johnlampe, Author at Tamarack Habilitation Technologies, Inc.

Conventional wisdom says to medical professionals: control inflammation to promote muscle healing. A new study from the Cleveland Clinic questions this convention. Lan Zhou, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic found that inflammatory cells (macrophages) in acute muscle injury produce a high level of an insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) which increases the rate […]

I recently spent 10 days in Banff and Jasper National Parks in Canada hiking mostly every day. During the first couple days it was either raining or snowing. I like to hike in low cut hiking shoes so my feet got wet. I had on synthetic socks which kept my feet warm and pretty dry. […]

Users of ENGO® most commonly apply the blister prevention patches to footwear. If your golf shoes are causing blisters, ENGO® will certainly work wonders. However, ENGO® also can be applied to other things to prevent blisters. Many golfers develop blisters on their hands even though they wear gloves. ENGO® can be used in such a […]

It is so helpful when experts summarize the best available evidence for management of a disease. Richard Seah and Sivanadian Mani-Babu recently did this in an article in the British Medical Bulletin entitled: “Managing Ankle Sprains in Primary Care: What Is the Best Practice? A Systematic Review of the Last Ten Years of Evidence.” Here […]

Many people might assume that private insurance companies offer more generous health insurance benefits than Medicare. NOT SO! For example, many private plans limit the number of prosthetic or orthotic devices (for example, artificial limbs and orthopedic braces) that an insured can be provided under the plan. Typically, the plan might limit the insured person […]

People with rheumatoid arthritis often develop calluses on their feet. A callus is “often the source of severe pain in those patients reporting symptoms of walking on glass, pebbles, or stones.” Helliwell P, the Foot and Ankle in Rheumatoid Arthritis (2007). As mentioned in a previous blog post, high plantar shear forces acting on plantar […]

Helmets can create points of pressure and shear loading on the head. The head doesn’t have a lot of fat for padding. Especially for those of us (like me) who have oddly shaped heads – mine is long and narrow – prolonged helmet wearing can be uncomfortable and even cause headaches. This is especially true […]

This thread in Podiatry Arena discusses surgery to relieve heel pain a runner was experiencing associated with Haglund’s deformity: “Haglunds in an Elite Marathoner.” Kevin Kirby, a well-known podiatrist, makes this statement: “Avoid this surgery if possible since a poor or fair surgical result will end her running career.” Another podiatrist states: “Long slow recovery […]

Dennis and Erick Janisse recently wrote a thorough piece on footwear for the diabetic foot or the foot with partial amputation. The article is entitled: “Shoes, Orthoses, and Prostheses for Partial Foot Amputation and Diabetic Foot Infection.” The article covers a number of critical topics: Proper Shoe Selection and Fit Shear and Plantar Pressure Shoe […]

People with rheumatoid arthritis may experience increased mediolateral shear stresses on their feet than controls. This results in increased pain. That is the conclusion of another study on plantar shear forces conducted by Metin Yavuz of the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine and researchers from the Cleveland Clinic: “Plantar Shear Stress Distribution in Patients with […]