Whether you’re on your feet all day at work or you are sitting at a desk, your feet are under a lot of stress. Everyone should do basic foot exercises daily, but it is especially important for women who wear high-heels or those that experience foot pain regularly. If you ignore your foot pain, it can lead to chronic pain and cause problems in your knees, hips, and back.

To care for your feet, try these stretching exercises. Stretching reduces the pain caused by arch pain and hammertoes. Here are two basic stretches:

• Standing, place the toes of one foot against the wall with your heel on the ground. Gently lean forward until you feel a stretch in your foot. Hold for 30 seconds and switch feet.
• Sitting down, stretch your leg out straight. Wrap a towel around the ball of your foot and gently pull back until you feel a stretch. Hold for 30 seconds and switch legs.

After your feet are stretched, you should work on strengthening them. Here are some common foot exercises:

• Skinny high-heels or flat sandals can lead to hammertoes and cramps. To avoid this, you can strengthen your toes by placing foam or cork separators between each toe. Once in place, squeeze for five seconds. Repeat this 10 times on each foot.
• If you suffer from plantar fasciitis or arch pain, you can easily reduce pain by getting a golf ball and rolling it back and forth under the ball of your foot. Use light pressure for one minute.
• If you suffer from toe cramps or just want to look great in a pair of heels, then do some heel raises. Stand upright, and raise the balls of your feet up off the ground and hold for five seconds. Repeat 10 to 25 times.

If you suffer from chronic foot pain, you may need more help than these simple exercises can provide. Consider scheduling a consultation with Dr. Zawada at the Family Foot Center. We specialize in all types of foot and heel pain and help patients with everything from bunions to ingrown toenails. Give us a call today at (718) 767-5555 to learn more.  We take ANY INSURANCE that lets US treat YOU!

Yoga is a great way to take care of your feet and prevent joint pain in your ankles, knees, and hips.

In this video, you can learn some great yoga exercises for the feet that you can do at the office or at home.  First, remove your shoes and socks.  While sitting, extend your leg in front of you and work on flexion and inflexion.  You want to make sure your toes are pointed to get a really good stretch.  A second great exercise is rotating your foot in a circular motion; do so for 30 seconds and then change directions.

To learn more about caring for your feet and reducing foot pain, give Family Foot Center a call at (718) 767-5555. We take ANY INSURANCE that lets US treat YOU!

Recently, we have discussed the benefits of orthotics and how to properly stretch and strengthen your feet. To learn more about these topics, visit the links below:

• Prescription foot orthotics may be the support your feet have been missing. To learn more, read this guide from the Hospital for Special Surgery.
• Many would be surprised to lean the major health issues that arise from wearing high-heels. To see the shocking effects, read this infographic from the Washington Post.
• If you are a serious athlete, orthotics may help reduce pain and enhance performance. To learn more, read what the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine has to say.
• It is important to strengthen and stretch your feet. Visit APMA.org for four helpful foot exercises.
• Plantar fasciitis is a painful condition, but its symptoms can be greatly reduced by foot stretching and strengthening exercise. For more information, read this educational guide from AAFP.org.

For more information about the best preventative measures for foot care or you are simply looking for a good podiatrist, give Family Foot Center a call at (718) 767-5555.

Are your feet sore, itchy, or difficult to walk on? If so, you aren’t alone; an estimated 43 million people in the United States suffer from at least one foot problem. At best, these problems can be irritating; at worst, they can seriously damage your ability to use your feet or lead to dangerous infections. Fortunately, it’s easy to avoid developing most of these conditions. Here are three of the most common foot problems:

1. Ingrown toenails. An ingrown toenail occurs when the edge of a nail grows into part of the surrounding flesh, resulting in discomfort, pain, and often infection. You can reduce your chances of having ingrown toenails by taking care to trim your nails regularly, cutting your nails straight across, and wearing shoes with plenty of room for your toes. Never try to treat an ingrown toenail yourself; instead, see a podiatrist as soon as possible.
2. Athlete’s foot. Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection of the foot that is usually contracted through repeated exposure to warm, moist areas. It is usually characterized by cracked and peeling skin, a red or white rash, and discolored toenails. Athlete’s foot can best be avoided by changing your socks and shoes on a regular basis, drying your feet and toes thoroughly after they get wet, and wearing well-ventilated footwear such as leather shoes.
3. Arch pain. Pain in the arches often result from plantar fasciitis, the straining of the tissue in the bottom of the foot. It may also be caused by flat feet or by a traumatic foot injury. To lower your chances of developing arch pain, avoid wearing high heels or other uncomfortable shoes, wear arch support insoles, and perform proper stretching and strengthening foot exercises as advised by your podiatrist at the beginning and end of each day.

When you need a podiatrist, call Family Foot Center. We treat a wide range of common foot health problems, including ingrown toenails, heel pain, bunions, and hammertoes. Call (718) 767-5555 today to set up an appointment with a podiatrist, or visit us online for more information about our foot care services.

ortisone is essential to life.

Cortisone is something each and everyone of us make in our bodies each and everyday.

Cortisone is made by our adrenal glands, which are on top of our kidneys.

Cortisone is a hormone made by the body in response to various forms of stress. It raises the blood sugar, stabilizes cellular structures and in general, causes a temporary increased ability to handle whatever stress we are being subjected to at that time.

When you don’t make enough cortisone, you have a condition known as “Addison’s Disease”.

John F. Kennedy had Addison’s Disease. His body did not make enough cortisone. He was on death’s bed several times in his life and was given the last rights more than once. He was a frail, weak child and teenager. When cortisone first became available in the late 1940’s, his father, Joseph, had cortisone held in various locations all over the world so that his son (“Jack”) would always have it available whenever he needed it.

So cortisone isn’t all as bad as its reputation seems to give it.

In the treatment of certain disease conditions (rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and others) a person may have to take daily doses of cortisone (or prednisone or similar compounds) that -over long periods of time (many months and years)- can lead to water retention, body swelling, “moon face” and other consequences of taking cortisone-like drugs for these very, very long periods of time in strengths many times what our body naturally produces or that a doctor might use for an injection.

The injection of a small amount of cortisone has never been shown to be associated with these kinds of side-effects and no patient should be concerned when their doctor or podiatrist recommends a “cortisone shot”, as long as there is no history of allergy or other unfavorable reaction to it.

This is a brief discussion by Dr. Stanley Zawada of cortisone, where it comes from and its uses. WWW.WHITESTONEPODIATRY.COM

For more information on foot pain or to schedule a podiatry appointment, call Family Foot Centertoday at (718) 767-5555.