DPM Blogs

Emphasizing The Importance Of Preparation For Emergency Situations

Lee C. Rogers DPM
4/30/13 | 1046 reads | 0 comments
By now, we have heard how brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev constructed the bombs at the Boston Marathon with a pressure cooker and metal projectiles, and placed the bombs in backpacks on the ground. Due to the low positioning of the bombs, their blasts caused many lower extremity injuries and three deaths, including one child whose vital organs were closer to the ground. In total, more than 175 injuries occurred. It is unknown how many suffered amputations but a Boston Medical Center statement revealed that out of 23 patients treated there, five underwent amputations. Read More.

When Rashes Do Not Seem To Respond To Treatment

Tracey Vlahovic DPM
4/29/13 | 1087 reads | 0 comments
All of us have experienced a patient whose red, scaly rash has not responded to our prescription topical therapy. Not only is this challenging to us as practitioners but also to the patient. Failure to respond to conventional therapy warrants a skin biopsy. Read More.

How Do We Make Money With What We Were Trained To Do?

Ron Raducanu DPM FACFAS
4/25/13 | 1550 reads | 3 comments
Let’s talk money, ladies and gentlemen. More specifically, how do you make money with what you were trained to do? I posed this question to a classroom full of students who participated in a Practice Management Club lunch meeting at the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine. We were talking about practice management considerations when dealing with the pediatric population. After we discussed this at length, I posed the question of what type of practice these students were looking to get into after residency. One of the students very astutely said, “a practice that makes money!” Read More.

A Guide To The Ins And Outs of Hallux Varus

Jeffrey Bowman DPM MS
4/24/13 | 981 reads | 0 comments
Most of us in the podiatric field know a lot about bunions. You mastered them as a first-year resident and have never looked back. They are the bread and butter of podiatry. What we often forget is the problematic complication that often follows bunion surgery — hallux varus. Hallux varus can be a complication of bunion surgery but can also be a congenital anomaly. Read More.

New Research Warns Of Negative Effects Of AFOs On Balance

Doug Richie Jr. DPM FACFAS
4/23/13 | 1160 reads | 10 comments
Researchers at the University of Illinois recently published a study that adds to the existing findings on the negative effects of ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) on balance and postural control. Researchers continue to validate that semi-rigid, non-articulated AFO devices will compromise balance, particularly when patients wear the devices bilaterally. Read More.

Can Minimalist Shoes Be Beneficial For Osteoarthritis-Related Knee Pain?

Nicholas A Campitelli DPM FACFAS
4/19/13 | 1972 reads | 21 comments
A new study accepted for publication in Arthritis & Rheumatism says patients walking barefoot or wearing minimalist shoes have reported a reduction in knee adduction as well as reduced pain.1 This article is greatly needed in the world of orthopedics where the majority of orthopedists are still prescribing foot orthotics to treat many of the lower extremity injuries that do not warrant surgery. Read More.

A Closer Look At The Recent Literature On Achilles Tendinosis

Allen Jacobs DPM FACFAS
4/16/13 | 1405 reads | 0 comments
Quinolone antibiotics have been implicated as associated with an increased risk of tendon pathology and rupture. Patients to whom we prescribe quinolone antibiotics should receive advice on this potential complication. Read More.

Treating The Symptoms And Consequences Of Poor Office Scheduling

Lynn Homisak PRT
4/12/13 | 1536 reads | 0 comments
Delayed schedule. Irritated patients. Late workdays. Costly overtime. Disgruntled staff. Stress. You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out that something is wrong. All these signs are the classic symptoms of poor scheduling but that is only one diagnosis. Sure, patients expect backups … occasionally. However, when waiting becomes a repeat performance with no effort to fix it, all that good customer service your practice offers to romance your patients goes out the door along with the patient. Read More.

What A Spanish Podiatrist Learned From Visiting With Podiatrists In The United States

Patrick DeHeer DPM FACFAS
4/11/13 | 3086 reads | 0 comments
Editor’s note: This entry’s guest author is Gabriel Aguirrezabal, a Spanish podiatrist. He is in private practice in Bilbao in Basque Country, Spain. I am Gabriel Aguirrezabal, a Spanish podiatrist. I am very thankful to Dr. DeHeer and his colleagues for welcoming me into Indianapolis for two weeks in March. During my journey, I wanted to develop new podiatric skills and discover how doctors practice podiatric medicine in the United States. I was able to rotate through a variety of podiatric settings such as surgery, clinical practice and even wound care. Read More.