Dr. Brandon Macy
Podiatrist - Clark, NJ
1114 Raritan Road
Clark, NJ 07066
Heel pain in a child may be linked to a growth spurt. In other words: Growing pains may be real!
A child with heel pain or difficulty walking may have Severs Disease/Calcaneal Apophysitis. In this condition, the heel bone grows faster than the surrounding tendons and muscles during a growth spurt, and they are overstretched.
In addition, there are biomechanical factors which can trigger the condition. In feet which hyperpronate or flatten out too much or in children with tight achilles tendons, there can be a torque applied to the growth plate. The added stresses of sports activities or extra weight often result in an injury to the growth plate area.
You may observe other symptoms of this condition including:
Sever's disease can be found at different ages by gender because of the different ages of girls' and boys' growth spurts. For example, boys usually experience growth spurts at ages 10 to 15, so that's when the risk of Sever's disease is greatest. Girls, whose growth spurts are earlier between ages 8 and 13, may have Sever's disease at those earlier ages.
Preventing Sever's Disease
It is possible to prevent this painful condition with some common sense steps that are good tips for children of any age:
Watch for the signs of Sever's disease if your child participates in sports like basketball, soccer, football or gymnastics. Cleats are particularly hard and rigid and can aggravate the problem.
The good news? The risk of Sever's disease evaporates when the child is fully grown. Then the muscles and tendons will have grown to match the growth of the heel bone.
We Can Treat Sever's Disease To Eliminate Heel Pain
If your child is experiencing heel pain, please come in to The New Jersey Children's Foot Heath Institute at Clark Podiatry Center for an evaluation. We will recommend resting the foot and taking a break from all sports. Our other treatments include:
We will counsel you and your child on the best way to return to sports and other activities gradually.
Don't Wait To Resolve Your Child's Heel Pain
Dr. Brandon Macy, board certified podiatrist has helped relieve the heel pain of many children and teens so they can return to normal activities. Please contact us for an appointment in our Clark office at 732-382-3470 or use the contact information at the website. Call us today to start your child down the path to recovery from Sever's disease.
Do you have an itchy rash on your feet or between your toes? Have you noticed patches of scaly, dry or blistered skin anywhere on your feet?
Athlete's foot is caused by a contagious fungus that thrives and spreads in warm, moist places like your socks and shoes. Because it is so contagious, you may have picked it up at a public place like a pool, locker room or shower. It's so easily spread that you may get it by wearing someone else's shoes!
And it also easily spreads on you. The fungus can broaden to include even the soles of your feet. If not treated effectively, the infection can be transmitted to your hands and other locations - jock itch is caused by the same fungus.
Athlete's foot may also be in disguise as it's not always itchy and it's not always between your toes. You may see excessive scaling or dry skin on your soles - this could be athlete's foot too.
Over-the-Counter Remedies Not Successful in Treating Athlete's Foot
Non-prescription anti-fungal products come in many forms such as powders, sprays or lotions. These may temporarily relieve the itchiness and dryness associated with athlete's foot, but chances are that the infection will return.
Have a professional evaluate your troublesome skin condition. At Clark Podiatry Center, we will give your feet a comprehensive examination. A prescription medication applied directly to the skin can further healing as it relieves your discomfort. For more stubborn cases, we'll prescribe oral medication along with the topical medicine to eliminate the fungus.
Prevent Athlete's Foot Before It Begins
Athlete's foot can be prevented by protecting your feet and taking good care of your feet and footwear:
Visit Us for Quick Relief from Athlete's Foot
You need professional help to get rid of a pesky athlete's foot fungal infection. Dr. Brandon Macy, board certified podiatrist can help relieve the irritation and bring about full healing. You can contact us for an appointment in our Clark office at 732-382-3470 or use the contact information at the website. Don't suffer with the itch of athlete's foot - call us today!
It's fun to walk barefoot and many of us do it at home and in public places. But walking without protection on your feet can make you susceptible to picking up contagious foot problems.
One of these is plantar warts. These growths are caused by a virus that thrives in public gyms, showers and pools. The warts appear on the sole of your foot. Because you place so much pressure on the heel or ball of the foot, the warts grow into the foot instead of outward. In appearance a plantar wart looks like a small growth with a rough surface and it can cause a sharp, burning pain when you stand on it.
Teenagers and children are often prone to plantar warts. Anyone with a weakened immune system may also be at risk.
How To Avoid Plantar Warts
You can reduce your risk of getting a plantar wart with these simple foot care steps:
We Can Successfully Treat Plantar Warts
Plantar warts can disappear on their own but it can take a lot of time, even a couple of years. Over-the-counter solutions can help temporarily but the wart often returns.
To permanently eliminate a painful wart, contact Clark Podiatry Center. After diagnosing your problem, we'll treat you for your individual condition including:
In some patients, we find that combining treatments is the best solution, such as first freezing the wart with liquid nitrogen and then periodically applying salicylic acid.
Get Help for Painful Plantar Warts
Don't waste time with over-the-counter treatments for plantar warts that bring only temporary relief. Dr. Brandon Macy, board certified podiatrist has successfully treated plantar warts in many patients, including children and teens. Call us for an appointment in our Clark office at 732-382-3470 or use the contact information at the website. You can find long-lasting relief for painful plantar warts!
Have you noticed that your child's toes point inward when he or she walks? This is a foot abnormality called in-toeing and is fairly common in young children.
Children can also be seen out-toeing which is just the opposite and where the toes point outward when walking. This condition is much less common than in-toeing.
Although different from each other, both of these abnormalities can be caused by the same conditions:
When parents observe their children walking either with in-toeing or out-toeing characteristics and bring their children to see us at Clark Podiatry Center, they are relieved to learn that most of these abnormalities resolve on their own as the child ages. Most tendencies to in-toe or out-toe are gone without any special treatment by age 8.
In-Toeing Runs in Families
There is no method to prevent in-toeing as genetics plays a large role. Here are the 3 most common types of in-toeing:
Out-Toeing Is Much Less Common
Although not as frequent as in-toeing, out-toeing can cause pain and disability if persisting into adulthood. In children, out-toeing often resolves itself. Some children with flat feet also show out-toeing but this type of abnormality rarely causes discomfort.
Contact Us with Any Concerns About Your Child's Foot Health
We are experts in diagnosing and treating pediatric foot problems. Dr. Brandon Macy, board certified podiatrist has the right experience to resolve any foot pain in your child. Please contact us at our Clark office at 732-382-3470 or use the contact information at the website to schedule an appointment. We look forward to meeting you and your child in our office soon.
If you have a stabbing pain on the bottom of your heel that hits you when you first get out of bed in the morning, you may have plantar fasciitis. The pain may gradually subside as you begin to move about, but can strike again after you've been sitting for a while.
The plantar fascia is a thick tissue running along the bottom of your foot that connects your toes to your heel bone. Small tears in the tissue from excessive stress can cause it to become irritated or inflamed. Overpronation, or when your foot rolls inward while walking, is a common cause of plantar fasciitis. It can also affect runners and those carrying excess weight, as well as anyone wearing shoes without enough support or individuals who stand for long periods on hard surfaces.
Get Help for Your Heel Pain
Without proper treatment plantar fasciitis can develop into chronic heel pain. You may also experience knee, back or hip problems if your gait changes as your body tries to deal with the pain.
Please contact us at Clark Podiatry Center if you have persistent heel pain. We will give your feet a careful examination and take x-rays to rule out other problems like a stress fracture.
With a diagnosis of plantar fasciitis, we begin with conservative treatments. These include:
Custom-fitted orthotics can relieve the stress on the plantar fascia as well as correct for an abnormal walking pattern.
New Technology To Heal Plantar Fasciitis
For persistent problems, we use Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy - also known as ESWT - to reduce inflammation and relieve heel pain. This pain-free technology uses shock waves that actually stimulate your body's healing response. Your body grows new tissue to replace the damaged area.
ESWT treatments are non-invasive and naturally numb the area to reduce pain.
For more information, read our blog on What is Shockwave Therapy?
Don't Suffer from Persistent Heel Pain
Dr. Brandon Macy, board certified podiatrist has extensive experience in resolving heel pain in his patients. Please call our Clark office at 732-382-3470 or use the contact information at the website to schedule an appointment. We can find a solution that works on your plantar fasciitis so come in to our office soon!
Questions or Comments?
We encourage you to contact us whenever you have an interest or concern about our services.
1114 Raritan Road
Clark, NJ 07066