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Dr. Brandon Macy
Podiatrist - Clark, NJ
1114 Raritan Road
Clark, NJ 07066

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Foot Notes

Posts for: November, 2016

By Clark Podiatry Center
November 22, 2016
Tags: turkey trot   stretch   hydrate   practice  

Thanksgiving is a time of family and reflecting on what we are thankful for. It’s also time for lots and lots of delicious food! Then, there’s the thought of feeling guilty for all the calories consumed. So how do you remedy this? Exercise! And what better way to do this than to sign up for a Turkey Trot? An annual event, it is a great morning activity for you and your family. And bonus, it will make for a less guilty meal later that day!

Our goal is to keep you walking – whether it be day to day, or during your Turkey Trot! The following are tips that we at Clark Podiatry Center want to share with our patients who may be preparing for a Turkey Trot or other Thanksgiving race.

  • Practice, practice, practice: Whether or not this is your first race, it is best to train for this event. Running and walking a 5K or longer distance race can be difficult for those who have no experience training for
  • this. It is tant to test your body to see if it is up for the challenge. Wherever you start, you can continue to work on your abilities to increase the distance you can complete.
  • Listen to your body: Move around and condition your body. During these activities, you can see if any part of your body has pain or discomfort. If you have issues, you can come see our podiatrist to make sure that you get treatment to get back on your feet before race day.
  • Hydrate and Nourish your body: Your body must have the right nutrients to help you get through the race. Eat right the night before as well as the morning of to keep you from getting faint or famished during the race.
  • Train in race day sneakers and clothing: Sneakers should be comfortable and supportive. Clothing should not make you hot and should not chafe your skin while you run. Train in whatever you plan on using on race day so that you know how they feel.  
  • Stretch: Stretch before the race to help prevent injury and after to reduce soreness. Rotate all joints and make circles with your feet, knees, legs, and hips. If you have any issues doing these movements, it’s best to see our podiatrist.

If you notice any pain or discomfort, come see our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brandon Macy at our Clark, NJ office. Make an appointment so that we can keep you walking toward your Thanksgiving meal!


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By Clark Podiatry Center
November 16, 2016
Tags: intoeing   bowlegs  

As children begin to walk, their strides and postures may worry new parents. In their novice stages of walking, babies will show all kinds of characteristics, like waddling, standing or walking on tiptoes, or having bowlegs. Don’t worry though, because most of this can be normal in the early stages of walking.

Below are some things you may notice, and why they happen:

  • Bowlegs: Because of the small space in the womb, babies have an innate bowleg structure. When they begin to walk, they look more bowlegged because they bend their knees to support their weight. However, as toddlers walk and grow, the legs should straighten. If there is severe bowleggedness, talk to our podiatrist.
  • No heel strike (improper gait): The normal gait is as follows: heel, middle of foot and ball of foot, and then lift off the toes. However, most babies begin by landing on flat feet, which many babies are born with. As they walk and form stronger muscles in the feet, their arches will begin to form and their gait will change.
  • Intoeing: You may have heard this more commonly as “pigeon toeing”. If leg bones or feet bones are curved inward, your child is more likely to walk with their toes pointing inward instead of straight ahead. They may grow out of it and the bones may straighten. For severe cases, children may need corrective inserts or shoes.
  • Knock Knees: With this condition, when your child is standing with legs together, knees will touch, but ankles may not. It is a developmental issue that can resolve on its own by about age 5-7, and should not cause pain or issues for running or playing depending on severity. Our podiatrist can assess this issue for you.
  • Walking on Tiptoes: Many babies have a short Achilles tendon from birth. The toes have a tendency to be pointed down as a relaxed state, so when they begin to learn or stand, your baby may often exhibit tiptoeing behavior. As they get stronger and stretch the Achilles tendon, this issue should correct and heels should touch the ground. However, if your child never puts feet down, it may be a more severe issue and a doctor needs to be seen.
  • Curly Toes: If your children have toes that seem to curl toward the big toe or downward with the toenail facing or touching the ground, they may have curly toes. This happens due to deformity in tendons or bone structure. Many times there is no pain, but toenails may also be deformed and cause pain. Taping the toes straight may help, but some require further treatment by our podiatrist.

As a new parent, it can be stressful to think that there might be something wrong in a child’s development. That’s why we are here for you at Clark Podiatry Center and The New Jersey Children’s Foot Health Institute. Our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brandon Macy uses the latest technologies in foot care to take care of you and your family. Make an appointment to see us today at our Clark, NJ office. 


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By Clark Podiatry Center
November 09, 2016
Category: pediatric fitness
Tags: Walking   hiking   exercising  

The cold weather season is approaching – well, some of you already believe it has begun. While it is tempting to say “stay inside, it’s too cold,” you may be inadvertently reducing the amount of activity that your children engage in. Cold weather and warm, children (and parents, and older adults) need to stay active year-round to stay in shape and keep healthy. So what are some ways to keep children active?

At Clark Podiatry Center, we encourage our patients and their families to keep their bodies healthy and strong. Using the cold is not enough to warrant less activity. So here are a few guidelines and helpful tips to keep families engaged and moving:

  • If it’s possible, have your children walk to school – and you can walk with them! This will give them a jump start on activity each day (and will be safe if you go with them).
  • Limit the hours spent watching TV – for children and for yourself. While the shows you watch may not be for the children, if they know that you are watching, they are more likely to watch more television as well.
  • While you’re at it, limit hours spent on computers, tablets, and phones as well.
  • Invest in active games, such as Twister or even Wii sports games or dancing games to increase fun as well as activity. These days, virtual reality headsets are also gaining popularity, but make sure that children use them for active games, and only for a short time each time.
  • Go on family walks, especially if you have a dog. This could be after school or after dinner, but make sure that you are in safe and brightly lit neighborhoods as fall and winter makes for evenings that get dark early.
  • Have family competition nights. This can be an hour or so of tracking records of physical activities, such as most steps on the pedometer, number of pushups, hula hooping, and holding planks.
  • Join a local indoor pool for swim lessons or time just recreational play in the water. There are also other great indoor activities, such as bowling or rock climbing.
  • Last, but not least, take your children to fall or winter activities like hiking, organized fall sports, skiing, snowboarding, etc. If it snows enough, older children can help with shoveling – and better yet, have snowball fights or build a snowman!

Remember to always dress for the weather – more layers are better than not enough. Staying hydrated in the dry winters are also important. If you have any questions or concerns about staying active with your family, especially when it comes to staying mobile (using your feet), come see our board-certified foot doctor, Brandon Macy, DPM. He and his team will be more than happy to help you at our Clark, NJ office. Make an appointment today!


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By Clark Podiatry Center
November 01, 2016
Category: Foot Care
Tags: old shoes   outgrown shoes  

Unlike adults who tend to find their shoe size and remain that size for many years, children have feet that seem to grow by the minute! You may feel like you buy a pair of shoes, only for them to grow out of them in a few months. Then you’re right back at the shoe store again. We get it. It can get expensive and tiresome. It may even seem downright wasteful! Still, we are sorry to say that moving on from old shoes is the right thing to do for your children – and for you too.

Some of you may have shoes that have been with you for years – you’ve kept them in tip-top shape. “They will last me at least another season!” you say to yourself. But again, moving on from old shoes is the right thing to do.

After footwear has gone beyond its usefulness and been worn out, instead of protecting your feet, they begin to pose risks to your foot and ankle health. Most notably, the supportive features and the ability to absorb impact become severely reduced. You will notice worn down inner and outer soles, and possibly weakened shoe structure. Continuing use of these old shoes can lead to problems such as pain, shin splints, tendinitis, stress fractures, and even foot deformities. Children whose feet have outgrown shoes will experience pain as their feet cram into shoes that are too small. And hand-me-downs are the worst, since most likely, the shoes will be shaped to the feet of the previous owner and lacking supportive features for your child.

So when should you move on? Check the following to see if your footwear is still OK:

Inner/Outer sole: Confirm that the inner sole still has cushioning and support in the arch and heel cup. Also, try to twist the shoe or fold it in half. The shoe should only give in a little bit for flexibility, but should not be able to be fully twisted or folded in half. For the outer sole, make sure there are no cracks or holes. If the shoe should have tread, make sure it is still there and providing grip. Otherwise, you may be at risk of slipping.

Heel/Rear of shoes: Look to see the shape of the back of the shoes. Does it maintain shape to cup the heel of your foot? If you look at the bottom, is it still the same shape as when you bought it? Or is there evidence that it is worn down (or in the case of high heels, are the rubber tips worn away)?

Does it hurt when you use them? – A lot of times, people put fashion over function (sometimes children do this too!). If your shoes give your feet pain, you need to listen to your feet. They are telling you very important information – and if you do not respond, you will definitely have worse problems later.

Pain is not a part of growing, and certainly should not be caused by old or worn down shoes. If you have questions or concerns regarding foot pain, contact our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brandon Macy of Clark Podiatry Center. Make an appointment at our Clark, NJ office so that we can keep you walking!


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1114 Raritan Road
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Podiatrist - Clark, Dr. Brandon Macy, 1114 Raritan Road, Clark NJ, 07066 732-382-3470