Whether we want to admit it or not many of us have suffered from tinea pedis, aka athlete’s foot. Yes this is a fungus (gross I know right?!) and you’re probably thinking that is so embarrassing, I don’t want anyone to know I have a fungus on my feet! However athlete’s foot is more common than you think, and it is nothing to be embarrassed about. Luckily for people suffering from this it is easy to take care of after a trip to your local podiatrist at Affiliated Foot and Ankle Care located in Edison and Monroe NJ.

Let’s start with the signs of athlete’s foot. The most common symptoms include, itching, burning and scratching feeling, cracking or peeling skin, possible itchy blisters, thick discolored toe nails and sometimes excessive dryness on the bottom of the foot. Normally all of these symptoms are not present, each person may have 2-3 of these but which symptoms each person gets are different.

There are a few different ways to get athlete’s foot; the most common way is from wearing tight warm moist shoes frequently. This is why it is termed athlete’s foot, because athletes wear sneakers all the time, and they sweat in them which creates a warm moist environment, a perfect place for fungus to grow. Some of our favorite athletes like Lebron James and Mariano Rivera are very prone to suffer from athlete’s foot because of all the time they spend sweating in their sneakers! This fungus can also be spread by coming into contact with it, so if you touch feet with someone who has it, you might get it also!

If you notice any of these symptoms on your feet it is important to go see your podiatrist right away so they can help you take care of it. The most common way to treat this is with an antifungal cream, you will rub it on your feet daily until the infection is gone. Sometimes new shoes are recommended because the fungus may be living in there too! It is also important to get this treated to prevent further complications. Sometimes people can develop secondary infections, which means a bacteria can also start to infect the foot along with the fungus, which could lead to a breakdown of the skin between the toes (and no one wants that!)

By:  Dr. Varun Gujral

What exactly is a bunion? A bunion is when the bone of your big toe gets larger at the end and creates a large bump on the side of your foot. This can be from wearing shoes that are too tight or from high heels. The bump is created when these shoes force your big toe up against your next toe, this forces your big toe to move in the opposite direction; so the bump is made on the outside of the toe. This is more common in women than in men, about 1 in 3 American women will suffer from a bunion. Some of our favorite celebrities like Lady Gaga, who are known for wearing crazy high heel shoes are very prone to developing a bunion. The area where the bone is changing will become painful and swollen. The area will become red and the skin can become thicker. Overtime it may become more and more difficult to walk due to the pain.

 If you think you have a bunion you should make an appointment with your local podiatrist at Affiliated Foot and Ankle Care in Edison and Monroe, NJ. Until you can get an appointment it is best to wear roomy shoes, as wearing tight shoes will make the pain worse. In most cases surgery is required to correct bunions. The surgery will realign the bones of your first toe; it will also realign the tendons and ligaments so that your toe will go back to its correct position.

Prevention is always the best option though! I know that when women go shoe shopping they always go for style over comfort, however your feet don’t like this theory! To prevent bunions you want to look for shoes that are roomy and have NO heels. This will keep your feet, especially your big toe happy! And this will prevent bunions from forming!

By:  Dr. Varun Gujral

Charcot foot affects the nerves and blood supply of the foot, these systems are damaged and as a result the bones and joints become weakened and possibly damaged. The foot can become misshapen due to the bones collapsing, and there can be a lack of feeling in the foot due to the nerve damage. The common symptoms to look for include redness, swelling, pain, instability of the joints, loss of feeling and deformity. 

Charcot foot is seen in patients who have been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and sometimes in patients diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy. Many times Charcot foot goes undiagnosed because the patient has no feeling in their foot and they don’t notice that anything is wrong. However if you do notice any of the above symptoms it is important to make an appointment with your local podiatrist at Affiliated Foot and Ankle Care in Edison and Monroe NJ.

When you go to see your podiatrist they will diagnose Charcot foot by taking x-rays and performing function and sensation exams. Sometimes Charcot foot can mimic other diseases and can be difficult to diagnose, however your podiatrist can diagnose it properly if it is caught early! Catching this disease in its early stages is very important to prevent serious injury and damage to the foot.

The most important thing when treating Charcot foot is to stabilize the joints. This can be done by immobilization with a cast or walking boot, crutches to prevent weight bearing and custom shoes and braces can be used. In severe cases surgery may be required to fix the joints and deformities. Surgery can be done to remove excess bone or cartilage; it can also be done to realign different parts of the foot that may have moved from their original position. After surgery immobilization is very important for the foot to heal.

By Dr. Nrupa Shah

In your calf there are deep layers of muscles; one of these muscles is known as the tibialis posterior muscle. The tendon of this muscle attaches the muscle to the bones on the inside of the foot. This tendon functions to support the arch of the foot, and to support the foot while walking.  If the tendon simply becomes inflamed, you will most likely be diagnosed with posterior tibial tendonitis. In some occasions the tendon can actually tear. A posterior tibial tear is the most common reason for an adult’s flatfoot.

The common symptoms of this tendonitis include pain on the inside of the foot and ankle, this area may also be swollen, and the pain will get worse with activities like walking or running. Sometimes there can also be pain on the outside of the ankle due to the heel bone shifting outwards due to the inflammation of this tendon. This injury is common in runners, basketball players and tennis players. Also women are more likely to get this than men, and people over the age of 40 are at a higher risk for developing this.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms it is important to make an appointment with a podiatrist at Affiliated Foot and Ankle Care in Edison and Monroe NJ to get a proper diagnosis. Your doctor will do a few things to confirm this diagnosis; they will look for swelling in the indicated area, a change in shape of the foot due to the heel bone moving and a very important test they will do is ask you to stand on your tip toes on one let at a time. When this tendon is healthy anyone should be able to do that without a problem, but when there is tendonitis trying to do this will be painful and most likely won’t be able to do it.

After a diagnosis is made your podiatrist will recommend rest, ice and Tylenol to help with the pain and inflammation. Your doctor will also recommend custom orthotics to help relieve the stress off the tendon so it can heal. In severe cases steroid injections or braces may be required to help the tendon heal.

By:  Varun (Ben) Gujral, DPM

I’m sure most of you have never heard of a Salter Harris fracture before unless you, a sibling or one of your own children has had one. Salter Harris fracture is different from other common fractures because the fracture occurs at the growth plate; so that makes this fracture special to pediatric patients! There are 9 types of this fracture, 5 are more common, and 4 of them are very rare. We will discuss the 5 more common types. Type I is a transverse fracture through the growth plate, this fracture basically separates the bone in two by splitting the growth plate. Type II is a fracture through the growth plate and through the “neck” part of the bone above the plate. This is the most common form seen! Type III is a fracture through the growth plate and the part of the bone below the plate. Type IV is a fracture through the growth plate and the “neck” above and the area below the plate. Type V is a compression fracture through the growth plate, the fracture doesn’t separate the bone in two like a Type I, the distance of the plate is reduced making the bone “shorter”.

Since the growth plate is involved in this fracture, your podiatrist's main concern will be figuring out how this will affect the growth of the child. For Type I and II growth disturbance is usually uncommon with no functional limitations. A Type III however usually results with the child having a chronic disability, but there is usually no growth deformity. A Type IV is similar to a Type III in the fact that is causes a chronic disability, but it also can cause a deformity of the joint because of the bones fusing together. Type V is a little more difficult to diagnose because the growth plate isn’t necessarily being fracture, it is being compressed. Since the growth plate is being compressed it can cause problems in growth for the child, it can cause the growth plate to fuse earlier than it normally would.

If your child falls and you think that they may have fractured one of their leg bones, make an appointment to visit one of the podiatrists at Affiliated Foot and Ankle Care, located in both Monroe and Edison, NJ to get a diagnosis! The only way to diagnose these fractures is by x-ray; and most of these fractures will require surgery to fix and rehab will be required to regain strength of the foot and leg.

By Dr. Varun Gujral