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Foot Notes

Posts for tag: RICE method

By Clark Podiatry Center
July 18, 2018
Category: Foot Conditions
Tags: arthritis   swelling   RICE method   gout   healthy diet  

If you or a loved one suffers from gout, you know that it can be a crippling condition. This intense form of arthritis can suddenly cause pain, swelling, and redness in a joint – most commonly in the big toe joint. It can cause pain to most of the forefoot and even in the ankles and/or knees as well.

NOTE: If you feel that you might have gout, make sure that you have made an appointment with your doctor and received a proper diagnosis.

After some time, gout patients may get really good at recognizing symptoms of an oncoming attack. You may feel sensations of burning or tingling, stiff or sore joints, and eventually, redness, swelling, and pain. For some, the pain can come suddenly in the middle of the night, causing you to wake up.

Gout attacks generally occur after drinking more than usual, eating foods that are high in purine (like liver or mussels), being dehydrated, ingesting a lot of sugar, or as a side effect of taking certain medications.

When you feel an attack coming on, try the following:

  • RICE method: Rest, Ice, Compression*, Elevation to reduce symptoms. *If even the littlest bit of contact with the gout joint causes you pain, you may not want to use compression.
  • Drink a LOT of water. Hydration will help you flush out the buildup of uric acid in your joints.
  • Take NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) to alleviate pain and reduce inflammation.
  • If possible, get moving. Low-impact exercise can help to get blood and fluids circulating to reduce the uric acid build up. Even doing some exercises while resting the affected foot/feet in bed can help your symptoms.

When a gout attack is in full swing, you may be in too much pain to do much. You’ll want to have friends or family members help you with daily tasks and take it easy in general. Eat a nutritious and healthy diet and drink lots of water. Additionally, use cushiony, soft slippers when you do need to walk around (like going to the bathroom) to alleviate pain.

If you experience more than 2 or 3 attacks per year, you’ll probably want to take prescription gout medications. Make an appointment today at Clark Podiatry Center. Our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brandon Macy will assess your feet to find the best treatments or solutions for your feet. We are located in Clark, NJ and serve patients in all the surrounding Union County towns!

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By Clark Podiatry Center
June 20, 2018

“Why are my feet so swollen?”

At the end of some days, you might notice that your feet are larger than they were when you woke up this morning. If you’ve been on your feet all day, whether from a job that requires standing or from walking all day, there’s a good chance that your feet will be a bit swollen. A slight swelling of the feet is natural in these cases, but edema (swelling) that is chronic, uneven, or severe can indicate a larger health problem.

Read on to find out if one of the causes below (other than standing for long periods of time) apply to you:

Injury, infection, Insect Bite, Inactivity

  • Injuries, including sports injuries to the feet, can cause swelling for several minutes to several days, depending on the severity of the impact.
  • An infection can cause swelling to the feet, especially if it is not treated properly, right away.
  • Those who are allergic to insect bites will also experience swelling if pests get a taste on the feet.
  • If you sit still or lie down for too long, the lack of circulation of blood and fluids can cause them to pool in the lower extremities, resulting in swollen feet.

Hormonal changes

  • Hormonal changes can sometimes cause swelling, particularly during the menstrual cycle and especially during pregnancy.
  • Pregnant women are likely to have swollen feet because of their changing body structure. As the baby grows, it can restrict circulation of blood and fluids back up from the legs and feet. The result is swollen feet that may require you to get shoes up to 2 sizes larger! You’ll want to put your feet up as often as you can.

Other health problems

  • Those who have varicose veins may experience poor circulation.
  • A blood clot is a serious problem in which the foot, ankle, or leg will show swelling. This usually occurs in one leg, as opposed to both legs.
  • Lymph problems can cause you to have poor circulation of fluids in your legs, causing swelling in the feet (lymphedema).
  • A symptom of heart, liver, or kidney problems is edema.

If you have swollen feet, try using the RICE method to reduce symptoms. If that doesn’t work, or if swelling persists, make an appointment to see us at Clark Podiatry Center. Our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brandon Macy will assess your feet to find the best treatment and make sure that you do not have underlying health problems. We are located in Clark, NJ and are ready to serve patients in all the surrounding Union County towns!

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By Clark Podiatry Center
May 02, 2018
Category: Foot Pain

Did you know that you have 2 small pea-sized bones near your big toe joint that are not connected to any other bones? Don’t worry; it’s not as weird as it sounds. They are not just floating around in your feet, but rather, connected to the tendons. Yes, every time you move your big toe up and down and take a step, your tendons are sliding along the sesamoids, kind of like a pulley.

So why are they to blame for foot pain?

In the same way that your Achilles tendon in your ankle can become irritated and inflamed, the tendon in your feet can also experience tendonitis, called sesamoiditis. Either the tendons are overused and become irritated as they repeatedly pass over the sesamoids, or they have endured an injury to the tendon or bones, causing inflammation.

Ballet dancers, sprinters, golfers, and baseball players commonly experience this injury because of the position their feet are often in. A lot of weight and pressure goes onto the big toe joint, making it more vulnerable to overuse injury.

If your foot pain looks like this:

  • Swelling and possibly bruising under the big toe joint,
  • Big toe joint pain when moving the big toe,
  • Inability to bear weight on the front of the foot, then you might be able to blame Sesamoiditis for your foot pain.

How can you get relief from Sesamoiditis?

  • RICE method (not just for children!)
  • NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), like ibuprofen and naproxen
  • Tape the foot or use a brace to keep the toe bent downward to reduce tension on the affected tendon
  • Steroid injection near the site of pain

Remember, since sesamoids are also bones, they could become fractured in an injury (or stress fractured due to overuse). If the pain is very severe and does not subside, get medical attention from our podiatrist ASAP.  Come see our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brandon Macy for an assessment. Make an appointment today to have your sesamoids treated with care. We are located in Clark, NJ and serve patients in all of Union County! We keep you walking!

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By Clark Podiatry Center
April 05, 2017
Category: Foot Care
Tags: Athlete's Foot   RICE method  

Hello there! Happy April! Since this month is National Foot Health Awareness Month, we’d like to take it back to the basics of general foot care. It’s so easy to ignore caring for our feet until we have pain or an injury. However, regularly maintaining foot health is great for preventing future issues. After all, our feet are essential to our daily lives, giving us stability and mobility.

We encourage you to review the following guidelines for taking care of our feet and make them a part of your daily habits:

  1. Don't ignore foot pain. Assess your feet to see what might be causing the pain. Use the RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) method to control pain and swelling. If the pain continues or gets worse, contact our office.
  2. Inspect your feet regularly. Check your feet for changes in the skin, cuts or scrapes, and any changes in the toenails. Cracked or peeling skin can be an indication of athlete’s foot. Often, cuts or scrapes that have gone unnoticed can mean that there is neuropathy (loss of feeling) in the feet, which can come from being diabetic.
  3. Wash your feet each day, especially between the toes, and be sure to dry them completely before putting on new socks or slippers.
  4. Trim toenails straight across, but not too short as this can lead to ingrown toenails. Diabetics who do not have feeling in their feet should have a podiatrist take care of ingrown toenails.
  5. Make sure that your shoes fit properly. Feet can swell during the day, so the afternoon is the best time to purchase shoes. Make sure you have support in the arches, heel cups, and that your toes are not crowded or slipping around inside the shoes.
  6. Use the right shoes for the activity or sports that you are doing. These shoes are specially developed to give you extra support where you need it.
  7. Rotate the shoes that you wear each day. Air them out and give them a chance to fully dry out, especially if you are prone to hyperhidrosis.
  8. Avoid walking barefooted to avoid injury and infection, especially if you are diabetic. Make sure you have clean floors and be wary of small objects as you walk if you do not wear shoes at home. Don’t forget sunblock on your feet when you go out in sandals.
  9. Be cautious when using home remedies for foot ailments. Self-treatment can often turn a minor problem into a major one.
  10. Contact our office and schedule a check-up at least once a year, especially if you are diabetic.

Wondering about your foot and ankle health? A good place to start is with this Foot and Ankle Self-Assessment Quiz from The Foot Health Foundation of America.

If you haven’t had your annual podiatry appointment yet, make an appointment today at Clark Podiatry Center. Our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brandon Macy will assess your feet and ankles to keep you walking. We are located in Clark, NJ and serve patients in all the surrounding Union County towns! 

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By Clark Podiatry Center
March 29, 2017
Category: Ankle Pain
Tags: Ankle Sprains   RICE method  

On Sunday, March 19th, Brooklyn Nets’ point guard, Jeremy Lin jumped and then landed on another basketball player’s foot, spraining his right ankle. His game play was short-lived, having to sit out within the first few minutes of the first quarter of the game against the Dallas Mavericks. He limped off the court, but was seen riding a stationary bicycle during the second half.

After the game, coach Atkinson told journalists that while Lin needed more assessment, the injury did not seem very serious. This was important, given that he’d been out for several weeks in the beginning of the season due to hamstring issues. Tuesday, however, Lin sat out of the game, as he was not fully recovered. He and his coach decided that he wouldn’t play until he was back to 100%.

A few lessons can be learned here:

  1. A sprained ankle does not always mean that you cannot do any more activity. There are alternative exercises that you can do, that are low-impact. A stationary bike or swimming can be good alternatives to cardiovascular exercise when you cannot play other sports due to ankle sprain. However, it’s important to listen to your body, as pain does not help the healing process and can come with inflammation.
  2. There are varying levels of ankle sprains that can have varying degrees of severity: Grade 1: ligament(s) is overstretched, Grade 2: ligament is partially torn, Grade 3: ligament is fully torn. Depending on how severe the injury is, recovery can take much time and patients need to stay away from activity that could worsen symptoms. (See previous blog post for additional information).
  3. Even athletes suffer from ankle sprains. They warm up and condition constantly, and yet anything can happen. This is why it is important to take care of your ankles and do exercises to strengthen them. It is also important to wait until you are fully recovered before getting back into the game.

If you or your child has an ankle sprain, first assess how severe it is. If your symptoms are mild, like pain and swelling, you can use the RICE method (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) until healed. When symptoms are more severe, especially if there is severe pain and you’re unable to bear weight or move the ankle without pain, you should come see our podiatrist.

If you or your child has a severely sprained ankle, make an appointment today at Clark Podiatry Center. Our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brandon Macy can find the best treatment option for recovery. We are located in Clark, NJ in Union County and our team is ready to help! We keep you walking.

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1114 Raritan Road
Clark, NJ 07066

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