Podiatry

With the fall weather comes football season – and unfortunately, with football season comes injury. Whether you find yourself at your local football field to cheer on your own football star, cheering on your high school team from the stands, watching the Buckeyes take the field on Saturdays or the Bengals or Browns on Sundays, chances are you’ll hear the expression “turf toe” at one time or another this season. The expression turf toe might lead one to believe that the injury is a minor ailment limited only to those wearing football helmets and jerseys; however, this is not the case. Turf toe often plagues dancers as well, and can actually impact anyone in the right circumstances as it is an injury to the soft tissue around the big toe joint that occurs when the toe is extended beyond its normal range of motion. Turf toe isn’t a simple injury that pulls a player out of a game or a dancer out of a single performance. It can leave athletes sidelined for weeks in extreme pain. The good ...

by Dr. Allen C. Guehl Regardless of your opinion on health care reform and whether the U.S. will be able to convert all medical records into the electronic format by the 2014 deadline, there is no denying that in this technological age, movement toward electronic medical records is all but certain. Community Foot Specialists wants to be a step ahead of all other Dayton Ohio podiatrists in terms of electronic medical records. We are already well on our way to achieving compliance ahead of the 2014 deadline. So what does the shift to electronic medical records mean for our patients? Even if you are just visiting us for heel pain or ingrown nails, we will be asking all patients for updated allergy information, including information on the severity and type of allergic reaction you may experience. We will also be asking for your email address, so that you can also have access to your electronic medical records if you choose to. Electronic medical records will also allow us to send your...

by Allen C. Guehl, DPM A recent survey conducted by the American Podiatric Medicine Association, found that 72 percent of those surveyed indicated that they do not exercise because foot pain prevented them from doing so. The survey also found that respondents viewed their feet as the least important part of the body in terms of health and well-being, but the number one body part to experience pain. For those of us who practice podiatric medicine, this information is disheartening. We know we can provide relief for many of those people complaining of foot pain. We know the critical importance of the feet to overall health and well being. We know that foot pain is not normal and may be an early indication of a number of health problems including diabetes, arthritis, and nerve and circulatory disorders. With obesity rates across the U.S. on the rise, and foot pain – especially heel pain which is very common in the Dayton area – identified as a deterrent to exercise for many Americans, it ...

Many companies who specialize in products for the feet are trying to cash in on the trend towards those fashionable, and occasionally painful, high heel shoes. If you wear high heels, which according to the American Podiatric Medical Association are about 90% of women, and have experienced some foot pain, you may have spent some time in the foot care aisle at your local grocery or pharmacy. They are marketing insoles made specifically for high heel wearers that claim, “guaranteed relief of foot aches and pains” or “all day comfort.” So, did those claims stand up to the test? Consumer Reports says no. In a report just published this month, consumer reports noted that of the 14 women who tried these insoles made specifically for high heels, none of the wearers reported a relief in their foot pain. A couple wearers said that the shoes were a little more comfortable, but the insoles were not worth the money. Local podiatrist, Dr. Allen Guehl, says that much of the foot pain that he sees ...