Monthly Archives: March 2013

Foot Clinic Milton: What causes a plantar wart and how can it be treated?

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A plantar wart, also known as verruca pedis, is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) that occurs on the sole of the foot or the toes.  The virus enters the skin through tiny cuts, breaks or other sensitive sites on the skin of your feet.  The spread of warts most likely occurs in areas that are contaminated by others with plantar warts.  This can include communal showers, pool areas, activities that include being barefoot such as gymnastics, martial arts, etc. The destruction of HPV once it enters the skin depends on the development of immune lymphocytes (small white blood cells) that destroy the virus-infected cells.

Plantar warts generally develop underneath pressure points in your feet such as the heel or the balls of your feet.  They can also occur on the toes.  Since the warts develop under pressure points, they may develop a callus (thickened skin) over top.  Plantar warts look like small, fleshy lesions or growths on the bottom of your feet.  Many warts have small black pinpoints, which are small clotted blood vessels.  If the wart is scratched, pinpoint bleeding can occur.  A cluster of warts in one area of the skin is called a mosaic wart.  Plantar warts can become very painful if not treated.  They are most painful when squeezed as opposed to direct pressure because the skin striations go around the plantar warts.  Plantar warts mostly affect children and teenagers and those with weakened immune systems.

There are various treatment options for plantar warts.  Treatment options depend on the individual and how long they have had the warts.  Since plantar warts can be resistant to treatment, it requires multiple visits and patience to ensure that the wart has been successfully treated. Treatment options include freezing (cryotherapy), various topical medication that includes salicylic acid, cantharidin, Immiquimod, silver nitrate, etc. If none of these treatment options work, there is laser treatment available as well as minor surgery, which involves cutting away the wart.

For more information or to arrange an assessment, contact Ontario Foot & Orthotics at 905-878-6479 in Milton. You can also visit us at www.ontariofoot.ca.

What are custom made orthotics/insoles and how can they help me?

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Custom made orthotics/insoles are a corrective device that is used to support and correct the foot in a functional or accommodative manner.  It is a device that is placed in your shoes and helps correct biomechanical issues that may be occurring.  The orthotics can be prescribed to fit many different styles of shoes such as athletic shoes, dress shoes, safety shoes, and also hockey skates, soccer shoes, etc.

Custom made orthotics are recommended for a number of reasons.  These can range from flat feet to high arches, bunions, heel pain, knee pain, lower back pain, and general foot pain and fatigue.   The orthotics can restrict or assist movement of the foot in a specific direction and help redistribute pressure in the foot to avoid excessive pressure on certain weight bearing areas. The orthotics also helps change the alignment of the body to help reduce discomfort in the ankle, knees, and lower back.

Accommodative custom orthotics helps relieve pain and offload areas of the foot without changing the function of the foot.  These types of insoles are recommended for those with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, diabetic individuals with sensitive feet, and those who just need more support in their feet in certain areas.

Before custom made orthotics are prescribed, a comprehensive assessment is completed.  This includes a biomechanical exam, which looks at the range of motion in the joints of the feet, knees, and hips.  A gait analysis is then completed to determine how the feet function when the body is in motion.  Once that is completed, a cast is taken of the feet through different means (plaster of paris, serofoam, etc.) and the orthotics are manufactured to your specific needs.

For more information or to arrange an assessment, contact Ontario Foot & Orthotics at 905-878-6479 in Milton. You can also visit us at ontariofoot.ca.

You don’t have to live with ingrown toenails

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Living in pain shouldn’t be something that becomes a permanent part of your life. Many people simply learn to live with the constant pain associated with ingrown toenails but there are services out there that can permanently relieve the stress you are dealing with as a result of recurring ingrown toenails.

This is an incredibly common problem and the experts at Ontario Foot and Orthotics can provide a variety of preventative and surgical solutions to ensure you don’t have to live another day with that stubborn ingrown nail.

The reasons that nails become ingrown are many. It could be as simple as wearing the wrong type of shoes for your natural foot shape. That is something that will be looked at during the biomechanical assessment provided at Ontario Foot and Orthotic. During your first meeting they can determine whether your footwear is the problem or if it goes deeper. Some people have feet that are anatomically disposed to cause ingrown nails and some people cut their nails improperly. If you have noticed that you are constantly in pain or that you develop infections in this area, it is time to book an appointment.

There are a few solutions that might suit you. The simplest options are to have the nails cut in the correct manner and to have the offending nail spike removed.  If the ingrown nail is a result of the position of your feet and the way you walk, customized orthotics can help reduce the pressure on the nail preventing ingrown nails from recurring. If it is a matter of nails that are being cut improperly, you can book recurring appointments to treat your nail problems. If you want to deal with ingrown nails once and for all, Ontario Foot and Orthotics actually offers a surgical option that will give you a permanent solution. By removing the nail and chemically burning the root that allows your nails to grow, your nail will not grow back in the area that is causing the pain.  There are options to have a portion of the nail removed, or to have the whole nail removed. It’s fairly non-invasive and many patients are back on their feet in the next day.

Call Ontario Foot and Orthotics at 905-878-6479 in Milton or visit www.ontariofoot.ca for more info.

Foot Doctor : Where does this pain come from? It starts with the feet.

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Ouch! Lots of people experience seemingly inexplicable body pain, especially in cold weather. Aches in your lower body and neck can be a result of situational strain but if you are beginning to notice that it is happening frequently then perhaps the answer you are looking for isn’t under your nose, it starts with your toes.

Everything from the back of the heel, knee, calf, hips, lower back and neck can experience muscle pain as a result of problems with the anatomy of your feet and the way you carry weight when you move. These types of dysfunctions are called biomechanical issues and treating such afflictions is the specialty of a little place in Milton and Cambridge called Ontario Foot and Orthotics.

One example of problems many people have with their feet and simply ignore for most of their life is over or under pronation. Pronation is the way the ankle rolls and rotates naturally during a step and it is something everyone does. The heel comes down first and the ankle rolls a few degrees to evenly distribute the weight of your body across your foot. Problems begin to occur when either the shape of your foot or the way you naturally walk cause you to roll your foot either too much or too little during pronation. This causes too much weight to be disproportionally distributed to certain parts of the foot, depending on how you are pronating.

It seems like a simple fix but these things take an expert to diagnose. The staff at Ontario Foot and Orthotics will schedule an appointment and analyze the shape of your feet and the way you walk. Muscles in your feet span across joints and connect to a whole set of muscles which are connected all the way up your legs, back and neck. Through custom orthotic inserts and preventative strategies to fight pain, Ontario Foot and Orthotics can provide solutions to the mysterious muscle pain you thought would never go away.

Call Ontario Foot and Orthotics at 519-623-3000 in Cambridge or 905-878-6479 in Milton or visit www.ontariofoot.ca for more info.