Feet During Pregnancy: How to Keep Them Healthy


Essential tips to take care of your feet during pregnancy and avoid foot pain, as well as discomfort in your knees, hips and lower back.

When you’re pregnant your body goes through many changes including weight gain and water retention. These problems affect your feet during pregnancy and can potentially lead to foot disorders that I treat in my practice and write about on MyBadFeet.com.

A common problem many expectant mothers face is alteration in the center of gravity due to weight gain. This puts extra stress on the knees and feet during pregnancy, and can also cause difficulty with sitting, standing, walking and lifting.

Other problems that can affect your feet during pregnancy include edema or swelling. Expectant mothers usually experience this in the latter part of their pregnancies. Enlargement of the uterus slows down blood circulation in the blood vessels of the pelvis and legs, which causes extra blood in the blood vessels to accumulate and result in edema. Swollen feet also experience a change in their natural color.

Overpronation is another side effect you may experience when with your feet during pregnancy. The stress from the extra body weight on your feet causes the arches to flatten out. This causes you to overpronate as you walk and your feet roll inwards as you walk.

Overpronation can leads to inflammation of the plantar fascia, which is a band of fibrous tissues connecting the heel to the forefoot. If overpronation isn’t treated, it can lead to severe foot conditions like plantar fasciitis and metatarsalgia (pain and inflammation in the ball of your foot).        

 

Most problems with your feet during pregnancy lead to symptoms such as pain at the arch, heel or the ball of the foot. When you’re pregnant you’ll likely be coping with many other side effects such as lower back pain and nausea. Foot pain and discomfort shouldn’t be one of them; here’s how to prevent and treat them.

How to Relieve Problems with Your Feet During Pregnancy
• Lie down and raise your legs about six to 12 inches above your heart. Keep them at the elevated position for 15 to 20 minutes. This makes it easier for blood to flow back to your heart and lungs and prevents it from accumulating in your legs. 

• Sleeping on your side releases pressure on the vena cava, the largest vein that leads to the heart.. This helps the blood flow from your lower body to your upper body and alleviate problems with your feet during pregnancy.

• Drink plenty of water and other healthy beverages. It may seem contradictory, but staying well-hydrated alleviates and prevents swelling.

• Practice rotation exercises to improve blood circulation in the ankles. Sit on a raised platform and lift one leg off the floor. Rotate your ankle 10 times first to the right and then to the left. Repeat with your other leg.

• Massage your ankles with ice cubes for a period of 15 to 20 minutes. It helps reduce pain and swelling of the affected foot.   

I also recommend wearing properly fitting footwear to protect your feet during pregnancy from a variety of problems, including swollen arches. Over-the-counter orthotics are also helpful. Also, eat a lot of nutritional foods that will nourish your body, as well as your feet so you can avoid foot problems until your baby is born.

***These are only recommendations and suggestions, no medical advice given or implied.  Always follow the advice of your physician.


Dr. Maasi J. Smith / MyBadFeet.com Staff

www.mybadfeet.com  

                                              Dancers’ Feet – Essential Foot Care Tips

The best foot care tips for dancers’ feet, including ballet dancers. Find out how to relieve pain, strengthen feet to avoid problems and more.

Suffering from dancers’ feet? Dancing is an incredibly enjoyable exercise that offers many health benefits – physical, mental and emotional. It helps to keep your body in shape by reducing fat and toning your muscles, and also increases creativity. But, to get all these health benefits without pain or discomfort, you should take care of your feet.

Feet bear the stress of all those dance moves you love so much. This can lead to fatigue, foot pain and disorders such as hammertoe, bunions and other common problems with dancers’ feet. Here are just a few foot care tips I recommend to my patients and visitors to MyBadFeet.com, http://www.mybadfeet.com, who are passionate about dancing.

• Wear Proper Footwear
The type of footwear you use is extremely important to the health of dancers’ feet. Of course, footwear for dancers varies depending on the type of dancing. But whether you’re a ballet dancer, a hip-hop dancer or tap dancer, your shoes should fit you properly.

Tight shoes can disfigure your toes, cause foot disorders such as Morton’s neuroma, and exacerbate foot pain. Shoes that are too loose can cause problems such as blisters and force your feet to work too hard. By the way, improperly fitting shoes can also mess up your dance steps. To find the best-fitting footwear, you should have your feet measured while you’re standing, preferably by a podiatrist.

• Eat Well and Stay Fit
Dancers’ feet often suffer from poor circulation and a lack of oxygen, making them more prone to foot cramps and pain. To cope, there is no alternative to eating a balanced diet every day. You should also include foods that boost circulation such as nuts, garlic, cayenne, celery, and watermelon.

• Do Foot Exercises
Strengthening exercises provide a few benefits. They strengthen the muscles of your feet to help you withstand the stress and force all that dancing. Plus, when the muscles of your feet are stronger, they’re less likely to go out of shape an adapt to poor-fitting shoes. Foot exercises also increase your feet’s flexibility, making you less prone to injury. .     
 
Foot Problems Caused By Dancing
When you know about the different types of problems dancers’ feet are prone to, you can take precautions to prevent them from happening to you. They include: 

• Sesamoiditis – caused by dancing on hard surfaces, this is a medical condition of the sesamoids, which are very small bones in the tendons connected to the big toe. Inflammation of these tendons curb motion of the joint and you feel pain under the ball of your foot.

• Hallux limitus or hallux rigidus - stiffness of the big toe caused by the stress that dancing places on the big toe joint. “Limitus” means that motion in your feet will be limited; “rigidus” means there’s no motion. Inflammatory pain is the most common symptom of this foot disorder.

• Bunions (or hallux abducto valgus) - constant force from dancing is responsible for bunions on dancers’ feet. A bunion is a bony extension on the outer edge of the big toe joint, that begins when your big toe starts to lean towards your second toe. Wearing tight-fitting footwear can increase bunion pain.                            

• Neuromas - impingement of nerve fibers between the toes and metatarsals (five long bones in the foot) causes neuromas dancers feet. This condition causes a burning sensation from the ball of the foot to the toes. Cramping and numbness are also common symptoms of neuromas. 

• Plantar fasciitis – caused by overuse of the feet, this is a disorder of the plantar fascia, which is a band of fibrous tissue running from the heel to the base of the toes. Dancers’ feet often suffer from plantar fasciitis, which causes pain and swelling underneath the heel.

Treatment options
There are numerous home-based and medicinal options to treat dancers’ feet. Massaging the feet with oil or ice, and rest are effective treatments for some foot disorders. Anti-inflammatory medications may also help. However, if you have a severe foot problems, you may require surgery. Consult with your podiatrist as soon as possible if foot problems persist.




www.MyBadFeet.com
Dr. Maasi J. Smith / MyBadFeet.com staff writers

 Dr. Smith has a K-Laser – Smartest choice of Laser Toenail Fungus Treatment

Toenail fungus is a common and stubborn fungal infection that affects the toenails by making them hard, thick and yellowish. You can find almost 25 million Americans affected with this problem desperately seeking for permanent and effective remedies. But the real problem is that there is hardly any foolproof cure for this problem since common oral medications like Lamisil eradicate merely about 10% of the fungal infection. You may come across a range of other topical medications approved by the FDA that claim to treat toenail fungus, but most of the time the problem persists even after the course of treatment is complete.

However, with the introduction of lasers a new horizon is rapidly opening for tackling this problem successfully. The lasers help you get rid of toenail fungus permanently and prevent it from recurring by killing the fungi without harming the nail and the cuticle. If you undergo laser treatment for toenail fungus, you will observe that the skin expert is using the laser rays by shining it through the toenail.

This process takes only a few minutes per toe to vaporize the fungus without affecting the healthy tissues around the affected area. And because the laser rays work only on the infection, you would not feel any pain, side effects, complications or adverse reactions after the treatment. Generally, the cost of laser therapy ranges from $200 to $500 not covered by your health insurance and requires an initial fee of around $50. You may require another laser treatment if your infection is initially resistant or non responsive to the treatment.

laser treatment by unknown clinic (4 months post treatment)

laser treatment by unknown clinic (4 months post treatment)

With the rising awareness about the efficiency of laser treatment for treating toenail fungus, several companies have come forward to offer laser therapies.  Laser treatments bring about only 80% cure. 

How exactly do the lasers work?

These lasers are aimed at the fungus in the toenail that basically vaporizes it while leaving your skin unharmed. Results vary but usually take up to 2 months to see improvement.  Second treatment may be needed.

Does it work?

Around first clinic studies earlier last year with lasers, almost 80 percent of the patients were able to grow out a regular appearing nail after just one laser treatment. After that treatment, the toenail should grow usually in 6 months if there's a healthy bed to do so.  
 

Is the laser treatment agonizing?  Is it Safe?

The laser has absolutely no affect on regular and healthy skin tissue, there's no pain. The studies taken so far show absolutely no side effects from taking the laser treatment to get rid of the fungus.

How long will it take?

Only minutes are needed for treatment, per toe.

So... how safe is it?

There are absolutely no health or age restrictions. In recent clinical studies there were no bad reactions, harm, ailments or side effects.   

**There are no gaurantees implied in this blog.  Laser treatment is good and safe but not perfect.

Dr. Maasi J. Smith DPM
www.MyBadFeet.com                                   Make an appointment today! Click here

                         When Should You Visit a Podiatrist – 8 Signs of Foot Problems

It is a common tendency to ignore common foot problems like a slight pain or swelling in your ankles that may get well with a little rest. Instead of seeing a podiatrist, you may prefer applying a few home remedies in the affected area like hot and cold compression, ice packs, taking anti-inflammatory pills, a little massage or just changing your footwear.   www.MyBadFeet.com

Its true that often such domestic cures work wonders…but there could be times when the problem keeps recurring and refuses to go away despite all your efforts. Do not be a grudge! Take the stubbornness of your foot problem as an obvious hint that its high time to give podiatric appointment serious thought.

When do you need a podiatrist –

Here are some of the most sensitive cases of foot problems that require immediate expert care:

01. When one foot appears flatter than the other: If you notice that the arch of one of your feet is flatter than the other, something must be wrong about it. Often a ruptured tendon can render the flatter foot dysfunctional and even painful. If you leave the problem unattended, you run the risk of being afflicted with arthritis in the joints since damaged tendons can throw bones into misalignment.

02. When one foot undergoes pain and inflammation:  Swelling in foot is called edema. As opposed to lymphedema (pain and swelling in both feet), when edema occurs in one of your feet, it can mean trouble. You might be suffering from tendonitis, tendon rupture, broken bone or a foot infection. It is best to consult your podiatrist immediately to start the necessary treatment. 

03. When a wound or sore refuses to be healed: Normally, any cut or bruise should heal with little time. But a deep or open sore can turn out into a dangerous problem especially if you are a diabetic. Hence, its better to visit a podiatrist immediately after the wound occurs. Expert medical attention can reduce the chances of  bone infection called Osteomyelitis (very dangerous).

04. When activity or movement worsens pre-existing pain: Sometimes, you might be complaining of a lasting foot pain that aggravates with activity. This might be a sign it may be a stress fracture.  A stress fracture requires immediate podiatric treatment to prevent it from shattering into a much bigger problem. 

05. When severe pain lasts through a day: If you are suffering an excruciating pain in your foot that you can’t relieve yourself, call your podiatrist immediately. The causes for such pain could be anything from deep vein thrombosis, compartment syndrome, trauma or an infection. If you have just undergone a foot surgery, the problem could be from tight dressings. Therefore, its better to stop speculating and let your doctor take a look.   www.mybadfeet.com   
    
06. When your feet pain at raised leg positions: Some foot pains are typical to elevated foot posture as you stretch your legs while lying on bed. This could be because of an undetected peripheral artery disease that restricts blood flow to the feet. Under this serious condition, you might require the attention of a podiatrist as well as a vascular surgeon.

07. When there are discoloration and color variations between your feet: If you find a noticeable anomaly in the skin color of your two feet, this could signify various problems. If your foot appears bluish or purplish, it might be a vein problem. Redness could be a sign for gout or infection while paleness could mean inadequate blood circulation. Whichever color, visit a podiatrist right away.

08. When you experience numbness, tingling or burning sensation in feet: These are all potent signs of neuropathy that reduces sensation in your feet (diabetics). Under this condition, you are more prone to unnoticed foot ulcers. You should be very particular about regular foot check-ups if you have diabetes.



www.MyBadFeet.com       DR MAASI J. SMITH / mybadfeet staff

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Fashionistas turn to Botox injections to protect feet from ultra-high heels... as the first 8inch stilettos are launched




By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:22 PM on 19th October 2008


 
Victoria Beckham is famous for them, Gweneth Paltrow has a penchant for them and the Sex and the City girls are never seen without a pair.

Sales of vertiginous shoes are soaring but the craze comes at the painful price of sore and aching feet.
But now it seems fashionistas are being given a reprieve in the rise of a new 'foot filler' injection which can keep them in their towering shoes for longer.

The procedure which is popular in the US is uses Botox jabs to plump up the ball of the foot.

If the shoe fits: Victoria Beckham and Gywneth Paltrow are known for their love of ultra-high heels
Doctors are using the procedure to cure a condition known as 'stilettotarsal' - caused by years of wearing high heels.

The injury causes pain in the soft tissue on the ball of the foot, or metatarsal region, forcing the sufferer to wear flat footwear.

Medics at the Birkdale Clinic in Crosby, Merseyside, have seen a 20per cent increase in the number of women in their 40s asking for the £295 jab.

And it seems the procedure has come just in the nick of time with the high street planning to launch the first pair of eight inch heels next year.

Marie Jenkins, patient coordinator at the clinic, said with heels getting higher the procedure could become as common as breast enlargements or facelifts in years to come.
'More and more women are coming into the clinic to ask for foot fillers because their feet are starting to hurt,' she said.
'This isn't the type of pain induced by a pair of new shoes but pain after years of teetering on high heels. The balls of the feet take a lot of pounding in high heels but some women refuse to give up them up.
'They are an integral part of a woman's outfit and so women put up with the pain. But now they see they can do something about it by opting to have the extra padding.
'The procedure won't make their feet look any better but it will certainly protect the nerves and the soft tissue and make walking in their heels much easier. For many women this procedure is a godsend.'
And the operation may be set to become even more popular with Christian Louboutin preparing to launch the first pair of eight inch heels.

The shoes which are expected to go on sale next year will be nearly a full inch higher than the sky-high designs currently gracing the feet of celebrities.

'There's no doubt heels have never been as high as they are now,' Louboutin told the Sunday Times.
'You can find 20cm (7.9in) heels in the fetish trade but this will be the first time they make fashion mainstream.'
He continued: 'No one's forced to but these shoes or to wear them. We all have different pain thresholds - for some it's 3cm [1.2in] heels.
'Often the threshold of pain becomes a threshold of pleasure.'

 By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:22 PM on 19th October 2008

                                   Things You Should Know About Toenail Diseases

Toenails mark the beauty of your feet. A healthy foot is evaluated by the growth of healthy clear toenails.

Understanding the growth of toenails .            

The toenails grow from the matrix, which lies hidden beneath the cuticle. The matrix is a growth of specialized cells. As the new cells grow in it, the old cells are pushed out morphing into hardened and visible part of the toenail, known as the nail plate. The nails are mainly composed of keratin, which is a kind of hardened protein found also in skin and hair. To be more elaborative, a toenail consists of many parts like the nail bed, the cuticle, the nail folds, the lunula and the matrix.

The growth rate of toenail is measured by 0.1 mm with every day count. Compared to the fingernails, the toenails tend to grow more sluggishly. Men typically have faster toenail growth than women.

             

Medical problems associated with toenails.

Sometimes, you feel defeated when you find weird problems with your toenails, despite your sincere efforts to keep them healthy. But remember that taking good care of your toenails is not always enough. Some of the toenail disorders are noticeable, while the others are obscure and painful in the long run. Most of the disorders are associated with a systemic diseases that you may have.

Brittle toenails are commonly observed in iron deficiencies, thyroid problems, circulation problems, impaired kidney function and biotin deficiency are some of the factors responsible for fragile nails. If you are suffering from frayed or split toenails, then the problem can be linked to a deficiency in protein, folic acid, vitamin C and most prominently psoriasis (psoriatic nails).

Many often complain about their nails getting thinner. Lichen Planus is a common skin disease that causes itching problems surrounding the toenail area and causes the nails to become thinner. Some hate their curved nails, which have a tendency to bulge downwards (ingrowing toenails). This is can be caused by lung, liver, heart disease or oxygen deprivation. On the other hand, there are certain kinds of nails that grow upwards and the reason can be a B12 or iron deficiency.



www.MyBadFeet.com

Some nails have white lines running across them, this can sometimes indicate liver disease or heart disease or even high fever. Yellow toenails often plague many beautiful toes this may indicate lymphatic problems, liver disorders, chronic bronchitis and diabetes.

The market is infested with many products like nail polish and nail polish removers, which can cause damage to your nails. So be careful and check the label for harmful ingredients (acetone for example can over dry your cuticles) .

But at the end of it all, you could just have toe nail fungus (onychomycosis). A dermatophyte infects the nail and grows in the moisture rich environment (shoes).  This can lead to a thickening of the toenail as well a color changes.  Treated orally, Lamisil, Sporanox Pulse Pack, topically with Penlac, keralac nail gel or Naturally .

 remember you can always ASK DR. SMITH

 "Foot Care From The Doctor Who Cares."

Dr. Maasi J Smith / MyBadFeet Staff

                                                   Common Foot Problems with Seniors Part II

                                                        Feet problems and remedies for active seniors

Fitness-freaks try to keep themselves fit even at an older age. They get involved in different activities such as jogging, playing tennis, walking and other activities to stay healthy and active. These activities are possible only with healthy and pain-free feet. However with aging, the foot loses its mobility leading to foot problems that restricts the activities seniors usually perform.

The foot has a complicated structure with 33 joints, 26 bones and more than 100 tendons, muscles and ligaments. With age, the feet increase in size and start flattening. The fat pads on the bottom of the feet get degraded, causing the feet to lose their mobility in the process. Being overweight will add to the problems, affecting the ligaments, muscles and general structure.  This leads the way to those scary foot issues, Bunions, Hammertoes, Corns, are among a few.    www.MyBadFeet.com

Foot problems in people are mainly due to poor fitting shoes, and genetics.  In addition to structural conditions, there are more than 300-foot diseases. The most viable way to avoid majority of foot problems is by wearing comfortably fitting, clean shoes and socks.

Arthritis is a very common foot problem found among older individuals.  Multiple joints can be affected simply due to the years of wear and tear. Those suffering from arthritis often have sore and swollen feet. Such people should wear especially designed shoes with high and wide space at toes and rocker soles reducing pain and stress at the ball of the foot.

How to buy the right shoes and avoid foot problems

Here are some tips that will help you find the right shoe:

• The size of your feet can change as you become older. Have you measured your feet before buying shoes? Best time is to measure your feet would be at the end of the day when your feet have expanded.

• Usually in most cases, one foot is larger than the other foot. Select the shoe that fits your larger foot comfortably.                                                                              www.MyBadFeet.com

• Choose the shoe that has a shape similar to your foot.

• The ball of the foot must fit into the widest part of the shoe.

• Avoid those shoes that seem tight or are required to be stretched while wearing.  www.MyBadFeet.com

• While fitting the shoe, check whether it has a gap of at least 3/8 inches to ½ inches for your longest toe at the end of each shoe.
 
• Have a walk wearing the shoes to ensure that the heel fits well and has minimal slipping. The shoe must not move up and down when you are walking.

• Spend some time wearing the shoe and walk on different surfaces to make sure that it fits you well.
 
• Most importantly, the upper part of the foot should have a flexible, soft material shaped like your feet. Try to get shoes made of real leather as they will cause less skin irritation.

• Soles of the shoe must be solid and not slippery. Choose thick soles, as they will cushion your feet when moving over harder turfs.

• It is always better to avoid wearing high-heeled shoes for long periods of time, 8 or more hours. Lower-heeled shoes are safer to wear and less damaging to the feet.

Dr. Maasi J. Smith & Staff Writers
www.MyBadFeet.com
"Foot Care From The Dr. Who Cares"                              

                                                MyBadFeet.com Now More Visitor-Friendly With Blogs
                                                      Help Spread The Word

MyBadFeet.com continues to grow and evolve with the addition of its new foot health blog (blog.mybadfeet.info) that offers a forum for discussion on topics suggested by readers. Providing an excellent opportunity for interaction with the readers.   The blogs on Dr. Maasi J. Smith’s MyBadFeet.com discusses latest information related to ankle, foot, general health and surgical concerns. This comes as a part of an effort to find the answers that will help our website site-visitors.  

http://blog.mybadfeet.info/  use this link to view blogs with videos.  The Videos will not show up in your email version. 

It is an endeavor to support the patients, providing valuable information  by the doctors at MyBadFeetcom. The suggestions made by the readers of MyBadFeet are researched then related information is blogged on to the website asap. Physicians also get to learn about the concerns of the patient through the suggestions made by them. The team of MyBadFeet address the foot concerns of everyone.  MyBadFeet establishes an exceptional interface for the readers via blogs. 
    
The recent entries on the blog pages highlight details and descriptions of  foot ailments and other related information, Diabetes, Bunions, Hammertoes, Orthotics etc.. The monthly archives on the blog page incorporate a wealth of information and links. Further, the topics on the archives have been categorized into segments such as the diabetes, sports foot health, pediatric foot health, foot care products etc. 

Readers are free to add comments at any time. 

Through the blog pages, MyBadFeet.com assures its visitors a forum for their foot suggestions and foot ideas. 

Remember to goto www.MyBadFeet.com click on the Blog link to see the full version of the blog that may include videos not seen in the email.  Or http://blog.mybadfeet.info/

Dr. Maasi J. Smith   ....Ask Dr. Smith a question, click here

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