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The Negative Benefits of Exercise

The Negative Benefits of Exercise

Part of the tale clarifies the importance of proper diagnosis in directing correct treatment. But how many patients are fobbed off? NHS versus the independent sector springs to mind; both have their value and benefits. Who do you consult?

For the most part, it would be the GP. If it were purely medical, that would be my route, but because I was a lower limb MSK specialist, I knew my way around the UK healthcare system better than most. I am over a year on today, and my shoulder is 90+% better, and the treatment was excellent.

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Fiction to Aid Real-Life Conditions

Fiction to Aid Real-Life Conditions

Consider the common problem of repetitive wrist strain. Anna goes to her doctor, who is an okay man but too laid back compared to the GP who dealt with my patient when I first experienced the condition. The doctor decided the actual patient, who was fourteen, was mad and all in her head, so he sent her to a psychiatrist. In David’s latest book—Fatal Contracts, we are dealing with consent—under his pen name R.C.Blyth, he uses fiction to drive the narrative and inform people about a little known condition still very much alive.

read more
The Ageing Foot

The Ageing Foot

We are made from interactive organs and a skeleton combined with a blood and nerve supply controlled by the brain. There are no anatomical parts which fail to display a lack of weakening. Some do better than others. Sitting in a place from which to observe our fellow man, we see all types of movement. Children running around with a complete lack of pain or concern for weakened muscles slowing pace, lack of breath or poor reflexes. The foot is an organ of the body as it comes as a complete package controlled but all the above organs. However, it is a functional part of the anatomy, which means it moves, has to take load and reflects medical diseases.

read more
Starter Guide for Taping

Starter Guide for Taping

We can use commercially developed braces and soft forms of splinting to support joints and soft tissue (ligaments and muscle) to limit pain, support function and, above all, provide continuing activity whilst limiting damage. Tapes adhered to the skin have been promoted as an adjective for achieving the same aim. In this article, I will bring some ideas into focus about taping (strapping). While you can undertake these at home, placement and technique are best applied with someone to aid your technique. Focusing on the shoulder, the knee and the ankle provides an idea of how assistance can be used and I have delved into my own experience as a patient.

read more
The Magic of the Pelvic Floor

The Magic of the Pelvic Floor

For the most part we are led to believe that many post natal issues are just ‘normal’ or par for the course of being a woman.  Heavy periods, incontinence, painful sex, prolapse and suffering the symptoms of the perimenopause are all part of being a woman aren’t they? Much can be overcome by advice and implementing strategies early on.

read more
Skin Cracks & Fissures in Feet

Skin Cracks & Fissures in Feet

Skin fissures can affect all genders, but footwear design can be an influencing factor. The shoe that causes the most problems is the mule or a shoe design that has no heel counter or strap. This allows the heel to slip but can cause the skin to bulge over the edge of the heel. This extra tissue distortion causes skin the thicken and then crack. Cold and damp weather can affect the skin as much as overuse of these shoe designs.

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The Puppet Toe

The Puppet Toe

Zandra’s toe was not dislocated, but untreated hallux valgus (bunion) deformities can cause this problem. The simplest approach is to straighten both the first and second toe together. If the toe problem arises later, as in Zandra’s case, we can deal with the second toe alone. Evidence is poor, so we must look at the broader picture. Do we know when hammer toes start to be notable in the human population?

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Do corn plasters work on corns?

Do corn plasters work on corns?

Today we know more about the humble corn than we have done in the past, but for many patients, sharp dissection on a cyclical basis is a quick fix, even if it is not permanent. Unlike a callus, however, your approach must be considered more cautiously. Part 1 covers some of the reasons why everyone needs to be aware that a corn may appear simple but may not be.

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Hard skin on our feet?

Hard skin on our feet?

If your foot is not conventional in shape, and you have bone prominences, the chances are these parts of the foot will be exposed to pressure. You may have to measure the largest foot and fit this, then use an insock (filler) to allow the smaller foot a better fit. Most shoe shops carry these insocks. Unlined shoes stretch better than lined shoes; you can push paper or shoe trees into the toe box to stretch the shoe. Professional stretching is less common than once available. Cobblers may offer a service to do this for you, or you can purchase a shoe stretcher for under £20 online.

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The Softer Side of Podiatry

The Softer Side of Podiatry

When it comes to skin – callus and corns occur in different degrees and can form extremely painful conditions, from splitting skin (fissures) to deeper ulcers, foreign indwelling damage and cysts. The nail bed harbours many problems and requires skill to navigate fleshy tumours and overgrown blood vessels, causing deformity and distortion known as hypergranulation.

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The Fish Pedicure – good or bad?

The Fish Pedicure – good or bad?

CFP decided to look into this topic further and found some interesting facts. Yes, you can become infected from the doctor fish, as they are sometimes called, although the fish as Garra rufa fish and are found in the Middle East, such as Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, the Far East – Indonesia. The Garra rufa belongs to the carp family. In their natural habitat, their suction helps them stick to rocks so they feed on plankton. In a town called Kangal, it was observed that the resident Garra rufa fed spared normal skin but ate psoriatic plaques. Let’s look at risk and potential reasons for scaremongering. Secondly, we need to feature the Garra Rufa fish.

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The Bunion Corrector.

The Bunion Corrector.

Patients often ask if this type of device is of value for their bunion, which does not mean the bump, but the deformity called hallux valgus. The splint actually has a purpose and function and could be valuable, but we have to specify some reservations because at best, it takes time for a painful joint to settle. The big toe (hallux) splint is often called a ‘night splint’ (illustrated as the main image) implying that it can only be worn at night. In reality, many designs can be used during the day but the one I intend to introduce is used as an adjunct to treatment and in some cases exercises.

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The Social-Historian

The Social-Historian

My starting point was the 1960 state registration Act, and the reason for that was because Gerry Larkin’s examination of ‘chiropody’ had basically run from the 19th century up to 1960. Thus, the sociology of podiatry had already been written up until 1960, but nothing had followed since then. I saw the opportunity, and took it upon myself to be the person to undertake an analysis of the post-1960 profession, and that’s how it happened.  There were other brief articles, mainly by the historian Colin Dagnall, which addressed certain features of the profession during those years, but nothing which specifically drew upon the sociology of the professions. 

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Selling & Misselling Orthoses

Selling & Misselling Orthoses

At ConsultingFootPain my colleagues and I try to take the mystique out of foot health science and recognise it is easy to confuse patients. For example, pronation is yet another word based around anatomical movement.

Sports magazines and journals, podiatrists and others use the word pronation all the time. However, do we know or understand the importance of the term, which can be used to confuse? In addition, there is another angle to this word and one that is often attributed to flat feet.

read more
The Negative Benefits of Exercise

The Negative Benefits of Exercise

Part of the tale clarifies the importance of proper diagnosis in directing correct treatment. But how many patients are fobbed off? NHS versus the independent sector springs to mind; both have their value and benefits. Who do you consult?

For the most part, it would be the GP. If it were purely medical, that would be my route, but because I was a lower limb MSK specialist, I knew my way around the UK healthcare system better than most. I am over a year on today, and my shoulder is 90+% better, and the treatment was excellent.

read more
Fiction to Aid Real-Life Conditions

Fiction to Aid Real-Life Conditions

Consider the common problem of repetitive wrist strain. Anna goes to her doctor, who is an okay man but too laid back compared to the GP who dealt with my patient when I first experienced the condition. The doctor decided the actual patient, who was fourteen, was mad and all in her head, so he sent her to a psychiatrist. In David’s latest book—Fatal Contracts, we are dealing with consent—under his pen name R.C.Blyth, he uses fiction to drive the narrative and inform people about a little known condition still very much alive.

read more
The Ageing Foot

The Ageing Foot

We are made from interactive organs and a skeleton combined with a blood and nerve supply controlled by the brain. There are no anatomical parts which fail to display a lack of weakening. Some do better than others. Sitting in a place from which to observe our fellow man, we see all types of movement. Children running around with a complete lack of pain or concern for weakened muscles slowing pace, lack of breath or poor reflexes. The foot is an organ of the body as it comes as a complete package controlled but all the above organs. However, it is a functional part of the anatomy, which means it moves, has to take load and reflects medical diseases.

read more
Starter Guide for Taping

Starter Guide for Taping

We can use commercially developed braces and soft forms of splinting to support joints and soft tissue (ligaments and muscle) to limit pain, support function and, above all, provide continuing activity whilst limiting damage. Tapes adhered to the skin have been promoted as an adjective for achieving the same aim. In this article, I will bring some ideas into focus about taping (strapping). While you can undertake these at home, placement and technique are best applied with someone to aid your technique. Focusing on the shoulder, the knee and the ankle provides an idea of how assistance can be used and I have delved into my own experience as a patient.

read more
The Magic of the Pelvic Floor

The Magic of the Pelvic Floor

For the most part we are led to believe that many post natal issues are just ‘normal’ or par for the course of being a woman.  Heavy periods, incontinence, painful sex, prolapse and suffering the symptoms of the perimenopause are all part of being a woman aren’t they? Much can be overcome by advice and implementing strategies early on.

read more
Skin Cracks & Fissures in Feet

Skin Cracks & Fissures in Feet

Skin fissures can affect all genders, but footwear design can be an influencing factor. The shoe that causes the most problems is the mule or a shoe design that has no heel counter or strap. This allows the heel to slip but can cause the skin to bulge over the edge of the heel. This extra tissue distortion causes skin the thicken and then crack. Cold and damp weather can affect the skin as much as overuse of these shoe designs.

read more
The Puppet Toe

The Puppet Toe

Zandra’s toe was not dislocated, but untreated hallux valgus (bunion) deformities can cause this problem. The simplest approach is to straighten both the first and second toe together. If the toe problem arises later, as in Zandra’s case, we can deal with the second toe alone. Evidence is poor, so we must look at the broader picture. Do we know when hammer toes start to be notable in the human population?

read more
Do corn plasters work on corns?

Do corn plasters work on corns?

Today we know more about the humble corn than we have done in the past, but for many patients, sharp dissection on a cyclical basis is a quick fix, even if it is not permanent. Unlike a callus, however, your approach must be considered more cautiously. Part 1 covers some of the reasons why everyone needs to be aware that a corn may appear simple but may not be.

read more

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Starter Guide for Taping

Starter Guide for Taping

We can use commercially developed braces and soft forms of splinting to support joints and soft tissue (ligaments and muscle) to limit pain, support function and, above all, provide continuing activity whilst limiting damage. Tapes adhered to the skin have been promoted as an adjective for achieving the same aim. In this article, I will bring some ideas into focus about taping (strapping). While you can undertake these at home, placement and technique are best applied with someone to aid your technique. Focusing on the shoulder, the knee and the ankle provides an idea of how assistance can be used and I have delved into my own experience as a patient.

read more
Old shoe new shoe

Old shoe new shoe

 Let’s look at the everyday shoe. When should our old shoes be replaced for new shoes? If you are like me shoes last a long time, but then we all have our favourites which might wear down faster. My blue trainers looked sad as the outer coat (the Uppers) were speckled with garden shed paint having been replaced as my best friend.  Conversion to a workhorse is economically sound as you can keep shoes going for longer even if they are past their best. When should you chuck them out? How can you keep them lasting longer? This is the subject of my article this month.

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The Irritating Little Toe

The Irritating Little Toe

In this self-help article, the irritating little toe problem is discussed. Usually the problem will settle within a week of self prescribed care. I have chosen this subject as the condition is slightly different from the usual fungal infection affecting the toe. Before panicking and thinking you are unclean read this article from ConsultingFootPain.

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What should you ask from a fact sheet?

What should you ask from a fact sheet?

If you have read my short article Getting the best from clinical information here is the follow-up article offering a little more meat. What should you ask from a fact sheet?  The answer must be equally simple. Factsheets should be well written, have few spelling mistakes and be easy to read. They should be laid out well and ideally not photocopied to death. Well, presented factsheets show the clinician cares as much about you as the information that is offered. 

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