Exercising With Flat Feet

Are your efforts to stay healthy and active being hindered by foot pain? Dr. Tejas Pandya, foot specialist in Troy, NY fully und

erstands how frustrating that can be. There are several reasons why you may be experiencing pain or discomfort while exercising and it is often due to your foot structure.

A flat foot is a very common foot structure. If you are not sure whether or not you have flat feet, stand up barefoot and look at the ground. If the entire sole of your foot is touching the ground, you most likely have flat feet. For most people, having flat feet does not cause pain, problems, and are nothing to be concerned about. There are cases, however, where having this condition can affect your activities.

Being flatfooted means that you lack an arch in your foot. This can result in extra stress and pressure on your feet while you run, workout or are involved in sports. Having flat feet often causes the feet to pronate, or roll inward with each step. Regular running shoes are typically designed for arched feet. Wearing them with flat feet can make you prone to shin splints, tendonitis, ankle sprains and back problems.

If you know that you have flat feet and are very active, come and see Dr. Pandya even if you are not experiencing any pain. Custom orthotics can provide the extra support your feet need during exercise to alleviate present pain and prevent future problems. Dr. Pandya can help you find the best shoes for your feet and offer some great tips to keep your feet healthy during exercise. Make an appointment today by calling our podiatric office at (518) 273-0053 or visit us online at www.capitaldistrictpodiatry.com.  

Barefoot Running & Shin Splints

Photo by: Sura Nualpradid, freedigitalphotos.net

Whether you are a regular barefoot runner or a contemplating future participant to this very popular trend, it is important to be educated on how this style of running could affect your foot health. Dr. Tejas Pandya, foot specialist in Troy, NY has treated many runners over the years with a variety of foot and ankle problems. A very painful but common problem runners often face is shin splints.

Shin splints are associated with pain alongside your shinbone, or tibia. This is the large bone in the front of your lower leg. Injury can occur in this part of the leg with too much stress, overtraining and poor footwear. For a runner, the repetitive impact on hard surfaces can cause stress on the tibia and result in swelling, pain and tenderness.

While there has been much controversy about the safety and effectiveness of barefoot running, there are supporters who claim that regular running shoes are the problem. Certain studies have shown that the extra support in running shoes alters the way our feet should strike the ground and causes our heels to absorb the bulk of the force. This, in turn, can cause injury over time such as shin splints.

Going barefoot causes a runner to land on the balls of the feet instead of the heel, which allows the calf muscle and Achilles tendon to take the bulk of the stress rather than the shin. There are many things to consider, however, before jumping into barefoot running. Without the proper knowledge and training, this activity can lead to serious injury. There are certain foot structures and deformities that may prevent a runner from safely running barefoot.

If you are interested in barefoot running, we suggest coming in to see Dr. Pandya beforehand. He can evaluate the health and structure of your feet, identify any potential problems and offer his expert advice. Call our podiatric office today at (518) 273-0053 or visit us online at www.capitaldistrictpodiatry.com.

Do Flatfeet Affect Running?

The average runner takes 200 steps a minute. You may be too focused on your breathing or making it through a run to even count how many steps you take. Each stride you take while running can put a lot of stress and shock on your feet, ankles, shins and knees. If you have flatfeet, the stress on your feet can be multiplied.

Are flatfeet causing you pain while you run?

Flatfeet are when you do not have an arch on the bottom of your foot. If you stood up on the floor, the entire sole of your foot would touch the ground. Having flatfeet affects the structure of your foot and causes your feet to behave differently than someone who would have an arch.

Flatfeet often cause your feet to roll inward when they strike the ground. This is called overpronation and could be what is causing the discomfort while you run. It changes the normal biomechanics of your foot, which increases the stress on your foot. When your foot rolls inward too severely, the weight of your body is not distributed properly, Normally, it would be distributed evenly to the ball of your foot whereas with overpronation, the inside of your foot takes the brunt of the force.

Unfortunately, the overpronation from flatfeet can also lead to other problems such as plantar fasciitis, shin splints and Achilles tendonitis.

If you need help with alleviating the pain from flatfeet or if you are curious about whether you overpronate or not, contact our Troy, NY podiatric office for help. Foot specialist, Dr. Tejas Pandya can examine your feet, diagnose any cause of pain and find any potential problems that could arise in your future. Call (518) 273-0053 or visit us at www.capitaldistrictpodiatry.com.

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Pregnancy and Feet

Pregnancy could be described using the words of Winnie the Pooh, “A grand adventure is about to begin.” For many pregnant women though, the grand adventure can include some not so fun parts of the journey. One bump along the road is dealing with problems with your feet and ankles.

I am pregnant, what will happen to my feet?

Unfortunately, your feet may not be exempt from the stresses that come along with being pregnant. The natural weight gain during pregnancy can lead to foot, ankle and leg problems. It can make existing problems worse and cause pain and inflammation. While you are pregnant, hormones are released that help loosen ligaments but this can also lead to foot strain.

The last thing you need to be worrying about when pregnant is foot pain, so here are some common problems and what you can do to help each situation:

Flat feet – The hormones that help relax ligaments for birth can also lead to fallen arches. The extra weight adds stress on your arches and your feet may even increase a half or whole size. Wear supportive shoes and try to avoid walking barefoot or standing for long periods of time. Foot specialist, Dr. Tejas Pandya can also provide custom orthotics to give extra support for your feet.

Ankle swelling – Hormonal changes and your body retaining more fluid during pregnancy can lead to swelling of your feet, ankles and legs. Avoid long periods of standing, drink plenty of fluids, wear compression stockings and elevate your legs when you can.

You don’t have to allow foot pain to complicate your pregnancy. Contact our podiatric offices in Troy or Clifton Park, NY for diagnosis and treatment of your foot pain and let Dr. Pandya help you back in your adventure pain free! Call (518) 273-0053 or visit www.capitaldistrictpodiatry.com.

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Extra Weight Can Affect Your Feet

Your feet are the foundation for your body and they often take a beating! On average, feet take 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day and just walking puts the pressure of one and a half times your body weight on your feet. It is even more when running and if you are overweight, your feet are under some serious strain.

The American Podiatric Medical Association warns that our feet are the most vulnerable part of our body for injury. Being overweight increases the risk for injury even further. Dr. Tejas Pandya, foot and ankle specialist in Troy, NY encourages patients if they are gearing up to lose some weight, to keep feet as an important reason to do so.

How can weight hurt your feet?

Adding weights to a workout routine can help build and strengthen muscle but added weight can be detrimental to feet. Muscles, tendons and ligaments can become stretched and weaker. There are many ways that extra weight affects foot and ankle health. Arches can collapse and feet can flatten from the pressure of added weight. This can cause the plantar fascia to be strained. This tendon runs from your heel to your toes and the strain can result in plantar fasciitis and heel pain.

Tendonitis, ankle pain, arthritis and gout are additional foot conditions seen at Dr. Pandya’s podiatric office with patients who are overweight.

What can be done?

For the majority, weight loss is not solved overnight. If you are in the process of losing weight, you can help keep your feet healthy and pain free by selecting supportive footwear. If you have a pronation problem where your ankles lean inward, it can be more severe when overweight. Custom orthotics made for your foot structure can help support your feet and keep them better aligned.

If you have foot or ankle pain due to being overweight, see Dr. Pandya for treatment. Call us today at ((518) 273-0053 or visit our website at www.capitaldistrictpodiatry.com.

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