A lot of patients ask us everyday if their foot issue/pain is related to their weight.  Usually the answer is that it’s not helping.  Obviously, our feet take on the weight of our body with every step we take.  After thousands and thousands of steps this really adds up.  Some common foot/ankle ailments that can be made worse by being overweight include tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, fallen arches, ball of the foot pain, heel spurs and swelling.

One study evaluated children and showed that their feet took on 3.5 times more force during ambulation when comparing children who are obese vs normal weight as defined by their BMI.  According to the Arthritis Foundation, “Every pound of excess weight exerts about 4 pounds of extra pressure on the knees. So a person who is 10 pounds overweight has 40 pounds of extra pressure on his knees; if a person is 100 pounds overweight, that is 400 pounds of extra pressure on his knees”.  That weight overtime can prematurely wear out the joint and cause degenerative arthritis. 

Being obese can also increase your chance of having Diabetes.  Having uncontrolled diabetes can be detrimental to the foot by causing lack of sensation and diminished healing.  This can allow wounds to worsen and become infected.  

Obesity also plays a role by increasing your chances of rheumatoid arthritis, gout, psoriatic arthritis, lupus and fibromyalgia.  All of these disorders can affect your feet and ankles in addition to the damage they can cause the rest of your body.   

So all this means it’s time to exercise and start working out right?  Not so fast.  If you have haven't exercised in a while then you need to slowly increase your workouts over time.  Pushing yourself too hard and too fast can cause stress fractures, tendinitis, etc.  

If you have questions about this or any other foot/ankle condition.  Please call us at 972-542-2155.

We get a lot of patients that come in for a variety of foot/ankle conditions that are due to increased inflammation. This inflammation might be occurring in a joint, along a tendon, a ligament, a bursa, a nerve or other anatomical structures.  Many of our patients have had steroid shots in the past, most commonly the knees.  Some people are very familiar with steroid shots and others have no idea, so the purpose of this blog is to give everyone a little background. 

A steroid (also known as cortisone) injection is a synthetic medication that closely relates to our bodies production of cortisol which is secreted during stress.  Cortisol has a very short duration while cortisone lasts longer.  Cortisone is not the same type of steroid used for performance enhancement in athletes.   There are also multiple types of cortisone used for different areas of the body. 

Cortisone is a strong anti-inflammatory and instead of taking large doses by mouth and a small amount reaches your foot, we put a small amount of medication right at the site of concern.  There are also fewer side effects with a local injection vs oral medication.

Although cortisone injections are very safe, anytime something enters your body there is a chance of a side effect or complication.  The most common side effect we see is a steroid flare.  This is your body’s response to the steroid that can cause an increase in pain at the injection site for hours or several days.  There is really no way to predict if this will happen to you.  Less common side effects include skin thinning or discoloration.  It is also important to know that cortisone can increase your blood glucose so diabetics must understand to keep a close eye on their sugars.  Another side effect with the injection is that it can weaken nearby structures, because of this, we cannot put cortisone injections at certain areas of the body.  There is also is a certain number of injections you can receive in a set time. 

As you can see, the answer is not a clear yes or no.  There are multiple factors that go into a steroid shot including what is the reason for your pain, where is the pain located, what medical problems you have, etc. 

At Advanced Foot and Ankle, our provides have experience with this and make this decision many times each day.  If you have a question about this or any other foot/ankle condition.  Please call us at 972-542-2155. 

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Dr. Witt

We have lots of patients that come in to our office because they have recently noticed discoloration to one or more toenails.  Unfortunately, there are many potential causes for this including fungus, trauma, local irritation, vitamin disorders, dermatology issues such as psoriasis or even skin cancer.  

Evaluation starts with a thorough history and physical. After this, our providers may want additional information to determine the best treatment plan.  This could range from ordering further testing such as an Xray or bloodwork. We may also take a sample of the nail which is just a clipping  and send it for analysis. We may recommend a biopsy of the skin beneath or just next to the nail. Once a diagnosis is made, treatment will be tailored to your specific condition, lifestyle and medical history.  

As you can see, discoloration to your nail could be caused by a wide variety of conditions so it is important to be evaluated to ensure a correct diagnosis. At Advanced Foot and Ankle Center, we have experience dealing with this issue and are here to help you.  If you have questions about this or any other foot/ankle condition, please call our office at 972-542-2155.

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Dr. Witt

If you or someone close to you has dealt with a plantar wart, you know it can be a long process to get rid of them.  We see patients in the office all the time who have tried everything under the sun and the wart stays.   There are even some warts that are so persistent that they take forever to go away with our medical grade topical treatments as well.  If this has happened to you than there is another way to try to get rid of the wart once and for all. 

At Advanced Foot and Ankle we can perform a procedure in the office which “cores” out the wart.  We then put a special type of medicine on the base of the skin where the wart was to try to prevent recurrence.  A bandage is applied and changed by the patient for several days.  This is most commonly needed in our adult patients as kids seem to respond better to topical medication.    Another benefit of this procedure is that the wart is sent to pathology to ensure the diagnosis and rule out rare forms of skin cancer that can mimic the appearance of a wart. 

Again, this procedure is performed in the office but is not for everyone due to factors such as age, location of the wart and the patient’s medical history. 

If you have a question about this procedure or any other foot/ankle issue, please call us at 972-542-2155. 

For the month of January and February, we are offering a special price of $150 for laser treatment of fungal toenails which includes 3 sessions for all 10 nails!  This is $75 off our regular price.   We are also offering any patient who has already had our laser treatment 3 additional touch up sessions for $100.  

Have your noticed you, or a loved onces nails turning different color, becoming brittle, thick or unsightly?  If so, than you may be suffering from nail fungus.  At Advanced Foot and Ankle Center, we have a safe, non-painful, state of the art laser systym to help.  This laser system used specific wavelengths of light to stimulate the body's natural ability to heal by drawing water, oxygen and nutrients to the damaged area being treated.  This then allows the nail to grow out healthier and more natural appearing.  Our providers have treated thousands of nails with the system and are excited to provide a discount for you to improve your nails as well.  

If you have questions about this offer, or any other foot/ankle condition, please call our office at 972-542-2155