Daniel Michaels, DPM, a board-certified podiatrist and foot surgeon, recommends Epsom salt soaks nearly every day to his patients. “Epsom salt has been available for consumer usage for decades, and Epsom salt soaks can be very beneficial to sore, injured feet,” he says.     “As a general rule, I recommend two tablespoons [of Epsom salt]…

Summertime means sweaty foot time. It’s just one of those things that comes with the season. But if you notice your feet are sweating a whole lot regardless of the weather, something else might be going on. “Feet, like hands, tend to get sweaty in the summer heat, especially if you’re wearing shoes or sandals…

According to podiatrist Daniel Michaels, DPM, “A muscle cramp is a strong, painful contraction or tightening of a muscle that comes on suddenly and lasts from a few seconds to several minutes. It often occurs in the legs and toes. A muscle cramp is also called a Charley horse. Nighttime leg cramps are usually sudden…

According to Dan Michaels, DPM, “Calluses are one of the most common foot skin complaints experienced by people of all ages. They often become a greater problem with time, as the skin learns to make callus better, over the years. Heart function decreases so that the skin gets less blood, tissues not as healthy. The…

The two most common ways to get rid of calluses on your feet, says Dan Michaels, DPM, is through mechanical or chemical methods; while mechanical includes the use of foot files, foot “shavers,” and pumice stones, chemical methods involve applying topicals, like gels and creams, to induce shedding of skin layers. Whichever method you use,…

“A bunion is a prominence on the first joint on the base of your big toe on your foot,” Dan Michaels, DPM, explained. In other words, it’s a sizable bump that forms when the metatarsal bone begins to shift outwards. Bunions are often caused by genetics, but can be the result of several other factors…

Bunions have sent many people, primarily women, to the podiatrist’s office, as Dan Michaels, DPM, can attest. The good news is that, according to Dr. Michaels, with early intervention it is possible to avoid bunions.    There are a lot of misconceptions about bunions and what causes them, with many people citing genetics, or even…

“Bunions can develop for various reasons, but they are caused when the big toe begins leaning at an angle toward the other toes, creating a bump,” said Dan Michaels, DPM, a board-certified podiatrist with offices in Maryland.   Dr. Michaels said, “Bunions can form slowly over time, so it’s best to take care of your…

If pain from a bunion is not impacting your daily life, getting wider shoes or using a splint may do the trick. When the discomfort becomes intolerable, a doctor will discuss surgery. “We make a cut in that bone, bring it over back into alignment and put some screws in,” Dan Michaels, DPM explains. “Then…

According to Dan Michaels, DPM, “Buerger’s disease is a condition technically referred to as thromboangiitis obliterans, which affects blood vessels in the body, most commonly in the arms and legs. Blood vessels swell, which can prevent blood flow, and also potentially allow clots to form. Pain will result, associated with the tissue damage from the…