Your toenails can take quite a beating when you’re pounding the pavement or hitting the treadmill, notes Dan Michaels, DPM. Every stride may put a bit of stress on your toenails (particularly on your big toe). Over time, that can take a toll. “Runner’s toe” describes the damage caused by pressure, shearing, and friction as…

    According to Dr. Daniel Michaels, “When you pronate, or roll your feet in toward the heels, you tend to lean forward, which predisposes you to more low back pain and aggravates any previous back injury.” When walking or standing, rotating your feet to the outside often eases intermittent low back pain because it…

“Foot recovery in general is an increasingly popular concept with products including foot massage tools, recovery socks, and now recovery footwear,” Dan Michaels, DPM said. “Recovery footwear often includes arch support, cushioning and…softer fabrics intended to allow the feet to take a break.” Dr. Michaels also observed that you don’t always have to be an…

According to Dan Michaels, DPM, “Early on, psoriatic arthritis (PsA) was considered to be a less aggressive condition as compared to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). But this opinion has changed; psoriatic arthritis can cause as much if not more disease and disability. The pattern of joint involvement will vary from person to person. Some may have…

Surprisingly, one technique has been practiced well before we developed the concept of regenerative medicine. Prolotherapy (shortened from the word “proliferation”) has been in use for musculoskeletal medicine for three-quarters of a century. Its success revolves around the concept that acute inflammation is part of healing, an idea only recently accepted into general practice. “Prolotherapy…

Dan Michaels, DPM recommends that individuals engage in stretching exercises involving the feet, just as we would stretch any other area of the body. “Stretching exercises before and after physical activity can be helpful to prevent or alleviate pain caused by flat feet,” he says. “By stretching the tendons and ligaments, it can improve the…

According to Dan Michaels, DPM, “Ankle sprains are a common injury, particularly among athletes and individuals who engage in physical activity. A sprain occurs when the ligaments that support the ankle are stretched or torn, causing pain, swelling, and difficulty bearing weight on the affected foot. Recurrent ankle sprains can be a frustrating problem, but…

Because they take much of the impact on foot strike, the metatarsals can easily become strained, inflamed, or fractured. “The symptoms of a metatarsal stress injury can vary depending on the severity of the injury,” says Dan Michaels, DPM, but a stress injury is usually evident by increasing pain on movement, “particularly during walking, running,…

Dan Michaels, DPM, notes that intense, repeated motions that suddenly increase in frequency may lead to overuse injuries like metatarsal stress fractures, Achilles tendonitis, or shin splints. You can also develop posterior impingements from excessive pointework. But injury could happen almost anywhere if you aren’t prepared, as deconditioned muscles fatigue quickly and may not sustain…

Diabetes can impact the body in a number of ways, especially creating potentially serious complications for your feet. “Foot care is a central component of overall diabetes care,” says Dan Michaels, DPM. “Without precautions, even small foot problems can lead to amputation or be life-threatening.”   Visit a foot and ankle surgeon to determine if…