Dr. Brandon Macy
Podiatrist - Clark, NJ
1114 Raritan Road
Clark, NJ 07066
Is your sporty child complaining of pain in the heel? Is there swelling or redness in the heels? Discomfort when you squeeze both sides of the heel? He or she may be suffering from Sever’s Disease, or calcaneal apophysitis. It is a heel bone disorder caused by inflammation of the growth plate, a condition commonly found in children ages 8-15 who play sports. Children in this age range are subject to this issue because they are still growing. The cartilage in this area becomes hard bone over time, but is susceptible to injury and inflammation until the bone is set.
Children who play sports with high impact to the feet are more prone to suffering from this disease. With many sports involving consistent practices, the problem can become worse due to overuse and repeated stress on the heel. Unfortunately, sport shoes with cleats are known to aggravate the condition, so soccer and football players are at higher risk. Furthermore, any issues with the Achilles tendon, such as tendonitis, can contribute to Sever’s Diease by pulling excessively on the heel bone’s growth plate. Other risk factors include: flat feet and overpronated feet; high arches; short leg syndrome; and overweight or obesity.
Treatment
While it may not be the best news your child can hear, the primary goal of treatment is to relieve pain and inflammation, which means rest and prevention of re-injury. This may mean cutting back or stopping sports if the pain is severe. Other treatments that your podiatrist may suggest include:
Is your child suffering from heel pain? It may be Sever’s Disease, or it may be another issue. Make an appointment today to have our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brandon Macy assess your child’s needs and help him or her back to feeling well. Clark Podiatry Center is located in Clark, NJ office in Union County and our team is ready to help! We keep you walking.
Eating right and exercising regularly are the keys to good health. For both children and adults alike, it is important to be consistent about healthy habits so that your body can feel strong and experience fewer problems. At Clark Podiatry Center, we want our patients to be well informed, especially about foot and ankle health. The following are ways to eat right and provide essential nutrients for your feet and ankles:
Are your feet or ankles affected by poor food choices? Get treatment right away with our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brandon Macy. Make an appointment today at our Clark, NJ office in Union County to get your podiatric issues treated and to get tips on how to best change your diet to have healthy and happy feet!
With the cold winter weather, your Uggs or other fur-lined boots are probably working overtime. The ease of putting them on, coupled with the coziness of the shearling lining make them a daily go-to during this season.
However, we at Clark Podiatry Center caution you from wearing them every day. In our other blog posts, we’ve discussed the features that make footwear supportive. While Uggs seem to be comfortable and cozy, they lack many of the features that keep your feet and ankles healthy. For growing children, this is more important to pay attention to because their development may be affected.
Supportive features that they lack include:
Don’t go throwing away your Uggs or other fur-lined boots, though! You can still wear them with some modification. For support and toebox issues, save your feet by using orthotic inserts. Try them on with socks, and of course, you should always wear socks to prevent a persistent foot odor problem. Also, try not to wear them every single day. Instead, rotate them with other shoes so that you don’t develop foot or ankle strain issues, and so that the boots can air out between wears.
Need help with orthotic inserts or stinky foot issues? Dr. Brandon Macy, our board-certified podiatrist can help! He will work with you to find the best solution for maintaining foot and ankle health this winter. Make an appointment today at our Clark, NJ office to have your footcare needs met promptly! We are happy to serve all patients in the surrounding Rahway and Westfield areas as well.
Are you ready for Superbowl Sunday? The Atlanta Falcons are going head to head with the New England Patriots! While both teams have had a great season, many players have had injury issues that affected their game play. For the Falcons, Alex Mack and Julio Jones are star players that are affected with ankle and toe injuries. For the Patriots, it’s Martellus Bennett (ankle, knee, and shoulder injuries) and Malcolm Mitchell (knee injury) that coaches and fans have an eye on. These injured players are all sitting out of practice this week, in hopes to be in better shape on game day.
Repeat Injuries
When football players have injuries early in the season, they are at higher risk of re-injury as they continue to play after recovery. Whether it be weakened muscles and tendons or injuries that have not been able to fully heal, the risk of repeat injury is high enough to bench players before major games. This is especially the case now, for Superbowl practices, where they could possibly make their injuries worse, or even fall victim to a new injury due to their previous injuries.
Due to the nature of the sport, football players are always prone to suffering concussions, sprains, tears, dislocated body parts, and even fractures, even with protective measures. Turf toe, and toe and ankle sprains are all common injuries as they run, juke, and dive across the field. Constantly repeating these motions can leave them with strained muscles and tissues, weakening them and possibly ending in chronic issues or broken bones.
For Julio Jones and Martellus Bennett, the injuries that are causing them to sit out were incurred earlier in the season and has kept coming back to bother them. Hopefully with rest and healing, they will be at their best for the big game. Afterward, they may need to treat their injuries more seriously with surgery.
Got questions about sports-related injuries? Make an appointment today with our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brandon Macy at Clark Podiatry Center. He and his team are ready to help at the Clark, NJ office. Whatever team you’re rooting for, we hope you and your family have a fun and safe Superbowl!
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