Advice on Foot Care

A Lisfranc’s injury is becoming a common term among football fans with Indianapolis Colts defensive end, Dwight Freeney, sidelined by this injury.

The Lisfranc joint is actually a group of joints where the long bones in the foot (metatarsals) meet the midfoot (tarsal bones). These joints are held together by a series of ligaments on the top and bottom of the foot. The lisfranc’s ligament connects the base of the 2nd metatarsal to the 1st cuneiform and is the strongest ligament of the group.

A Lisfranc’s injury is the rupture of the lisfranc’s ligament and the associated dislocation of the lisfranc’s joint. The rupture of the ligament may be accompanied by metatarsal base fractures (breaks in the long bones in the foot). This injury is called a Lisfancs fracture-dislocation. The injury is often misdiagnosed as a simple foot sprain because the changes on X-ray can be very subtle. Continue Reading »

Hyperhidrosis is a condition characterized by increased perspiration beyond what is necessary for normal temperature regulation in the body. Approximately 1% to 3% of the US population has hyperhidrosis (HH). Excess sweating of the feet is called plantar hyperhidrosis. Certain types of footwear can increase sweating in the feet, but those with hyperhidrosis can experience increases in perspiration due to anxiety, drinks with caffeine, the nicotine in cigarettes and even with spicy food. These food items don’t cause hyperhidrosis, they just exacerbate it.

When there is excessive moisture around the feet, the skin on the bottom of the feet will appear wet, white, wrinkled and pitted. Excessive sweating in the feet can contribute to the development of athlete’s foot, warts, blisters, infections and foot odor. The excessive sweating can make wearing sandals difficult, as the foot tends to slide over the sandal when walking.

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