There are many ways to measure the range of motion at the ankle joint, but with a number of the methods there is a lack of validity and reliability to the techniques used. One method that has been getting a lot of attention recently is the Lunge test. This is a weightbearing test of ankle joint range of motion that has been shown to be reliable. The Lunge test has also been shown to have some validity, in that it has been shown to be predictive of injuries. Many other tests used in clinical biomechanical assessment commonly have not been shown to be predictive of injury. More research is needed on the Lunge test, but it does look like a promising clinical test with many uses.

There are many strapping techniques that can be used on the foot and the most common is low dye strapping. Low dye taping was first described by a Podiatrist, Dr Ralph Dye. Low dye strapping is usually used as an anti-pronatory strapping for the short term management of foot and related problems that are thought to be related to abnormal foot pronation. Even though the mechanism of effects of low dye strapping and foot orthotics are different, low dye tape is often used to give an indication if foot orthotics might be helpful.

Charcots neuroarthropathy is a too common complication of the diabetic foot. One of the best way to describe Charcots foot to someone who is not familiar with it is to think about having a foot that is numb, they then sprain your ankle and therefore do not know that you have sprained it, so keep walking on it. Imagine the damage that gets done. Well, that is exactly what happens in a Charcots foot. Often the first indication that there is something wrong is that the temperature of foot is warmer than the other or the person with diabetes notice that the foot is more swollen than the other.  A Charcots foot is very close to being a medical emergency as it does need to be dealt with quickly.

According to ReadWriteWeb:

U.S. advertisers spend nearly $40 billion a year for online advertisements, but 31% of their ads are never seen. That means $12.4 billion will be wasted on U.S. online ads this year. That’s the average across all sites; on some sites, only 7% of the ads were “in-view,” meaning 93% of them went unseen.

 

On average, 4% of ads were delivered to viewers outside the desired geography, with some campaigns running as high as 15%. That means some ads were shown to customers in places where the product is not sold.

Full story at ReadWriteWeb.

How is the PodVertise Network different? We don;t waste your adspend! You only pay for the number of times your advert is shown in the geographic area that you are active!

Most new podiatrists have never heard of Friars balsam and if they had, it is problem known as something that their grandmother used. It’s a really old fashioned remedy for many things, but these days its more well known as Tincture of Benzoin and its main use in podiatry is as skin preparation so that adhesive tape adhere better to the skin.

There are probably more surgical techniques for hallux valgus or hallux abducto valgus than for any other part of the body. There are many degrees of this condition and many causes of symptoms and many components that go in to making up the problem. A lot of consideration has to go into the decision making process as to decide which procedure is the most appropriate for each individual case. There is not a lot of evidence for any of them being better than another. The outcomes of bunion surgery or hallux abducto surgery are usually good. One such procedure is the Austin bunionectomy. The Austin bunionectomy is just once procedure either used alone or in combination with other techniques. The Austin bunionectomy is used to correct the alignment of the hallux by doing a wedge osteotomy of the proximal phalanx.

Bunions are a common problem in podiatry clinical practice. The cause of bunions is a hereditary predisposition abnormal biomechanics combined with pressure from the shoes. They are commonly associated with hallux abducto valgus and are significantly more common in females (hence the association with shoes). Footwear is not the total issue with bunions as they do occur in people who do not wear shoes. However, it is probably the case that footwear makes them worse and provides the resistance that causes the symptoms. The symptoms of bunions are due to two factors: pressure on the enlarged first metatarsophalangeal joint and symptoms from the arthritis like changes in the joint. The treatment of bunions is directed at one or both of those causes. The only way to get rid of them is with bunion surgery.

Pain in the legs and feet of children at night can be distressing for the child and the parents. More often than not these growing pains in children are just that; a benign growing pain. Even though they are benign and self0limiting, growing pains do need to be taken seriously. Firstly, they are distressing to the child and secondly on very rare occasions the pain could be due to something potentially very serious. A true growing pain usually occurs behind the knee or in the upper calf and only occurs at night. If the pain is in the pain, in a joint and occurs during the day time, then it is not a true growing pain in a child and should be thoroughly investigated as to what it is.

There is the segment of the footwear market that is known as toning shoes, of which the original shoe was the MBT Shoes. The toning shoes are those shoes that are supposed to give the body an extra workout when using them, hence “toning” the muscles. There is no doubt that these shoes do have an impact on gait and change it. What is not so clear is the effect on outcomes of these toning shoes. More research is certainly needed on toning shoes. Most of the research to date has looked at the biomechanical changes that occur, rather than the clinical outcomes.

Golf and podiatry is a good mix. Firstly a lot of podiatrists play golf and a lot of people have foot and lower limb problems from playing golf. A round of 18 holes is a lot of walking (fortunately on soft ground), so the choice of golf shoes is important. Foot orthotics for golf is also an important consideration. They have to be designed in such a way as to not interfere with the normal golf biomechanics. It has been suggested that a rearfoot heel post not be used for golf orthotics as this could potentially interfere with the side to side motion needed of the foot during the golf swing.