Marty Carlson, the founder and co-owner of Tamarack and I were looking through some old seminar materials on neuropathic ulcers that Marty had. The National Hansen’s Disease Center, then located in Carville, Louisiana, had conducted the seminar. Included in the materials was a 1983 article written by Dr. Paul W. Brand, the legendary physician who […]
This is an interesting discussion on Present Podiatry about the importance of debriding calluses or nails. As pointed out by several of the podiatrists, they use the debridement session as an opportunity to examine the callosity or nail more closely. As one practitioner noted, an examination after debridement of a callus can often expose an […]
This is the title of a forthcoming research article from two researchers at the Lerner Research Institute – part of the Cleveland Clinic. Doctors Metin Yavuz, PhD, and Brian L. Davis, PhD, are the co-authors. Doctors Davis and Yavuz have done extensive research over the past 10 to 15 years on measuring shear and pressure […]
Calluses are a particular problem for people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. An earlier post entitled Callus Prevention on Diabetic Feet through Friction Reduction explores in greater depth why callusing poses a risk. One way to deal with calluses on the diabetic foot is debridement. However, debridement of calluses should only be undertaken by a healthcare […]
Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic did a small pilot study looking at shear reducing diabetic insoles worn by healthy subjects. Their hypothesis was that if shear reduction works with these insoles, step length should be shortened. Matassini et al. Do shear reducing diabetic insoles really reduce plantar shear? The paper is being presented on October, […]
A recent case study compared three ankle foot orthoses for treating posterior tibial tendon dysfunction (PTTD) also known as adult acquired flatfoot. Neville CG, Houck JR, Choosing among 3 ankle-foot orthoses for a patient with stage II posterior tibial tendon dysfunction, J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2009 Nov;39(11):816-24. The case study considered a custom non-articulating […]
This news item will not be in our employee recruitment brochure: I was at a conference last Wednesday, the day of the big snowstorm in the Midwest. When I came into my office on Thursday, I found a snow drift in my office. It wasn’t as big as the ones outside, but it did reach […]
Excessive shear stresses on the foot can cause a variety of problems. One of those problems is a condition called metatarsalgia. Metatarsalgia generally refers to pain in the metatarsal region of the foot, i.e., the area in front of the arch and behind your toes that includes the ball of your foot. The primary symptom […]
We discussed the disadvantages of moleskin for treating skin trauma in an earlier blog entry, Moleskin: Review of an Outdated Foot Care Remedy. In Blogs, Listservs, and other locations, however, we continue to read recommendations from orthotists to use moleskin to manage skin irritation caused by orthotic devices. Moleskin has three disadvantages: First, it is […]
Phil Stevens, M.Ed, CPO, FAAOP, just completed a technical note entitled: “The use of ShearBan® in addressing dermatological concerns encountered in the management of deformational plagiocephaly.” Orthotists often fabricate cranial remodeling helmets (aka cranial molding helmets) for infants who have deformational plagiocephaly. Deformational plagiocephaly refers to a misshapen head caused by repeated pressure to an […]