Tuesday, 10 June 2014 18:09
Scientists Develop Smart Sock to Prevent Amputation
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, every twenty seconds someone loses a limb because of diabetes. Hoping to change this number, scientists from the Southern Arizona Limb Salvage Alliance developed what they call a ‘Smart Sock’ that utilizes sensors and fiber optics to detect areas where ulcers may form.
Dr. Armstrong claims this invention was inspired by virtual reality video games. Although this technology is impressive, it is not expected to be available to the public until at least 2019. Until then, many people with diabetes and other systemic diseases are prone to amputation if their condition is left untreated.
If left untreated, systemic diseases can create permanent debilitations in your daily life. If you are contending with foot or ankle difficulty, see podiatrist Dr. Kevin H. Lapoff, DPM of Lake Worth Podiatry. Dr. Lapoff can treat your foot and ankle needs.
Systemic Diseases of the Foot
Systemic diseases affect the whole body, and symptoms usually are displayed in the feet. This condition can make a patient’s ability to walk unbearable. Systemic diseases include gout, diabetes mellitus, neurological disorders, and arthritis.
Gout is caused by an excess of uric acid in the body. Some common symptoms include pain, inflammation, and redness at the metatarsal/phalangeal joint of the base big toe. Gout can be treated by NSAIDs to relieve pain and inflammation, and other drugs to lower the acid levels in the body.
Diabetes mellitus is an increase in the level of blood sugar that the body cannot counteract with its own insulin. When the body doesn’t produce enough insulin this is a factor in Diabetes.
Diabetes of the Feet
Diabetic Neuropathy may lead to damaged nerves and affect the feet through numbness and loss of sensation.
Peripheral Vascular Disease can restrict the blood flow to the feet, and often leads to amputation.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office in Lake Worth, FL. We offer the newest diagnostic and treatment technologies for all your foot ankle injuries.
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Published in Blog
Tuesday, 10 June 2014 18:07
Systemic Diseases of the Foot
There are several systemic diseases, or diseases that affect the whole body, that either display symptoms in the feet or affect the health of the feet. Common systemic diseases that affect the overall health of the feet, and the patient’s ability to walk comfortably, include gout, diabetes mellitus, neurological disorders, and arthritis.
In gout, which is caused by an excessive buildup of uric acid in the body, the most common symptoms of pain, inflammation, and redness occur at the metatarsal/phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe. Any excess levels of uric acid, crystallize and are deposited in tendons, joints, and surrounding bone and muscle tissue. Gout is commonly treated with NSAIDs to relieve pain and inflammation and other drugs to lower uric acid levels in the body. Gout most commonly affects those who are overweight, have low protein diets and lead a more sedentary lifestyle.
Diabetes mellitus is an increase in the level of blood sugar in which the body cannot counteract with naturally occurring insulin in the body. The three types of diabetes, Type I, Type II and Gestational Diabetes, are all signs the body is either not producing enough insulin or is not efficiently using the insulin that is produced. Gestational diabetes only affects women who are pregnant and have never, prior to pregnancy, exhibited symptoms of the disease.
There are two main issues that affect the feet that are commonly caused by diabetes. They include diabetic neuropathy and peripheral vascular disease. Diabetic neuropathy can lead to damaged nerves and affect the feet through numbness and loss of sensation. Peripheral vascular disease restricts the flow of blood to the foot and can, in extreme cases, lead to the necessity of amputating the foot. Peripheral issues that are caused by diabetes and can affect the foot include athlete’s foot, nail infections, corns, blisters, bunions, severe dry skin, plantar warts and ingrown toenails. These can all be attributed to the decrease of blood flow to the foot.
Neurological disorders and rheumatoid arthritis can also have severe impact on the health of the feet. Neurological disorders can affect the nerves in the main structure of the foot and cause loss of sensation and possible decreased muscle response. Rheumatoid arthritis can affect the bones and joint structures of the foot, making it impossible to walk normally without serious pain.
All systemic diseases that affect the foot can effectively be treated to minimize joint and muscle damage if they are diagnosed early and treated with medication and lifestyle therapy. Diabetes patients must monitor their blood sugar levels and work with their physician to keep their levels as close to normal as possible. Rheumatoid arthritis patients should work with their physician to ensure the proper medications are being taken to reduce the amount of damage to the joints of the body.
Published in Featured
Tuesday, 06 May 2014 19:24
Jared Leto’s Weight Gain Results in Case of Gout
In order to physically prepare himself to star in the upcoming film Chapter 27, actor Jared Leto gained seventy pounds. Leto’s increased weight did more than just make him look bad.. Leto’s cholesterol went upward which resulted in Leto contracting the painful condition gout. "Really, it's a stupid thing to do (gaining weight),” Leto said
“I got gout, and my cholesterol went up so fast in such a short time that my doctors wanted to put me on Lipitor, which is for much, much older people." Fortunately Leto toured with band 30 Seconds to Mars after the filming, which expedited the process of getting Leto down to a much healthier weight.
Gout can affect day to day living. If you are experiencing pain in your foot or ankle, see podiatrist Dr. Kevin H. Lapoff, DPM of Lake Worth Podiatry. Dr. Lapoff can assist you with your foot and ankle needs.
What is gout?
Diseases of the feet can affect the whole body, and symptoms usually arise within the feet. A condition like gout can make a patient’s ability to walk unbearable. The pain caused by this disease is often so agonizing that it requires elevation of the feet and some time off for them to fully recover.
Known in the past as “the disease of kings”, Gout is caused by an excess of uric acid in the body. Some common symptoms include pain, inflammation, and redness at the metatarsal/phalangeal joint of the base big toe. This buildup of acid is typically seen on the big toe of the foot and can cause inflammation, redness and swelling. Although these are common symptoms of the diseases others include joint pain, extreme fatigue and a high fever.
Gout can be treated by NSAIDs, which relieves pain and inflammation and other drugs which lowers the acid levels in the body.
For more information about gout, please follow the link below.
If you have any questions feel free to contact our office in Lake Worth, FL. We offer the latest in diagnostic and treatment technology to meet your needs.
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