Blog Archive
Diabetics are all too familiar with the threat of amputation. Many people living with diabetes experience decreased sensation and restricted blood flow in their feet because of nerve disease and PAD or peripheral arterial disease. These two issues combine to cause ulcers and infections that may lead to amputations. According...
COVID‑19 alertCORONAVIRUS DISEASE (COVID‑19) - UNITED STATESIf you think you have been exposed to COVID‑19 and develop a fever and symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your healthcare provider for medical advice.Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Spring is here: the days grow longer; the air is...
Lately, it seems that shoe insoles are experiencing a newfound popularity. No matter where you look—television, shoe stores, pharmacies, and even grocery stores—there are products aimed at relieving foot pain. At Ankle & Foot Specialist of N.J., we often treat patients with foot pain let down by over-the-counter shoe. Allow...
With the holidays in the rear-view mirror, people are returning to their lives. But don’t let the humdrum of your daily life distract you from winter foot care. The chilling weather outside, the heat inside, those warm and snug winter shoes, and the long hours on your feet are just...
Thanksgiving is synonymous with food; Christmas with gifts. And the New Year? With resolutions to lose weight, of course. The month of January sees more people signing-up for gym membership than any other month. In fact, multiple surveys found exercising more as the most common New Year’s resolution. While committing...
“I come from a family where gravy is considered a beverage.” - Erma Bombeck, American Humorist. Let’s face it, the holiday season revolves around food. Turkeys and chickens roasted to golden perfection, mashed potatoes topped with aromatic gravy, creamy macaroni and cheese, zesty cranberry sauce, candies, yams, hams, and...
At some point, you’ve probably heard about custom orthotics. You might even know a few people who have worn them. But how much do you really know about them? Whenever we talk about custom orthotics or recommend them as a treatment option with our patients, we usually get a lot...
When the New York Giants’ running back Saquon Barkley went down with an injury, an MRI confirmed that he experienced an ankle sprain, which sidelined him for 4-8 weeks. Many of our patients who are Giants fans asked me why the star running back was out for so long. Is...
One of the small downsides of having a podiatry practice is sometimes discussing treatments people would prefer not to have, if possible. Surgeries tend to rank high on that list, but we have an outstanding reason to talk about rearfoot surgery in particular. We are proud to have Dr. Pragnesh...
The NFL is the most watched event on television. Even the preseason, exhibition games with no bearing on the record, attract more viewers than some of the most popular tv shows. Part of the intrigue are the injuries—like the foot injury to defensive end Myles Garrett I covered in a...
Whether you’re planning a day trip to sunbathe at Bayshore or have more exotic vacation plans closer to the Equator, you know how important it is to have the right items on you for the best experience. Swimsuit? Sunscreen? That novel you’ve been saving to read on a blanket upon...
The front of the foot could be considered the front lines of our exposure to the world. Whenever we take a step, the front of our foot and our toes will always be heading into new territory first! There are certainly some external hazards that we should watch out for...
If there is a potential problem with the structure of a living thing, providing early support will often be the easiest and most effective route to improvement. Take a tree, for example. If you see signs of it leaning as a sapling, you would not wait until it was fully...
Your child might not need to be given many excuses to run around. You might even have a developing sports star on your hands! But what happens if they start telling you their heels hurt—or you can tell they’re trying to hide the fact that they do? There are a...
Moving is healthy. Moving is important! And yet many of us seem to have days where we are chained to a desk or confined to a relatively small area. It can sometimes feel quite difficult to carve out the time to move a bit during a busy day, but it’s...
In our last blog, we discussed ways to help prevent an ingrown toenail from occurring. But what do you do when you already have one? In many cases, an ingrown toenail is mild enough to effectively manage with home treatment. However, there are times when it’s better to have the...
An ingrown toenail can feel a bit like a traffic ticket. They’re both painful, odds are good you’ll probably get at least one of each in your life, but there’s never going to be a convenient time for dealing with either. In both cases, the best way to handle either...
Custom orthotics are one of the most versatile treatment tools any podiatrist has in her toolkit. They aren’t necessary or appropriate for every situation, of course—no treatment is.But the list of symptoms and conditions that can be prevented, treated, or accommodated through this medical device—provided the underlying causes and factors...
Heel pain is the type of problem that makes you want to stay in.Perhaps it’s the dread of your feet hitting the floor when you get up in the morning. Maybe you start your day at work and just know your heels will be aching and throbbing by the time...
Treatment options available to us are always evolving, with research opening up new possibilities and more effective methods all the time. MicroVas therapy is one of the newcomers, as far as medical history is concerned. A multitude of conservative treatments still withstand the test of time for many foot and...
There are some things that stand the test of time: classic novels. Fine art. The TV show Survivor (for some reason). Other things, unfortunately, eventually wear out no matter how much we love them. Your favorite pair of shoes, with enough time and wear, will eventually become a pair of...
Whether you have an Edison Eagle gearing up for the fall sports season, a future track star in the making, or simply a kid who just can’t stay in one spot for long, you know how important being active is to them. That’s why, when heel pain in children strikes,...
Active kids are healthy kids! Whether your child is an Edison Eagle, is part of a summer league, or engages in their own sporting fun and goals, it’s great to support all the positive effects and lessons athletics can bring. With any physical activity, however, can come the risk of...
There’s nothing like watching your children play. Whether they’re tearing it up around Roosevelt Park or imagining their own little world in your backyard, it’s enough to want to join in sometimes. Here’s some easy advice: you should! Taking time to play as a family is a spectacular opportunity for...
Treatment Options for Tendonitis If you are suddenly experiencing pain in your foot or ankle, the culprit may be a case of tendonitis. Tendonitis occurs when the muscles in your foot or ankle, often the plantar fascia, are overused or stretched incorrectly during exercise. How Can I Tell If I...
What is plantar fasciitis? Ever stepped out of bed with severe pain in the heel? Or your heels hurt for a little while when you first stand up and start walking? This type of heel pain is one of the most common foot ailments in the world. It can flare...
What is a bunion? It is an enlargement of bone at the big toe joint and/or misalignment of the big toe joint causing the toe to change angles. As the deformity progresses, the big toe turns in towards the second toe and can either rest over or under the second...
Ankle sprains are common injuries that can lead to lifelong issues if not healed properly. Rehabilitation exercises are vital to the recovery process and are instrumental to prevent recurring and ongoing ankle problems. As soon as your doctor says it’s ok, you should start bearing some weight on your foot unless it...
Have you recently noticed a change in the appearance of your toes? Hammer toes can occur when one of your toes begins to bend unnaturally at the middle joint. This is caused by imbalance of muscles and tendons in your toes. This conditioned is often aggravated by wearing shoes that...
Walking is a great form of easy exercise, whether it’s a leisurely stroll around the park or a fast-paced walk around a track. There are some steps and precautions you should take in order to get the most out of walking, without causing injury or strain. Your feet are sensitive...
Ankle injuries are one of the most prevalent injuries in the United States, with over one million reported cases occurring each year. Most turn out to be sprains or fractures, injuries that present similar symptoms at first but require different treatment. A fracture occurs when one or more ankle bones...
Bunion pain is easily relieved, though more difficult to resolve. Bunions occur when the bones in your big toe misalign, causing the toe to change angles. The big toe turns in towards the second toe and can either rest over or under the smaller toe, putting excess pressure on the...
Myles Garrett plays American football for the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League. He recently suffered a foot injury during minicamp which forced him to the sidelines toward the end of the practice session. He was ultimately diagnosed with lateral ankle sprain (LAS) by Sports Injuries. Nature and Causes...
Diabetes is a metabolic diseases caused by high levels of sugar in the blood over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased hunger. Dangers for foot problems exist especially when dealing with wounds. Our feet are targeted by this disease. Diabetes can lead to...
It would be difficult to capture all the ways the Internet has changed life as we know it, including the effect it has had when it comes to do-it-yourself (DIY) projects. Once upon a time, you would have to rely on books or knowledge passed along to know how to,...
Your circulatory system—which includes your heart, blood vessels, and blood cells—is an extremely important component of your physical wellbeing. Most people know that blood is responsible for carrying oxygen and nutrients to all your body’s cells. But it’s also equally important for healing wounds, fighting off infectious diseases, carrying away...
Falling is one of the most expensive, life-altering, and even deadly health risks facing older Americans. As a matter of fact, about 1 in 3 seniors over 65 will fall this year, with rates steadily increasing with age. A bad fall can lead to a lengthy hospital stay, and result...
If you’ve made a New Year’s resolution to be healthy, we hope making an appointment with Ankle & Foot Specialist of NJ is on your list of things to do to achieve your goal! After all, the health of your feet directly impacts how well you can stick to a...
Blood flow connects every nook and cranny in your body. Blood goes everywhere, constantly—and since it carries the nutrients and oxygen your tissues need to function and survive, it can have a dramatic effect on your whole body, including your lower limbs. This is why conditions like peripheral arterial disease...
Pampering your feet with a little home pedicure care is not only a great way to relax, it helps keep them clean and healthy. Washing your feet, clipping your nails, moisturizing your skin, and so on all help you avoid dryness, potential nail problems, and general hygiene issues as well...
It would be difficult to capture all the ways the Internet has changed life as we know it, including the effect it has had when it comes to do-it-yourself (DIY) projects. Once upon a time, you would have to rely on books or knowledge passed along to know how to,...
Gone are the days when gas station attendants run out to fill up your tank, check your oil, and wash your car windows for you, but attending to your car in this way used to be a normal part of the “service” at a service station. You can do your...
When your kids are bored and you don’t want them to have any more screen time, try some detective games. “I Spy” is fun with little ones, who try to guess something you can see. For older kids, “Mafia and Detectives” or “Diffuse the Bomb” are great games for a...
We want to discuss that pain under your heel, the one that sends you into a tizzy when you first step out of bed in the morning. The thought of it makes you want to roll over and go back to sleep, but you have a job to go to,...
When you have a tummy ache, it is sometimes hard to pinpoint the cause: Are you hungry? Did you eat something that disagreed with you? Could a bug be working its way through your system? Diagnosing heel pain presents similar difficulties, because there is a wide variety of conditions that...
The South Plainfield Tigers and John P. Stevens High School Hawks have full spring sports seasons, fitting in baseball, softball, track, tennis, lacrosse, golf, and boys’ volleyball. We’re sure this keeps the athletic department on their toes, but it’s great that so many students can participate. Seasonal recreational programs mean...
Imagine having an open sore on the bottom of your foot an inch in diameter that doesn’t heal. You can’t walk for the pain, you worry about infection and gangrene setting in, and you face the very real possibility that the foot might need to be amputated. Would you be...
You know that little hole in your sweater where you snagged it on a nail in the garage? You shouldn’t ignore it, because the yarn is starting to unravel and soon it will be a big hole and the sweater will be ruined. Small problems in your feet can grow...
Do you ever think about all the sensations you pick up through your feet? Vibrations might indicate an oncoming truck or train. Your muscles automatically correct your balance when your feet feel uneven ground beneath them. A burning feeling warns you to protect tender skin from hot pavement, and feeling...
Fall sports are well under way at area high schools and colleges, and with them comes the litany of injuries that often accompany the season: concussions, sprains, stress fractures, toenail damage—wait, toenails? Yes, these often forgotten parts of your foot can be injured during sports, too, and many times it...
You’ve probably had those bad dreams where you sit down to take a test and realize you didn’t study for it, or walk into a room full of people and realize you forgot to put on your pants. You don’t want that kind of panic when you come to our...
We’ve already had a few heat waves roll through Middlesex County this summer—late July was blistering—and that can mean a lot of sweaty, stinky feet. Aside from the obvious (not wanting to blast your friends, neighbors and loved ones with a funky odor), sweaty feet can also be a problem...
Within the past decade, more women have been admitted into the hospital with symptoms leading to Morton’s neuroma. Many scientists believe this spike is due to an increase in high heel usage especially in women ages 40 – 69. In fact, within the past ten years there has been a 115% increase...