Are you doing any spring cleaning? If you’re starting with your closet, don’t forget to include your shoes. With spring sports and more outdoor leisure time on the way, it’s time to make some changes. Dr. Brad Toll of Crofton Podiatry has a few tips to guide the spring cleaning that will leave you with only the best shoes for your feet.  What’s on the outside? Take a look at your shoes. What are they telling you? If you see worn soles or holes, it’s time to let them go. If the heels are too high or have become uneven, this is also a tripping hazard. Is it time to switch styles? Fads come a ..read more

Did you know that undiagnosed foot and ankle problems can lead to excessive weight gain? Think about it! If you spend all day at work and come home to aching feet, the last thing you want to do is start exercising. High-impact cardio workouts trends have made exercising even more uncomfortable. Here’s the truth of the matter: the pain you’re experiencing isn’t normal, and you don’t have to just ‘deal’ with it. Just as importantly - if and when you do exercise, it doesn’t have to be high-impact to benefit you!  Continuing to follow a high-impact exercise routine, or any routine that is too dem ..read more

Let’s make a New Year’s resolution together: find a pair of shoes that are foot-friendly and will accommodate a pair of orthotic insoles inside them. Sound good? Depending on what sort of foot and ankle issues you’ve dealt with throughout your life, this might sound easier said than done. Wearing footwear that fits appropriately is more important than you might think, however. It could mean the difference between a slight strain and a full-blown injury, especially during this winter season. In addition to this, properly fitting shoes can help reduce the likelihood of developing different foot ..read more

Have you always had trouble finding shoes that really feel comfortable on your feet? You may not have ‘normal’ feet! Shoe sizing alone isn’t enough to match the complexity of the needs of our feet. When it comes to our feet, we all have different arch heights, toe lengths, heel sizes, fat content, foot widths, and so on. While it’s hard to say what’s truly normal for something that can vary so greatly between everyone, one thing we know for sure: wide feet are not considered normal. It’s okay to have wide feet, but with wide feet can come additional struggles to find proper footwear and have a ..read more

How can you tell if a podiatrist is a right fit for you? When it comes to finding the right podiatrist to trust with addressing your foot and ankle needs, it can be a trying process. Here are the 5 steps to help you find the right podiatrist for you and your unique needs: Website Their website isn’t just information about how to schedule your first appointment. When you visit a potential podiatrists website, it makes a world of difference when there’s a clear effort made to make podiatry care accessible and informational to all patients Services They offer a wide range of services. While o ..read more

Sports are often a big part of our lives whether we watch or participate. This is especially true in the Fall as many children go back to school and play football, basketball, Lacrosse and field hockey among others. With sports also comes the possibility for injury or ailment. One of the major conditions an athlete can suffer from is called Athlete’s foot otherwise known as tinea pedis. What is Athlete’s foot? Athlete’s foot is a contagious fungal infection (trichophyton) that usually occurs between the toes and thrives in moist conditions. Causes of Athlete’s foot include: Sweaty feet Shar ..read more

While many of us can use our shoes and other footwear without support, some need a little extra.  Usually, this calls for something called an orthotic. Known generically as a shoe insert, an orthotic is more specialized and treats specific conditions that an ordinary store-bought item will not. Conditions orthotics treat include: High arches – supports foot arch to keep from overstretching and/or collapsing Flat feet – strengthens the area, supports the foot, and helps with gait Diabetes – can reduce foot stress to avoid foot ulcers, blisters Plantar fasciitis – support area of the ..read more

Among the usual treatment podiatrists employ, Crofton Podiatry also offers the following which you may not know about. They are Cryotherapy, Iontophoresis, Neurolysis, and Extracorporeal Shockwave. Each has their specific uses and applications, but all, if used as designed, can help alleviate many of the problems podiatric patients suffer from. They are: Cryotherapy – it’s the use of cold to freeze off warts. Some treatments call for immersion in a cold cryotherapy bath while others only apply the freezing temperatures to the face or other affected areas. We use a cotton swab to apply liq ..read more

One of the more painful conditions a person can have is a condition called Gout. Gout is the buildup of uric acid in the bloodstream. Uric acid contains knife-like crystals that embed themselves in the soft parts of your joints. Often found in your toes or ankles, gout can also occur in your hands and wrists. The pain can be described as having a throbbing broken bone. Gout makes joints so sensitive that the weight of a bedsheet can cause extreme and excruciating pain. One of the main causes of gout is the consumption of food rich in uric acid, otherwise known as purine rich foods. These i ..read more

Do your feet ever seem sweaty or dry? Or do you ever have the urge to go sockless when it comes to wearing your shoes? It may seem that doing so would air out our feet, but this is not the best thing to do. There are several reasons to wear socks whether it’s for business, casual use or athletic competition and they include: Cushioning – Socks add another layer to our feet when we walk Moisture absorption – keeps our feet dry Prevents the accumulation of bacteria- helps prevents the creation of fungus and athlete’s foot Warmth – helps circulation during cold months Prevents blisters, c ..read more