A lot of people come into our office due to a painful condition.  One of the most common causes for pain in the lower extremity is due to inflammation along a major tendon in the lower leg called the Posterior Tibial Tendon.  This tendon courses from just below the knee, down the inside of your leg, behind your ankle and inserts into the inside/bottom of your arch. Its main function is to maintain your arch during gait.  This tendon will most likely be inflamed because of your biomechanics. If you have a flat foot, your arch collapses more than usual which will cause an abnormal strain or pull of the tendon. Eventually, the tendon will become inflamed which causes swelling and pain at the site.   As this tendon becomes weaker, your arch will become flatter which causes more pulling of the tendon. Because of this, the issue usually doesn’t go away on its own.

To diagnose you with this condition, one of our providers will obtain a thorough history and physical.  We will usually obtain X-rays to evaluate your foot structure and sometimes an MRI is needed to assess the integrity of the tendon and check for tears.   This condition usually responds well to conservative treatment options but sometimes the problem is advanced, and the tendon needs surgery to heal. These decisions are based on our exam findings, test outcomes, treatment goals and patient’s activity level.

At Advanced Foot and Ankle Center, our providers treat this condition nearly every day and have the experience needed to get your back on your feet as quick as possible.

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

Have a great day,

Dr. Witt

At Advanced Foot and Ankle Center, we see patients everyday that are suffering from pain due to inflammation.  Most of our patients are treated with an anti-inflammatory medication either in oral form or by injection with steroid and many people get great results with these types of treatments.  However, there are many patients that we see who cannot take oral anti-inflammatories because they have stomach issues, are taking blood thinners, have kidney or cardiac issues or other various reasons.  Another group of patients cannot receive a steroid injection due to the location of the pain because it could damage nearby anatomy or they have diabetes and it could fluctuate their blood sugars.

Because of this, we are happy to announce a new treatment available for inflammation and pain called Traumeel.  Traumeel is imported from Germany where it has been used by doctors there for years. It is a combination of 12 plant medicines and two mineral extracts.  All 14 of these medicines are micro-dosed and are intended to stimulate your body to resolve its own pain. It works by inhibiting specific chemical messengers which cause swelling, pain and inflammation.  Traumeel can be used as either a topical cream or it can be injected at the site of pain either in a joint or along a tendon. Traumeel can be used without any drug-to-drug interaction with your current medications.  

This is a great option for patients who are unable to take NSAIDs like Ibuprofen and Aleve or for patients who cannot have a steroid injection due to diabetes or location of the injection.   Traumeel’s efficacy and safety has been established in multiple clinical trials that include studies under real-life conditions and published case reports. The medication is not a narcotic and it is not addictive.  It is an excellent treatment option for patients who would like a more natural therapy as well.

If you would like to begin this treatment or have any other foot/ankle questions, please call us at 972-542-2155.  

Have a wonderful day

We get a lot of patients everyday who are experiencing foot pain for one reason or another.   Some of these patients will have no injury that they can recall. It just came on without any reason or cause that they can remember.   When this happens patients will sometimes ask if they have gout. These patients usually have had a relative or friend who had a gout attack in the past which caused the unexplained pain.  Gout is a type of arthritis that develops due to a high amount of uric acid in your body. You can have a value from either your body overproducing or underexcreting the uric acid. Either way, the high uric acid content develops crystals. These crystals are very painful because they cause a lot of inflammation which results in heat, swelling and redness. The joint is so painful that even the weight of the sheets on the area can be unbearable.   

The diagnosis of gout is usually made clinically after one of our providers performs a history and physical examination.  We will usually obtain X-rays to see if there have been any bony changes to the joint from the crystals and order a blood test to check your uric acid levels. There are multiple treatment options for gout including cortisone injections into the affected joint and a variety of oral medication.  The best treatment option will be presented to you based on your medical history, current medications, allergies, etc.

At Advanced Foot and Ankle Center, our providers are also some of the only physicians in the DFW area who prescribe IV medication that removes gout crystals from your body. If you have questions about this or any other foot/ankle issue, please call us at 972-542-2155 for more information.  

Have a Wonderful Day,

Dr. Witt

Today we would like to showcase a product that can be especially useful now that the weather has warmed up and we are getting more active.  This product is called On Your Toes.  This is a bactericidal powder that is applied to your feet and inside your shoes for 3 days.  That’s it.  The powder then stops the embarrassing foot odor for 6 months which is backed by a manufacturer moneyback guarantee.   One container of On Your Toes will treat 6 pairs of shoes or 3 pairs of sneakers.  This product has been in use for over 25 years and our providers have had great results with kids and adults.   This product is available at our McKinney and Prosper office. Please call us at 972-542-2155 if you have questions about this or any other foot/ankle condition. 

Have a great day,

Dr. Witt 

Wounds on the feet and ankles can be disastrous for diabetics.  This is because diabetes can affect your skin, your sensation and your circulation.  When these three components aren’t functioning properly wounds can turn south quickly. 

For example, say that you stepped on a tack while walking barefoot at home.  Most people would immediately know that they just stepped on something sharp.  Some diabetics though have peripheral neuropathy which means they can have numbness in their feet.  These patients wouldn’t know that they stepped on anything.   This patient also has poor circulation so now that little puncture site isn’t going to heal quickly.    This patient goes about their day and week not knowing that any issues are developing because they don’t look at the bottom of their feet.  Eventually, that little hole gets deeper and deeper and infection develops.  The patient now knows something is going wrong because of either a foul odor, they see drainage on their sock, or they feel sick from the infection.  This is usually when they report to their primary care doctor, ER, urgent care or their Podiatrist.  If the infection in the foot is bad enough, it can spread through the blood stream and cause blood infection, organ failure and even death.  Heavy IV antibiotics are administered, and surgery is performed to excise the dead, infected tissue and bone.  This is why it is so important to make sure you are performing your daily foot checks at home, never walking barefoot and keeping tight control of your blood sugars. 

At Advanced Foot and Ankle Center, our providers have seen and treated these types of wounds and it’s our goal is to prevent these from ever occurring. 

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

Thank you and have a wonderful day.

Dr. Witt