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By Crofton Podiatry
March 20, 2019
Category: skin conditions
Tags: corns   Diabetes   footwear   callus   skin   plantar wart  

What may appear to be minor problems on your feet can easily turn into more serious situations. This is why it you suspect you are developing a callus or corn you will want to check with a podiatrist.

What is a callus? A callus is a thickening of the skin due to friction or undue stress. Calluses usually occur in between toes, on the ball or heel or on the sides of your feet and vary in shape. Corns are another type of skin thickening, but can be much more painful. A corn has a much harder center and occur on weight bearing and non-weight bearing parts of the foot. Both develop to protect skin below the affected area.

Causes include:

  • Poor fitting shoes. Footwear that does not cushion your feet.
  • Diabetes. Diabetes inhibits good circulation.
  • Lack of socks. Not wearing socks can cause friction between the foot and shoes. Poor fitting socks can do the same.

Symptoms for Calluses and Corns include:

  • A thick area of skin.
  • A hardened and raised bump on your foot.
  • Tenderness under your skin.
  • The development of flaky skin.

Corns and calluses are sometimes misidentified as a plantar wart. Plantar warts have small black dots in them and are painful if squeezed from the side. Corns and calluses are painful when pressure is applied on top.

If you choose to treat the calluses yourself, try soaking them in warm water then gently rubbing them with a wetted pumice stone in a circular motion, but do not take off too much skin. Applying lotion afterward and use specific padding to keep them away from the sides of your shoes. Calluses or corns could take up to 4 weeks to go away. The best way to deal with them, however, is by seeing your podiatrist. This is especially important if they are caused by diabetes, an abnormal foot structure, walking motion or hip rotation.

If you believe you may have a corn or callus or have any other concerns with your feet, make an appointment with our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brad Toll. He will assess your feet and find the appropriate treatments. Call Crofton Podiatry at (410) 721-4505, which provides services to Crofton, Gambrills, Odenton, and Bowie, MD areas. 

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By Crofton Podiatry
March 12, 2019
Category: Bunion
Tags: podiatrist   corns   calluses   surgery   Bunion   arthritis  

Choosing the right fitting footwear is very important, as making the wrong choice could cause very painful problems for your feet. One of the effects of not doing so is the development of something called a bunion or a painful bony lump on the inside of the foot at the big toe joint. The lump, or bunion, also known as hallux valgus, puts pressure on the big toe causing it to turn inward.  While not everyone gets a bunion, those who do need to see a podiatrist to have it treated.

Risk factors for bunions include:

  • Inherited foot type. You may have a structural defect that’s been passed down from others.
  • High heel shoes. Shoes which put excessive strain on the toes pushing them together.
  • Rheumatoid arthritis. A condition of sensitive swelling in the toe joints.
  • Poor fitting shoes. Both men and women need to make sure shoes provide plenty of width, especially at the toes.

Usually, someone suffering from a bunion will feel pain enough to know something is wrong, but other symptoms may also occur including difficulty finding correct fitting footwear, a visible lump near your big toe, corns or calluses where toes overlap and a lessened ability to move your toes. All these are signs that you may be developing a bunion.

Treatment of bunions will depend on the severity of the bunion. Non-surgical treatments include:

  • Wearing correct fitting and more comfortable shoes.
  • Wearing bunion pads which helps place the toes in a more anatomically correct position.
  • Placing ice on the foot which will help reduce swelling.
  • Pain medicine. The use of over the counter pain meds to reduce pain and swelling.
  • Injecting Cortisone in the foot to alleviate swelling.

In more severe and painful cases surgery may be needed including:

  • The removal of swollen and painful joint tissue.
  • Removing or cutting parts of the big toe thereby straightening it.
  • Adjusting the bones in your feet to make them straighter with regard to the toes. 
  • Repairing the tendons and ligaments around the toe.

Of course, only the most severe cases require surgery. The best person to determine how to treat your bunion is your podiatrist. Only they will know what is best for your foot.

If you believe you may have a bunion or have any other concerns with your feet, make an appointment with our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brad Toll. He will assess your feet and find the appropriate treatments. Call Crofton Podiatry at (410) 721-4505, which provides services to Crofton, Gambrills, Odenton, and Bowie, MD areas. 

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By Crofton Podiatry
March 05, 2019
Category: Plantar Fasciitis

With today’s push for more and more healthy lifestyles, many people are turning to physical activity to do so. Some of this includes running or jogging which is a great way to lose weight or just keep in shape. With this, though, can come foot pain caused by a condition known as Plantar Fasciitis.

Plantar Fasciitis is an inflammation of the tissue that runs across the bottom of your foot and connects your heel bone to your toes.  Most likely you will immediately feel a stabbing pain in your foot as soon as you wake. The pain may improve during the day, but most likely will return after standing for long periods of time or rising suddenly from a seated position.

Risk Factors for Plantar Fasciitis include:

  • Age - Common between the ages of 40 and 60.
  • Exercise - Activities that place a lot of stress on your heel - long-distance running, jumping activities, ballet and aerobic dance.
  • Foot mechanics - Having flat-feet, a high arch or an abnormal pattern of walking affecting weight distribution.
  • Obesity - Excessive weight.
  • Occupation - Factory workers, teachers, construction workers, nurses and others who spend a lot of time hours walking or standing on hard surfaces.

Ignoring Plantar Fasciitis symptoms can cause further foot, knee, hip or back problems so seeing a podiatrist is crucial. Treatments include:

  • Examination - Physical examination of the inflamed site.
  • X-Ray or MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) - To check damaged nerve or fracture.
  • Medicine- Doctor prescribed pain meds.
  • Stretching - Simple foot stretches to help alleviate the pain.
  • Therapy - including Physical therapy, Night Splints and the use of orthotics.
  • Surgery - at times this may be the last resort if the pain is not subsiding.

If you believe you run the risk of getting Plantar Fasciitis then you will want to start losing weight, always wear good running shoes, choose footwear that is supportive, has good arch support and absorbs shock well. Such common-sense approaches may just keep your feet pain free and you better able to improve your overall health.

If you have any issues or notice pain while trying any exercise, make an appointment with our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brad Toll. He will assess your feet and find the appropriate treatments to get you back to being active. Call Crofton Podiatry at (410) 721-4505, which provides services to Crofton, Gambrills, Odenton, and Bowie, MD areas. 

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By Crofton Podiatry
February 26, 2019
Category: Heel Pain

The kind of shoes you wear can really affect your foot health. Someone who typically wears tight, high-heeled shoes is going to experience more foot pain than someone who wears cushioned, supportive walking shoes most days. That might explain part of the reason why women tend to experience more foot problems than men do.

In fact, women who wear pumps (high heels with a low cut front and no fastening strap) are likely to develop a “pump bump.” If you’re not familiar with it, you’ll know it because it’s a small bony bump that can develop at the back of the heel bone. That growth, in combination with the constant friction against the back of the shoe, can also cause inflammation of the fluid-filled sacs (bursa) around the bones. This condition is called Haglund’s Deformity.

You’ll know if you have Haglund’s Deformity if you:

  • Feel pain at the bump.
  • See redness, swelling, and a pronounced bump at the back of the heel bone.
  • Get blisters, also from rubbing the bony part against the back part of your shoes (especially rigid backs, like with high heels)

If you start to experience symptoms, you’ll want to try your best to mitigate your pain. Try some of these at-home treatments:

  • Ice and Elevate – After a day of experiencing back of the heel pain, rest your feet, ice the bump, and elevate your feet if there is swelling.
  • Use heel pads if you have to keep wearing specific shoes for work or if you are very fashion conscious.
  • Try changing out of uncomfortable or tight shoes as soon as your workday or event is over.
  • If you can, change the types of shoes you wear. You’ll want to wear comfortable, supportive shoes that do not have a rigid back. This will reduce the rubbing against the heel bone.

If symptoms keep getting worse, you’ll want to come to see our podiatrist. He might suggest:

  • Custom orthotic shoes – especially while you get your symptoms under control.
  • Medication – anti-inflammatory meds, which could be steroidal or non-steroidal.
  • Surgery – if the condition gets to the point of becoming untreatable, and it interferes severely with your day to day, you may need to have surgery to reduce the bony spur. This would be a last measure after trying to treat with more mild methods.

If you have feel that you may be developing a bony spur at the back of your heel(s), make an appointment with our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brad Toll. He will assess your feet and find the appropriate treatments to get you comfortable in your own shoes. Call Crofton Podiatry at (410) 721-4505, which provides services to Crofton, Gambrills, Odenton, and Bowie, MD areas.

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By Crofton Podiatry
February 18, 2019
Category: exercise
Tags: achilles tendonitis   stretching   yoga   exercise   injury  

Are you one of those people who easily roll your ankles? Or maybe you’ve been feeling some tightness in the Achilles tendon (Achilles tendonitis) since you started a more intense workout. Maybe you want to get stronger ankles to protect from injury in a contact sport.

There’s no bad reason or time to strengthen and continue strengthening your ankles. By increasing strength, flexibility, and balance in the ankles, you can protect yourself from injuries. What’s a great way to improve your ankle health? Yoga!

Here are some poses you can incorporate into your stretching and strengthening routines (or just while you watch TV!):

[Please note: if this is your first time doing yoga, it’s best to find a teacher who can help you correctly practice these poses. For those who have practiced yoga, take your time with these poses and never put yourself in a position of pain to realize these poses.]

  • Lotus – Sit cross-legged. The ultimate goal of lotus is to sit cross-legged, but with the ankles over the thighs, with the soles of the feet facing upward. Work your way up to that, first starting with a comfortable cross-legged position, then bringing one leg up and over, and then eventually, the other leg crossed over as well.
  • Downward-facing dog – Get all your hands and knees, then push your butt up and back so that you end up on your hands and feet. Your head comes down between your straight arms, so that your arms are near your biceps. You should feel a stretch in your arms, shoulders, and down the back of your legs. Try to press down with each heel, further stretching the backs of your ankles.
  • Warrior poses – Warrior 1 and 2 are both great for ankle flexibility and strength because your back foot is turned at an angle. As you lunge to get into the position, your back feet are stretching the ankles. Be sure to do each pose on each foot.
  • Tree pose – This balancing act is a sure fire way to get your ankles to balance and strengthen. Try the variations as your balance improves.
  • Garland pose – This low squatting position is not comfortable for everyone, but it’s one you can work toward. You might start squatting on tip toes, but work your way to having your heels touch the ground to work strength and balance.
  • Hero pose – As you sit in this pose, the tops of your ankles are being stretched out. Breathe and allow them to release the tension in your soft tissues in your feet, ankles, and shins.

If you have any issues with some of these poses, or notice pain while trying any exercise, make an appointment with our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brad Toll. He will assess your feet and find the appropriate treatments to get you back to being active. Call Crofton Podiatry at (410) 721-4505, which provides services to Crofton, Gambrills, Odenton, and Bowie, MD areas. 

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2411 Crofton Lane, Suite 25
Crofton, MD 21114

Podiatrist - Crofton, Crofton Podiatry, 2411 Crofton Lane, Suite 25, Crofton MD, 21114 (410) 721-4505