Sports Medicine
The art of doing a musculoskeletal exam on an athlete is really about utilizing simple tests in order to provide insights into the highly complex nature of human movement. There are many perspectives and philosophies on how to best examine the lower extremity.
As podiatrists, we often look at things from the ground up and combine static exams like joint range of motion (ROM)... Read More.
One of the most rewarding aspects of my 34-year career in podiatric medicine has been my involvement in Special Olympics. Besides the joy of working and interacting with these amazing athletes, we are able to provide a valuable service via foot screening exams (Fit Feet) that have been instrumental in the prevention of lower extremity problems, and helpful in improving comfort and performance.... Read More.
Musculoskeletal injuries are one of the most common, if not the most common, condition we see in podiatric sports medicine practices. While the injuries can be acute or chronic, there are multiple treatment modalities podiatrists can use to resolve the condition and return the athlete to sport. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most common prescribed medications and are a... Read More.
Stress fractures represent 4 to 16 percent of running injuries.1 Fractures occur in 8 percent of the males and 13 percent of the females.1 The cause of stress fractures is repetitive and sub-maximal loading of the bone. The bone eventually fatigues and a stress fracture occurs. Prolonged stress can lead to a complete fracture. A regular fracture differs from a stress fracture in that no acute... Read More.
For every foot, there is an athletic shoe that fits correctly. After specializing in sports medicine for over 20 years, I know this is true.
The barefoot running phenomenon has cycled around three times in the past 30 years: once in the 1960s, again in the 1980s and reappearing in the late 2000s. I have worked many races and have treated thousands of recreational and elite... Read More.
If there was a surgical technique that could abbreviate the time it took to achieve clinical and radiographic healing of first metatarsal base osteotomies by three weeks, podiatric physicians would be obligated to investigate. Further, if this new technique afforded superior outcomes in comparison to the existing surgical standard, word would spread quickly to foot surgeons everywhere. Imagine... Read More.
There are several causes of heel pain in the young athletic population with the most common being calcaneal apophysitis (also referred to as Sever’s disease). Sever first reported calcaneal apophysitis in 1912 as an inflammation of the apophysis, causing discomfort to the heel, mild swelling and difficulty walking in growing children.1
The condition usually manifests between... Read More.
First metatarsophalangeal joint (MPJ) injuries can be both diagnostic and treatment challenges. From an anatomy standpoint, the number of structures that can be injured are numerous. Figuring out what structure(s) (see “A Brief Overview Of First MPJ Structures” at right) are injured can be difficult to assess via physical exam and X-rays, especially in cases in which there is no apparent fracture... Read More.
Ankle sprains are one of, if not the most, common injuries in sports. The incidence of injuries appears to be increasing with the higher number of people participating in athletics through all phases of their lives. It is estimated that 30,000 ankle sprains happen each day.1 Lateral ankle sprains are by far the most common with only 5 to 6 percent of ankle sprains occurring medially.2,3 Medial... Read More.
Exercise-induced leg pain can be related to a number of etiologies, some more elusive than others. Differential diagnoses in the workup of exercise-induced leg pain should include musculotendinous injury, exertional compartment syndrome, popliteal artery entrapment syndrome, medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS) and stress fracture.
Other less common causes of exercise-induced... Read More.
Podiatrists routinely fit patients for diabetic shoes but what about shoes for feet with less severe pathology? What about the patient who is a runner and has a bunion? What do you do when an orthotic causes squeaking in your patient’s shoes and using powder to stop the squeak does not work?
As podiatrists, we can teach our patients easy and fast shoe modifications that can mean... Read More.
Foot and ankle injuries that happen during golf activities can occur from traumatic events but are more likely to occur from overuse type injuries. Having practiced in a golf resort and retirement community for over 20 years, I have seen many different overuse injuries that could be directly related to the mechanics of the golf swing.
In personal discussions I have had with Ken... Read More.
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