Commonly Treated Populations
Athletes: Increasing numbers of youth and adults are
participating in athletics and exercise. We are able to provide advice for
training, athletic shoe gear, orthotics or shoe inserts, and prevention of
injury. Treatment of acute and chronic injuries can also be provided. Commonly
encountered athletic injuries include ankle sprains, fractures of the foot
and/or ankle, “shin splints”, dislocations, muscle or tendon tears, compartment
syndromes, contusions and lacerations.
Women: In a society that emphasizes aesthetically pleasing woman’s shoe
gear, it is no wonder that women have four times as many foot problems as men.
High heels and pointed toed shoes are often functionally devastating shoe gear
and may propagate ambulation abnormalities and the development of foot
deformities, including painful bunions and hammer toes.
Children: Many congenital and developmental foot and leg disorders or
abnormalities can be caught at an early age through screenings, early diagnosis
and treatment.
Laborers/Work Force: (e.g. farmers, construction workers, public
servants, etc.) Common occupational and traumatic foot injuries can be treated,
limiting absenteeism and saving millions of dollars yearly on disability claims
and on time missed from work.
Diabetics: Diabetes is a significant systemic disease that has multiple
manifestations in the lower extremities. These manifestations include impairment
of blood flow to the feet, decreased sensation, and impaired immune system.
The impaired blood flow is often manifest as decreased pulses
and may even present as pain with exercise or rest pain. The decreased sensation
is often manifest as painful neuropathy (described as burning, tingling,
shooting pain, or aching) or as numbness and loss of feeling in the feet. This loss
of feeling increases the risk of injury to the foot or leg.
Elderly: It is a well-known fact that the overall health and well being
of the geriatric patient, both mentally and physically, is related to their
ability to perform their daily activities. Podiatric medicine can help maintain
the ambulatory status.
