Sprained ankles can lead to ongoing gait instability, pain and loss of walking  with confidence. The most common injury is for the foot to roll over to the outside; the lateral ankle inversion sprain. Annually, over 300, 000 serious ankle sprains report to UK A+E. Eversion sprains, whereby the foot rolls inwards in , is less common and,but more serious in presentation. Generally, individuals rest and ice a sprained ankle, but can be aware they have incurred a serious injury. Ankles are complex anatomical structures. There are lots of little ligaments holding the whole structure together ..read more

The post What is that lump on my foot? By George Hynek appeared first on Compleet Feet ..read more

The ‘super foot fungus’ – Drug resistant fungal foot infections are presenting podiatrists with more of a clinical  challenge. In October 2017, I wrote a blog  raising the issues of treatment resistant fungal nails with biofilms. Fungal biofilms are similar to those bacterial ones found in the body which are resistant to antibiotics. It was first brought  to my attention in 2017, by the US Podiatry Today journal regarding the difficulties of treating treatment resistant dermatophytomas. Having been a specialist in the treatment of fungal nail pathologies for many years it was an ..read more

Katrina Waller news update. Katrina has not been in clinic lately, and it has left a bit of a hole in the amount of specialist treatments Compleet Feet can offer. She has been diagnosed with Muscle Tension Dysphonia. This is a condition of the voice box whereby the vocal cords are not functioning correctly. Katrina is unable to vocalise a full range of speech. This obviously makes working and  patient interaction difficult. She has been advised to have intensive speech therapy and not return to work until her true voice returns. Currently she squeaks like a mouse and at its worse voice co ..read more

Love having your feet tickled or hate it? Scientists have found that tickling the soles of the feet can reduce stress as laughing releases endorphins which can be beneficial to health like reducing cortisol levels. Charles Darwin observed chimpanzees tickling the soles of their babies, as a form of social bonding. It releases the “feel-good” hormones in the body building emotional bonds. Tickling, stimulates the production of dopamine in the brain. Levels of dopamine are raised with laughter  and feeling happy.   The soles of the feet are highly innervated with minute nerve endings c ..read more

Laser treatment Covid toes. Can low level lasers treat long Covid toes? There have been many reported cases of patients left with painful cold toes weeks  after having Covid-19. It was first reported in 2021, that some Covid patients were experiencing mottle discoloration, rashes and swelling in their toes. On examination they looked to be chilled with classic chilblain presenation. In most cases the symptoms would resolve, but some patients long after recovering from Covid still experience uncomfortable toes. Are long Covid toes chilblains? No, is the simple answer. The differential diag ..read more

Compleet Feet YouTube Best Fungal Nail Treatment option. I took this clip from from the US My Feet Are Killing Me series 2, which is currently being aired on TLC. It highlights what US podiatrists consider to be best practice for chronically diseased fungal nails; surgically remove them. I recently had a conversation with an American dermatologist Ali Dana, who remarked that treating chronically infected fungal nails was one of her most challenging pathologies to treat. She also went on to comment  that she referred patients onto podiatrists to surgically remove fungal nails, as she too f ..read more

Painful non-ingrown big toenails (hallux) do not need to be ingrown to be painful. A painful nail is termed onychalgia.  Common reasons for acutely painful big toenails are the classic ingrown toenails (onychocryptosis). This is when the nail pierces the skin causing inflammation, sepsis and associated pain. Patients could have underlying health issues like diabetes, gout resulting in altered sensation termed peripheral neuropathy. There may be obvious signs of trauma or an underlying tumour to explain the pain. None of this explains why healthy individuals with non-ingrown toenails exper ..read more

Struggling podiatry diabetic footcare is becoming of increasing concern in both NHS and private sectors. Diabetic healthcare generally has been struggling to keep up with demands, having been seriously impacted by the Covid pandemic. Patients have not been getting their regular diabetic check-ups or found it harder to get face to face contact with health professionals. What has been the main impact of this?  The Independent Diabetic Trust (IDT) published an article recently on the UK’s current healthcare situation. In a study carried out by Prof Jonathan Valabhji, the national clinical di ..read more

When is lichen planus nail not fungal? Patients who present with crumbly diseased looking finger and toenails can too easily be diagnosed with fungal nails (onychomycosis). The appearance is often similar. The nails can have thickening, splitting, lifting, thickening and subungual hyperkeratosis (hard skin under nail plate edge). Often patients have already been prescribed topical anti-fungal agents and have been using them religiously to nil effect. So, what is nail lichen planus (LP)? Lichen planus is a benign dermatological skin condition affecting the skin and nails. It is thought to be an ..read more