As with any peripheral nerve surgery, tarsal tunnel surgery is demanding and can sometimes be excessively difficult. Additionally, one may not have a full appreciation of the outcome until some point in the postoperative period — if at all — when the nerve has had adequate time for recovery and/or regeneration.

Sadly, there are many misnomers in podiatric medicine and surgery. For example, the nomenclature of “tarsal tunnel syndrome” implies that the site of chronic nerve entrapment is at the level of the tarsal tunnel,

The world of orthotic therapy and foot biomechanics was somewhat shaken in 2006 when a randomized study found that “customized and prefabricated orthoses used in the trial (had) similar effectiveness in the treatment of plantar fasciitis.”¹ Of course, there was a great deal more to this study than the one sentence but it sure stimulated discussion within podiatry and orthopedic surgery concerning the value of custom orthoses in comparison to prefabricated devices.

There are actually four relatively recent trials that compare prefabricated and custom orthoses relativ

Given that patients with diabetes can face extensive treatments due to the risk of complications, adherence to treatment regimens may be a problem due to a perceived decline in their quality of life.

A new study finds that although end-stage complications have the greatest effect on quality of life, comprehensive treatments affect quality of life to the degree that some patients were willing to forego years of healthy living to avoid treatments.

In the study, which was recently published in Diabetes Care, researchers interviewed 701 patients with diabetes a

Important questions arise when traumatic wounds occur in the lower extremity. Accordingly, our expert panelists address key considerations in the initial evaluation and when one should consider an amputation. They also explore the use of soft tissue coverage, skin substitutes and topical dressings with traumatic wounds.

Q: What protocol/triage steps do you utilize in the initial evaluation of a traumatic wound?
A: For a patient with extreme pain and a traumatic wound that requires immediate surgical debridement, Molly Judge, DPM, says pain management and a

In the United States, at least 10 percent of the population experiences heel pain secondary to plantar fasciitis. Reportedly, 600,000 outpatient visits to medical professionals a year are due to plantar fasciitis.¹ According to a 2003 study, plantar fasciitis frequently occurs in people who are on their feet most of the day, those who are obese and those who have limited ankle dorsiflexion.²

However, it is important to recognize that all heel pain symptoms do not stem from plantar fasciitis. There are many different etiologies for heel pain and making the