Proper Foot Care Helps You and Your Loved Ones Return to the Activities You Enjoy the Most - - Archived

My feet hurt. What should I look for in proper shoe wear?

It’s important with any foot condition to have proper shoe wear that’s supportive and cushioned. The good news is that most brands have moved away from minimalist shoe wear to those that offer significantly more support and cushion where you need it most. I always say to test whether or not you can bend your shoe in half. If you can take the tip of the shoe and bring it back toward the tongue of the shoe, it’s too flexible and not supportive enough. Brands like Hoka and New Balance have come out with cushioned yet supportive shoes.

How can I tell the difference between a sprained ankle and a fracture?

It can be tough because many times, when you sprain your ankle, you’re pulling off a small piece of bone where the ligament attaches to the bone. But we don’t treat that as a break; we treat it as a sprain. Both a sprain and a break also have quite a bit of pain and swelling that can look like a deformity. If you can’t walk on it, and there’s an obvious deformity, you likely have a break rather than a sprain. The only way to know for sure is to get an X-ray, and we can help you with that by visiting DallasOrtho.com.

What stretches help with plantar fasciitis?

A flexible calf muscle will prevent Achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, and even metatarsalgia because it allows for a full range of motion for the foot and ankle. If the calf is too tight, your ankle is almost tethered and can’t come all the way up. Once patients get a nice stretch, they’re surprised by how much relief they get. For patients with sprained ankles, I recommend proprioception exercises and core and glute strength training.

Do I need bunion surgery?

All surgery hurts, and that includes bunion surgery. That said, technology has advanced so that we can correct bunions in a more minimally invasive way. I’d say the pain and swelling my patients experience afterward isn’t nearly as severe as it used to be. In some cases, a patient is told their bunion looks bad, but they never notice because it doesn’t hurt. If it’s not painful and doesn’t limit your daily activities, we can go a more conservative route with better shoe wear.

What’s the difference between ankle arthritis and ankle sprains?

An X-ray will always show what’s going on, but if the patient says their ankle feels stiff when they wake up and loosens up over the course of the day, you likely have arthritis. The same is true when it’s painful again at the end of the day in the ankle joint or if they have a history of a break, autoimmune diseases, etc. Typically, ankle arthritis gets better with anti-inflammatory medications and with treatments like steroid injections, bracing, etc. However, a patient may need an ankle replacement.