Clinical

People often associate pain in the heel with heel spurs.  The condition that is usually the culprit is plantar fasciitis, which is a ligament that attaches to the heel bone that pulls on the heel bone and causes pain.  If the pulling persists, the heel forms calcification and a spur can be seen on x-ray.  … Read more

Foot stretches are very important for patients who do not have enough motion in the ankle joint to lift their foot up.  This may cause conditions such as plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinitis.  We will demonstrate the appropriate stretches to do for these conditions and other conditions as part of a treatment plan. Implementing foot … Read more

Having proper shoes is key to preventing and treating foot pain.  We will discuss the type of shoes that you will need to treat the condition, and prevent the condition from recurring.  Sometimes that may involve getting out of shoes and wear a special post-op shoe or walking cast for awhile.  Dr. Hoy will discuss … Read more

Corns are small calluses that occur over joints or other pointy bony prominences, and may be deep and very painful.  It is the skin’s protective mechanism to form this extra skin.  But, the formation of extra skin can only trigger more skin production and begin a cycle.  This cycle has to be interrupted by taking … Read more

One example of abnormal gait in children is toe walking, or equinus.  We consider the angle of the ankle joint bringing the foot up, called dorsiflexion, with the subtalar joint, the joint below the ankle joint, at a neutral position. The expected value at birth is 75 degrees of dorsiflexion with no functional limitations. As … Read more

Walking from Chicago Health SMB Brands on Vimeo. Circulation is very important for healing of the feet from surgery or wounds.  It is the most important vital sign of the foot.  Smoking is the number one enemy of good circulation in the foot, and walking is the number one friend.  During every visit, Dr. Hoy … Read more

 Hammertoes are curved toes that may be straighten out or not.  They can be painful and develop corns or calluses.  Hammertoes that occur suddenly, over the course of a few days or weeks, with pain on the bottom of the foot could be a different condition altogether, a plantar plate tear, and needs to … Read more

Up to 85 percent of ankle sprains are caused by the foot turning inward.  More than just the ligaments are harmed in an ankle sprain.  Bones, joints and their capsules, muscles and tendons, and nerves can be injured.  The latter can result in numbness, tingling, burning, radiating/shooting pain, cramping, weakness or motor function deficits.  Fifteen … Read more

Having seen a wide variety of patients of different ages, occupations, activities since 2000, foot and ankle Dr. Hoy in Seattle has one suggestion to minimize foot pain. The single most important treatment for foot pain is to wear a good quality, supportive shoe. Oftentimes, people choose shoes for the style and look.  However, to … Read more

What are Sweaty Feet? Excessive sweating of the feet is called hyperhidrosis. It’s more common in men than in women, and more common in young adults than older adults. People whose feet sweat excessively often also have problems with excessive sweating of the palms. According to the International Hyperhidrosis Society, 3 percent of the population suffers … Read more