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Indy Podiatry is Running Into Fall

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It’s a busy start to fall at Indy Podiatry, where the office has participated in numerous running events around Indianapolis. Indy Podiatry participated in the Indy Women’s Half Marathon and 5k Fitness Expo on September 28th, where runners and walkers could pick up free massage balls and enter for a chance to win a pair of shoes from Athletic Annex. Doctors Higgins and Chhiba were also available to chat about any foot or ankle problems bothering participants. Haley Meadows, Director of Patient and Community Relations and Marketing, also ran the 5k on September 29th, where she joined over 300 women to race the streets of downtown.

The starting line of the Indy Women’s Half Marathon and 5k at 7 AM.

 

The office participated in the Uncorked Wine 5k Run/Walk on October 6th, where Indy Podiatry staff tasted different wines along the course to the finish line. A portion of proceeds benefited local charities. It was a beautiful day for walking, laughing and drinking wine downtown!

Posing for a photo after finishing the 3.1 mile walk through downtown Indianapolis

 

Lastly, Dr. Helms and his friend from New Mexico ran in the Indy Half Marathon at Fort Ben on October 6th. The race took place in historic Fort Harrison State Park, a gorgeous fall tour through the park and surrounding neighborhoods.

 

Foot and ankle care products available at Indy Podiatry

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In addition to personalized foot and ankle care from our doctors, we also offer a variety of products to help you in your foot health journey. If you have any questions or would like to purchase one of our many products, please call us today at 317-573-4250, or ask about our options on your next visit.

Massage ball – using a massage ball can help relieve plantar fasciitis pain in addition to the recommended treatment by your podiatrist.

Excel gel– This gel aids in the healing after ingrown toenail surgery. It also helps heal a majority of other foot wounds.

Lotions – Moisturizing your feet is an important foot care step that many forget to do. Keeping your feet moisturized prevents cracks which can lead to germs and infection. Diabetic neuropathy also causes extremely dry feet, so it’s important to keep them moist and soft.

Moisturizing gel heel socks – We also offer moisturizing gel lined socks to eliminate dry, cracked heels while you sleep. Simply wear the gel heel socks three times a week while you sleep.

Coban– These compression wraps are used for a variety of wound care dressings and stays together longer than dressings bought at pharmacy stores.

Toe separators – These are used to keep the toes from rubbing together and creating blisters or calluses. We offer a couple of different toe separator options in our office.

Shoe spray – If you suffer from nail fungus, we recommend using a shoe spray to eliminate microorganisms that can cause infections and odors. The spray we carry is easy to use, and creates lasting bactericidal, sporicidal and fungicidal protection for 4-6 months.

Foot bath – For those that have difficulty bending in the shower to wash feet, we offer a foot bath that suctions to the bottom of your shower for ease in foot washing. The bath acts as a sandal that put your foot in for thousands of bristles to clean. It even has a pumice stone in the heel area to remove rough skin.

Insoles – We offer a variety of insoles including medical grade therapeutic arch supports and memory foam comfort insoles to relieve discomfort and pain.

 

April is National Foot Health Awareness Month

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The 52 bones in your feet make up one quarter of all of the bones in your body—so it’s no wonder that the health of your feet is of utmost importance. So important in fact, that April is National Foot Health Awareness Month. Almost everything you do involves your feet, so keeping them active, healthy and pain free is our number one concern.

Some general foot and ankle health care tips include:

  1. Make sure you are wearing the proper shoes for your feet. We recommend purchasing shoes for running or walking at a running specialty store. These are highly specialized shoes and you need the help of a specialist to choose the correct shoes for you.
  2. If you are diabetic, your foot health is extremely important. If you have diabetes, please follow our diabetic foot care tips. You should be seeing your podiatrist annually if you have diabetes.
  3. Gradually increase your activity levels to avoid overuse injuries such as plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis, and make sure you are wearing supportive shoes. If you are experiencing plantar fasciitis pain, the good news is that 95% of the time the pain can be resolved without the need for surgery.
  4. Remember to apply sunscreen to your feet, getting in between your toes and on your ankles to reduce the risk of skin cancer.
  5. Try to keep your high heel height below 2 inches, and make sure you have enough room in your shoes without rubbing or squeezing your toes. Use custom orthotics for support.
  6. If you are experiencing nail color changes or thickening of any nail, you may have nail fungus. Toenail trauma, heredity and diabetes may lead to nail fungus. We have various options to help treat fungus and even eliminate it completely.

You can do your part in celebrating National Foot Health Awareness Month by assessing your feet for any changes or pain. It is our goal to help everyone find the best path to solving their foot and ankle problems. If you are experiencing any problems with your feet or ankles, please give us a call today.

Tips for spring foot and ankle care

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As the weather warms up, it’s the perfect opportunity to take workout regimens outside. However, after the cold winter months, our feet and ankles are more susceptible to injury. That’s why it’s important to make sure you are incorporating a variety of different things into your workout regimen. Repetitive movements can cause plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis and shin splints. In order to avoid these painful ailments, it’s important to warm your body up before running or walking. Some things to remember are:

  • Gradually increase the intensity/duration of your workouts
  • Cool down after your exercise by stretching
  • Wear the correct supportive shoes (contact us to find out more about our current selection of suitable footwear and insoles)
  • Make sure you lace your shoes properly when running (watch this video on proper protocol)

In addition, our website offers various running and injury prevention videos, as well as some fast treatment options for pain relief. If you begin to experience pain after outdoor exercise, please contact one of our experienced, knowledgeable doctors today to help get you back on your feet and keep you on track for a healthy, active lifestyle.

When to treat a Bunion?

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Bunions when to treat

When to treat a Bunion.

Bunions: About

A bunion, known as hallux valgus, is when the first metatarsal bone angles outward while the big toe moves towards the second toe. This is a condition that will slowly worsen over time. Bunions can occur for multiple reasons, but most commonly, they are genetic. Other people have a foot type that leads to bunion deformities. Some people may only have a bunion on one foot.

Bunions: Treatment

Bunions are very common, and can cause a great deal of pain if left untreated. There are lots of ways to treat a bunion. Some conservative (non-surgical) options are available when the deformity is in the early stages. Custom orthotic devices can be very helpful to correctly position the foot, and minimize extra pressure being put on the big toe joint (where the bunion is). Wearing shoes with a wider toe-box, and not wearing high heels, can also make your feet feel better. Conservative treatment is designed to help you be more comfortable, and slow the progression of the deformity.

The only way to correct the bunion deformity is through surgery. Surgery involves cutting the first metatarsal bone and moving it to a corrected position, to help realign the first metatarsal-phalangeal joint. There are many (over 100!) different surgical techniques that can be used to fix a bunion. Depending on your foot mechanics, we can determine what procedure is best for you.

Bunions: When to treat

Bunions can cause a lot of discomfort for some people, and cause no pain to other people. Everyone has a different foot structure and foot biomechanics. How your bunion looks does not always correspond to when it needs to be treated.   So when do you treat a bunion? Drs. Helms, Bowers and Higgins believe you should correct your bunion:

  • If you are limiting your activity levels due to pain from the bunion.
  • If you can no longer find comfortable shoes.
  • If you have arthritic changes in the joint. These changes can be seen on x-ray Also, if you have arthritis you will have pain when you move your big toe up and down and even pain without wearing shoes.

How the joint looks on x-ray, and functions on physical exam, can tell us a great deal about your foot. At the big toe joint (where the bunion deformity is), the two bone ends forming this joint are covered with cartilage. When the joint is not aligned properly (as with a bunion), there can be destruction of this cartilage from the bone ends hitting or rubbing. If you have a bunion with arthritic changes and wait too long to be seen, there can be a significant amount of cartilage loss. This will limit options for relieving your pain and can lead to needing an implant or fusion.

Our goal at Indy Podiatry is to treat your bunions and other foot and ankle problems so you can maintain or achieve an active, healthy lifestyle.