Skin & Nail Problems
CALLUSES and PLANTAR WARTS are often seen as skin build-ups on the bottom pressure points of the feet. CALLUSES may be due to underlying bone spurs however WARTS are caused by a virus that invades the skin surface. WARTS can be eliminated with topical medications or by Laser treatment.
CORNS are similar to calluses except they form on the tops and sides of our toes and can be eliminated with proper evaluation and treatment. The underlying cause is often a bone spur or a curled or contracted toe, often called a hammertoe.
FUNGUS NAILS are thickened, discolored nails due to a fungus infection in the nailplate and/or the underlying nailbed. New oral medications such as Lamasil and Sporanox tablets and topical Penlac application have shown favorable results in treating this condition.
INGROWN TOENAILS are most common on the big toes but can occur on the other toes as well. Our In-Office Laser can eliminate ingrown nails for good... comfortably under local anesthesia during your initial office visit. You may even return to work the next day in your regular shoes.
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| Heel Pain, Neuromas, and Bone Spurs
HEEL PAIN on the bottom of the heel: The inflamation of a tight thickened band of tissue(the plantar fascia) which attaches to the bottom of the heel bone and runs along the arch , is the most common cause of heel pain. This condition is often associated with an arch that is too flat or one that is too high as well as occupations requiring working on hard or uneven surfaces. An increase in weight gain or activity are also underlying factors.
An x-ray of the heel may show a bone spur on the bottom of the heel, however, it is still the plantar facsial band that is treated to gain permanent relief without any need to remove the spur. This condition termed PLANTAR FASCITIS is often felt as a "stone bruise" especially upon the first few steps out of bed in the morning or upon standing after periods of rest.
This condition responds well to conservative treatment including oral and injectable antinflammatory medication, shoe inserts(orthotics), physical medicine and stretching. Advanced Endoscopic and In-Step Fasciotomies have shown excellent results for those chronic conditions requiring surgery to partially release the tight plantar fascial band.
Heel pain can also exist in the back of the heel with a differrent set of circumstances. Here the condition is, in fact, related to bone spurs and problems with the achilles tendon.
NEUROMA (aka Mortons' Neuroma) is a condition in the ball of the foot in which a sensory nerve to the second, third, or fourth toes may become pinched resulting in symptoms of numbness, tingling, and burning in these areas. The nerve anatomically undergoes inflammatory and fibrosed changes similar to scar tissue.
Conservative therapy is the initial treatment of choice for NEUROMAS consisting of medication, pads and physical medicine.
A newer treatment hailed as a safe yet permanent alternative to surgery is the use of medical denatured alcohol injections (as a sclerosing agent) into the leading nerve segment in the foot. Results of this treatment have been very effective in the majority of patients. Operative treatment to remove the affected nerve segment is an option for chronic residual cases.
BONE SPURS can occur in many parts of the foot but are most symptomatic where their growth goes on to form corns on the tops and sides of toes. They are also commonly seen on the bottom and back of the heel as well as on the top of the middle of the foot where shoe laces may cross over. When conservative treatments such as pads and trimming do not alleviated the symptoms, operative treatment can restore pain free symptoms to these sites.
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