pools, showers, locker roms, and sometimes can be spread through sharing towels and footwear. 

To prevent contracting athlete's foot, hygiene is key.  Never go barefoot in a public place.  Always wear your shower or pool shoes in public areas.  Do not share towels, shoes, or socks with other people. There are several ways to treat athlete's foot.  The doctor may prescribe an oral anti-fungal medication or a topical anti-fungal medication. Tea tree, like the product below, may also be used as a natural treatment for the infection.

If you suspect you have athlete's foot, call our office or visit our website to request an appointment.

What Is Gout?



Picture from epharmapedia.com

 According to Mayoclinic.com, Gout is a form of arthritis charachterized by sudden severe attacks of pain, redness, and tenderness in joints.  This pain often occurs in the joint at the base of the big toe.  The pain of gout may wake you up in the middle of the night and give the sensation that your toe is on fire.  The joint may be hot, swollen, and extremely tender to the touch.

If you suffer from regular arthritis pain, visit our product store for pain relief products like biofreeze.  Its cold application reduces the sensation of pain and inflammation, while the cold and re-warming stimulates the healing of tissue.

Gout is caused by high levels of uric acid in your blood.  The high levels or uric acid create urate crystals that accumalate and your joint and cause pain and inflammation. 

Some people are at a higher risk for gout depending on age, sex, family history, and life style.  Men between the ages of forty and fifty are the most likely to develop gout.  Women's risk of gout increases after menopause.  A family history of gout also increases your chances of gout along with drinking excessive amounts of alcohol.

People who suffer from gout may develop more serious problems including recurring gout, advanced gout, and kidney stones.  Gout may only affect a person once but it can also come back several times a year.  Recurring gout can be prevented with medication.  If gout is left untreated, a person may develop advanced gout.  Advanced gout is characterized by deposits of urate crystals, called tophi, developing under the skin.  Tophi can become swollen and painful during gout attacks.  Gout can also cause kidney stones.  Kidney stones are caused from urate crystals collecting in the urinary tract.  Kidney stones may also be treated with medication. 

Joint fluid and blood tests may be used to diagnose gout. Once gout is diagnosed, it is usually treated with a medication.  Along with medication, a change in diet may also help.  This may include taking in more fluid, avoiding alchohol, a moderate amount of protein, and limiting the amount of meat, fish, and poultry.

If you suspect you have gout call our office at 419-423-1888 and schedule an appoinitment. You can also visit our website to learn more about our office and your feet. 

foot drop

Foot drop sometimes called drop foot, is a general term for difficulty lifting the front part of the foot. If you have foot drop, you may drag the front of your foot on the ground when you walk. Foot drop isn't a disease. Rather, foot drop is a sign of an underlying neurological , muscular or anatomical problem.

Sometimes foot drop is temporary, in other cases, foot drop is permanent. If you have foot drop, you may need to wear a brace on your a

nkle and foot to hold your foot in a normal position.

Symptoms may include: Difficulty lifting the front part of your foot, which is sometimes the only sign of foot drop. (2) dragging your foot on the floor as you walk. (3) Slapping your foot down onto the floor with each step you take. (4) Raising your thigh when you walk, as

if you were climbing stairs. (5) Pain, weakness or numbness in the foot.

Foot drop is caused by weakness or paralysis of the muscles below the knee involved in lifting the front part of the foot. The underlying causes of foot drop are varied. Often, neurological, muscular and anatomical problems overlap.

Treatment for foot drop depends on the underlying cause. If the underlying cause is successfully treated, foot drop may improve or even disappear. If the underlying cause cannot be treated, then it may be permanent.

Bracing or splints that fits into your shoe can help hold your foot in a normal position. Physical therapy including exercises that strengthen your leg muscles and help you maintain the range of motion in your knee and ankle may improve gait problems associated with drop foot. Surgery would involve infusing ankle or foot bones or that transfers tendons to stronger leg muscles may be helpful to improve walking difficulties.

www.vailfoot.com is our website that you can go to look at various braces that would help you if you have drop foot. This is an example of the Exoform ankle brace that helps to support your ankle. It is best to get professional advice as to what kind of brace would be best for you. Give Dr. T. F. Vail's office a call at 419-423-1888 to schedule an appointment if you are bothered by drop foot.

Plantar warts

Warts are small, usually painless growths on the skin caused by a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV). They are generally harmless. However, warts can be disfiguring and embarrassing, and occasionally they itch or hurt.

There are many types of warts, but we will discuss the

PLANTAR wart. They are found on the soles of the feet.

The typical wart is a raised round or oval growth on the skin with a rough surface. They tend to cause no discomfort unless they are in areas of repeated pressure. Large numbers of plantar warts on the foot may cause difficulty walking or running.

Some warts will disappear without treatment, although it can sometimes take a couple of years. Treated or not, warts that go away often reappear. All warts can spread from one part of your body to another.

Symptoms: Abnormally dark or light skin surrounding the lesion.

Rough growth or lesions on soles of feet-flat to slightly raised-painful to pressure

If the doctor is unsure if it is a wart or not a biopsy may be done to confirm that it isn't something else.

At Advanced Footcare Clinic we recommend using a paste that contains 60% salicytic acid. This is the highest amount of acid that you can obtain without a prescription.

So if you have been bothered by plantar warts and just cannot get rid of them call Dr. T. F. Vail, DPM at 419-423-1888 for an appointment.

Or on our webstore www.vailfoot.com there are products that contain the salicytic acid also. If the warts are in an area that causes discomfort when walking we have offloading pads that can help take the pressure off the area.

Nail Fungus

Nail fungus, or onychomycosis, is a condition that occurs when a microscopic fungus enters a toenail. It can also occur in fingernails but is more common in toenails.

Anyone can get nail fungus, but infections are more common in people over the age of 60 and people who have a weakened immune system.

Usually, nail fungus occurs when it enters the nail through a small trauma like a cut or break in the nail. Nail fungus is not caused by poor hygiene. It can spread from person to person. A warm, wet place like a locker room is a good place for fungus to grow.

Your nail will look thick and discolored. Uncommonly, you may feel pain in your toes.

Your doctor may be able to tell if you have fungus by looking carefully at your nails. He will do a scraping of some nail and tissue from under your nail and send it to a lab to determine for certain what kind of infection you have.

Treatment of nail fungus may include oral antifungal drug like Lamisil or a topical antifungal. Removal of the infected nail can be performed. At Advanced Footcare Clinic we offer to our patients a topical antifungal called Formula 3 which has been beneficial to our patients. It is not a prescription and is only sold in podiatry offices.

To prevent getting nail fungus infection you should avoid walking barefoot in public areas like locker rooms. Keep the inside of your shoes dry and change your socks frequently. If you have sweaty feet you should wear socks that wick away the moisture from your feet. At Advanced Footcare Clinic we offer to our patients socks that contain charcoal fibers that wick away the moisture from your feet. Wear proper fitting shoes that are long enough and the toe box is wide enough that isn't putting pressure on your toes. Use absorbent, antifungal powder.

On our website www.vailfoot.com we offer fungal soap which contains tea tree oil which is a natural antifungal in it that washes the fungus and bacteria off your skin when you use it in the shower.

Also we are offering to our patients a laser procedure that "zaps" away common fungus that causes the discolored nails. It is a Noveon laser and has been been very successful.

But people must understand that once they are successful in getting rid of the fungus that they still have to follow a good hygiene program, including antifungal spray for shoes, not going barefoot and keeping feet clean and dry.