Dr. Brandon Macy
Podiatrist - Clark, NJ
1114 Raritan Road
Clark, NJ 07066
Gearing up to participate in a running event is no simple task. If you want to do your best, you’ll want to start training months in advance, especially if you are running a long race. Additionally, you’ll want the best gear to support you and keep you safe from injury.
What gear could we mean? Your running shoes, of course! To keep your feet supported and as comfortable as possible during your training and the actual race, look for the following features when choosing your running shoes:
As you prepare, make sure you keep good hygiene, trim your toenails properly (to prevent ingrown toenails), and stretch your feet and ankles before and after each run. If you experience an injury, it’s important to rest and recover, rather than continuing to train on it.
If you experience foot pain while you are training, see our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brandon Macy at Clark Podiatry Center. He can assess your feet and find the best treatment for any concern you may have. Make an appointment at our Clark, NJ office so we can keep you walking (or running!).
A neuroma is a condition in which the tissue around a nerve becomes thickened.
You might have a neuroma in your foot if you:
A neuroma in your foot is called Morton’s Neuroma and it’s usually caused by inflammation, irritation or injury. Repetitive motions with high pressure on the balls of the feet can cause chronic inflammation on the soft tissues near the nerve. This can include wearing shoes with high heels and/or narrow toe boxes for long periods of time. Participating in activities like dancing or sports that involve running, sprinting, or jumping are also likely culprits. Additionally, if you injure the foot by dropping something on it or stepping hard on a pointed object, it can cause a prolonged inflammation in that nerve.
Some foot deformities can also put you at higher risk of developing symptoms of Morton’s Neuroma. Hammertoes, bunions, flat feet, or very high arches can all shift your body weight so that the ball of the foot has to unevenly bear more weight.
Once symptoms set in, it’s important to rest the foot and reduce inflammation and pain to prevent worsening and ongoing symptoms. Using orthotic inserts, applying ice, massaging the foot, and/or anti-inflammatory drugs may help you feel better. You may also consider how your shoes might be affecting the way your feet feel on a day-to-day basis. If they are too tight, your toes might need more room to relax throughout the day. If you don’t have enough arch support or cushioning, the balls of your feet might have to strain more.
If conservative at-home treatments and adjusting your shoes do not help, our podiatrist might use cortisone injections or sclerosing alcohol injections to relieve pain. At worst case scenario, the nerve may need to be surgically removed.
Don’t suffer from Morton’s Neuroma! We can help you feel better! 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!
Also known as Adult-Acquired Flat Foot or Tibialis Posterior Tendonitis, this condition results in a flattened arch in the foot. Those affected might experience symptoms such as pain along the inside of the ankle and foot, as well as a foot deformity with a shifted heel bone. Left untreated, it can cause chronic pain and severe deformity, making it hard to find shoes that fit comfortably.
What causes it?
What can be done to treat it?
If you suspect that your arches have fallen and if you have pain along the inside of your feet or ankles, 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!
Looking for another way to spend family time together? It might sound strange, but how about a night of foot fitness? Yep, you read that right. Specifically, we want to focus on exercising the toes. It’s not a body part you usually think about when working out, such as the biceps or abs, but strengthening the toes are just as important.
Why should we exercise the toes?
Toe exercises to do together (in the form of games):
If you find that you have pain or problems in your feet while you play some of these games, come to see our foot doctor for an assessment. 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!
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:
How can you get relief from Sesamoiditis?
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!
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