Category: Blog

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Diabetes and Foot Health: A Go-to Guide

It’s always important to maintain the health of your feet and ankles, but people who struggle with diabetes must pay even more attention than the average individual. Due to potential complications arising from high blood sugar, diabetes can inflict significant damage in a short amount of time.

Left unchecked, complications might lead to serious consequences like amputations. That’s why this blog post will offer some clear, simple advice on diabetic vigilance and management techniques courtesy of the expert team at Step by Step Family Foot Care.

Understanding the Risks of Diabetes

High blood sugar levels associated with diabetes can damage nerves and blood vessels, especially in the feet. This nerve damage can cause numbness, tingling, pain, or even a complete loss of feeling. Without the ability to feel your feet, it becomes difficult to detect potential problems like wounds or infections, which, when combined with poor blood circulation, can lead to gangrene, a serious condition that may necessitate amputation or surgery.

Early Detection is Key

Even minor cuts, blisters, or dry skin can evolve into serious foot problems for diabetics. Here’s a checklist of what to look out for:

  • Blisters
  • Cuts or scrapes
  • Ulcers (open sores)
  • Dry, cracked skin
  • Calluses
  • Coldness in the feet

Taking Steps Towards Healthy Feet

The good news is that there are proactive measures you can take to safeguard your foot health:

  • Manage your blood sugar levels: Maintaining good blood sugar control helps minimize nerve and blood vessel damage.
  • Daily foot inspections: Make it a habit to check your feet every day for any cuts, blisters, or changes in skin texture.
  • Podiatrist care: Schedule regular appointments with a podiatrist for professional foot care and maintenance.
  • Proper footwear: Wear well-fitting shoes with good support and clean socks that absorb moisture.
  • Never go barefoot: This increases your risk of cuts, scrapes, and punctures.
  • Consider orthotics: Custom orthotics can improve alignment and provide additional comfort and support for your feet.

At Step By Step Family Foot Care, we are dedicated to providing comprehensive podiatric services. If you have any concerns about your foot health, please contact our office at (973) 917-3785 or visit our website to schedule an appointment with Dr. Debra Manheim. Our friendly staff in Parsippany is here to help you keep your feet healthy and happy!

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It’s Time to See Your Podiatrist!

Let’s face it: Visiting the doctor isn’t always a top priority. Between hectic schedules and readily available over-the-counter remedies, DIY treatments can seem tempting. However, when it comes to your feet, neglecting potential issues can lead to bigger problems, additional complications, and unnecessary aches.

Step By Step Family Foot Care will always try to keep patients posted on what they can do to catch problems early or prevent them altogether. That’s why this blog will cover some key situations that merit calling your podiatrist right away! Read on to learn what to watch for.

Navigating Diabetes:

Athlete’s Advantage:

  • Athletes put their feet through the ringer, making them prone to injuries.
  • While minor aches might seem manageable, ignoring them can worsen into chronic issues. Seek professional help for suspected injuries to ensure a quick and safe recovery. Preventive care like gait analysis and proper footwear recommendations can keep you in the game longer.

Don’t Forget Fungi:

  • Athlete’s foot, despite its name, affects everyone.
  • While over-the-counter antifungals exist, stubborn toenail infections or recurring outbreaks require expert intervention.
  • Early diagnosis and targeted treatment from your podiatrist can nip the fungus in the bud, preventing spread and ensuring a lasting cure.

If your feet are trying to tell you something, listen up! Persistent pain, swelling, changes in appearance, or unusual sensations are all signs that warrant a visit to your podiatrist. Prevention is the best medicine, and regular checkups can save you time, money, and discomfort in the long run. Invest in your foot health – schedule a podiatry appointment today and step towards a confident, pain-free future!

Step By Step Family Foot Care is here to assist you with any of your podiatry needs. To make an appointment with Dr. Debra Manheim, call us at (973) 917-3785 or visit our site to schedule an appointment. The staff at our Parsippany office is ready and eager to help.

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Your Guide to Healthy Feet

At Step By Step Family Foot Care, we enthusiastically encourage our patients to be proactive about the health of their feet. Your feet are the foundation of your body. We take them for granted most days, but healthy feet enable you to stand, walk, run, work, shop, and do almost every other activity you love. There is much you can do to keep your feet fully functioning and prevent podiatric disorders. Let’s take a closer look.

Choose Your Shoes Wisely

Shoes that are well-made and fit properly are essential to maintaining your feet’ health. Get your feet professionally measured. Don’t be surprised if one foot is larger than the other – this can happen! Always buy shoes to accommodate the larger foot. Choose footwear styles with these features:

  • Roomy toe box (you should be able to wiggle all your toes freely)
  • Heel heights of two inches or less, but not completely flat
  • Good arch support
  • Cushioned insole and heel cup

Your shoe choice can minimize your risk of bunions, hammertoes, plantar fasciitis, and other foot problems, so choose carefully!

Don’t Neglect Daily Foot Care

Washing your feet daily with warm, soapy water and drying feet completely can go a long way toward preventing bacterial and viral infections like athlete’s foot. Apply talcum or anti-fungal powder in the morning and a thick moisturizer at night. Keep nails trimmed, and be sure that the nails are not growing into the skin of the nail bed and becoming ingrown.

Never Ignore Your Pain

Pain, numbness, burning, swelling, bruising, and tenderness in your feet are all your body’s way of telling you there’s a problem. Putting off seeking treatment can often lead to worsening the condition and even developing secondary disorders. Contact us if you are concerned about an issue with your toes, feet, or ankles.

Step By Step Family Foot Care is here to assist you with your podiatry needs! To make an appointment with Dr. Debra Manheim, call us at (973) 917-3785 or visit our site to schedule an appointment. The staff at our Parsippany office is ready and eager to help.

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Diabetes and Your Feet

Diabetes

April is National Foot Health Awareness Month! Our feet do so much for us, and we often take that for granted. If you suffer from diabetes, it’s especially important to keep a close eye on the health of your feet and put extra time and effort into taking care of them. Amputation and surgery may be your only solution if you aren’t careful. How can you prevent it? Let’s take a closer look.

The Trouble with Diabetes

With diabetes comes high blood sugar. Over time, this can damage your nerves and blood vessels, primarily in your feet. Nerve damage creates numbness, tingling, pain, or even loss of feeling in your feet. If you can’t feel any pain in your feet, it’s hard to tell when a potential problem will show up. You might be walking around with a wound or infection for weeks without realizing it, especially if it’s occurring on the underside of your foot!

Pay Close Attention

Even small cuts or blisters can become serious foot ailments when it comes to diabetes. One of the best ways you can prevent that is by regularly checking your feet for unusual findings. Here are some things to look out for:

Wounds can get infected, and because diabetes affects the way you heal, it’s easy for complications to arise. Infections and poor blood flow can lead to gangrene. In worst-case scenarios, amputation and surgery are necessary. If you spot anything questionable, contact your podiatrist as soon as possible!

Keep Your Feet Safe

Luckily, there are some simple steps you can take to prevent a worst-case scenario situation. Controlling blood sugar is at the top of the list, as it will help lessen damage to your blood vessels and nerves. Alongside that, here are other ways to keep your feet healthy:

  • Check your feet every day.
  • Wash your feet every day.
  • Work alongside a podiatrist to keep your feet pain-free.
  • Wear well-fitting shoes and clean socks.
  • Never walk barefoot.
  • Look into orthotics.

Step By Step Family Foot Care is here to assist you with any of your podiatry needs! To make an appointment with Dr. Debra Manheim, call us at (973) 917-3785 or visit our site to schedule an appointment. The staff at our Parsippany office is ready and eager to help.

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What Is Gout?

Gout

Over 3 million Americans are affected by gout each year, making it a very common condition that not many know much about. So, what is it? Gout is a painful form of arthritis, with the big toe joint usually being most affected. It can create tenderness, inflammation, and redness, making it difficult to walk and participate in our everyday activities. Gout has a lot to do with what we eat and with March being National Nutrition Month, we thought it was the perfect time to go over some quick facts.

All About Gout

As stated above, gout is a form of arthritis that normally affects the big toe joint, but it can affect other joints, too. It begins when your body has abnormally high levels of uric acid.

Our bodies naturally produce uric acid, but we get it from different foods, as well. When our bodies have excess levels of uric acid, it creates sharp crystals in our joints, tissues, and bloodstream. This can be disastrous for our joints, which is where gout comes in. With gout, you’ll likely experience severe pain, swelling, and redness in your joints.

What About Uric Acid?

When we eat foods rich in purines, our bodies are more likely to develop gout. Which foods have high levels of purines? Things like…

  • Red meat
  • Shellfish
  • Beer
  • Red wine
  • Brandy
  • Food and drinks high in fructose sugar, like soda

To prevent gout, limit your intake of purine-rich foods, exercise daily, and maintain a healthy weight.

Treating This Condition

If you have gout, you’ll likely have to take some sort of medication to combat your symptoms. Some will reduce any inflammation you have, while others prevent pain from gout attacks by lowering the amount of uric acid in your bloodstream.

Step By Step Family Foot Care is here to assist you with any of your podiatry needs! To make an appointment with Dr. Debra Manheim, call us at (973) 917-3785 or visit our site to schedule an appointment. The staff at our Parsippany office is ready and eager to help.

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Is It Time to See Your Podiatrist?

Podiatrist

Visiting your doctor isn’t a particularly fun activity, even if the visit is necessary. These days people prefer the comfort and flexibility of at-home treatments and over-the-counter medications versus professional treatment for their affliction or injury. In some cases, seeing your doctor in person isn’t required and you can successfully recover at home. But other times, it’s best to call your podiatrist for help. Here are some of the top circumstances in which scheduling an appointment with your foot doctor is especially important.

You Have Diabetes

If you have diabetes, you likely deal with daily numbness and poor circulation in your feet from nerve damage. When this happens, it becomes harder to tell if you’ve injured yourself, due to loss of feeling. Foot and ankle ailments frequently go undetected and can lead to long-term damage. This is why it’s crucial to see your podiatrist daily when you have diabetes! Frequent visits will not only help keep your feet in check, but your foot doctor will also be able to help you with any side effects you’re experiencing. Orthotics and insoles are a popular choice for diabetics, which you can get fitted for right in our office.

You Play Sports

Athletes are no strangers to injuries. While some injuries are unavoidable, some can be avoided with special precautions and a good foot care routine. Trying to treat an injury at home can do more damage to your feet, which is why you should always call your podiatrist if you suspect you have one. If you play a sport or work out frequently, taking good care of your feet and ankles can not only help with your performance but keep you active for years to come. A podiatrist can help ensure you’re in the best foot health you can be in.

You Have a Fungal Infection

Despite its name, not only athletes catch athlete’s foot. Athlete’s foot is one of the most common fungal infections you can have. Even though there are a wide variety of at-home treatments available, foot or toenail fungus can be difficult to treat on your own. If you suspect you have a fungal infection, call your foot doctor!

Step By Step Family Foot Care is here to assist you with any of your podiatry needs! To make an appointment with Dr. Debra Manheim, call us at (973) 917-3785 or visit our site to schedule an appointment. The staff at our Parsippany office is ready and eager to help.

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Winter Foot Pain

Foot Pain

As we get into the thick of the winter, many are experiencing some frustrating foot pain that seemingly has no root cause. You may be wondering why this is occurring. Foot pain is unfortunately common during the winter and there are a range of reasons why! Here’s a breakdown of where cold weather foot pain comes from and what you can do about it!

Where It’s Coming From

If you’re not actively healing an injury and practicing daily foot care habits, you may be confused as to why you have mild to moderate pain. But it’s not that strange! Here are some of the top reasons why this could be happening to you:

  • Cold weather: Bitter winds are known to lead to sore, achy limbs. Cold weather causes your body to slow blood circulation to your arms and legs in an attempt to preserve your body’s core temperature. This can result in cold feet and joint pain!
  • Gaining weight: It’s important to eat well and enjoy yourself during the holidays. But did you know that weight gain can lead to poor foot health? Extra weight can put more pressure on your feet, leading to more wear and tear.
  • Wearing the wrong shoes: One of the biggest causes of foot problems is wearing ill-fitting shoes. If you don’t take good care of your feet by wearing comfy, supportive footwear, you can end up with blisters, bunions, and hammertoes. Winter is a time when a lot of people go skiing or ice skating, which can be fun, but if you don’t wear the right kind of boots, you can easily injure yourself.

Lessening The Pain

So, what can you do to help ease the stress? Here are some of our best tips for treating cold-weather foot pain:

  • Call your podiatrist if you’re experiencing ongoing or severe pain
  • If you run into a minor injury, follow R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression, and elevation)
  • Stretch your feet daily
  • Wear comfortable shoes
  • Bundle up with thick socks and insulated boots
  • Maintain a healthy weight by eating a balanced diet

Step By Step Family Foot Care is here to assist you with any of your podiatry needs! To make an appointment with Dr. Debra Manheim, call us at (973) 917-3785 or visit our site to schedule an appointment. The staff at our Parsippany office is ready and eager to help.

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Recovery From an Ankle Sprain

Ankle Sprain

It doesn’t take much to get an ankle sprain. Whether you roll your ankle during a workout or step wrong on uneven ground, accidents happen all the time. When you overstretch one of the ligaments in your ankle, it results in a sprain. Sprained ankles are one of the most common injuries you can face in your lifetime and podiatry offices are no stranger to them. Most people stick to at-home treatments for their injuries, which can work in some mild cases.

However, there are plenty of complications that can arise if your sprained ankle is more severe, and you don’t seek treatment. Without proper rest and recovery, you can expect it to not heal well and create long-term issues as you age. Not only are you more susceptible to further injury and repeated sprained ankles, but you’ll likely have a limited range of motion and ongoing pain.

Diagnosing a Sprained Ankle

How can you tell if you’ve sprained your ankle? For a diagnosis, it’s best to seek out the help of a professional. Contact your podiatrist if your ankle doesn’t feel better after 2-3 days of rest – they can help heal your injury. But if you want to have a better understanding of what you could be dealing with, look for these signs and symptoms:

  • Swelling
  • Bruising
  • Pain
  • Tenderness
  • Joint instability
  • Loss of range of motion
  • Difficulty putting weight on your ankle

Recovery From Your Injury

So, you’ve been diagnosed with an ankle sprain (or suspect you will be). What’s next? You’ll likely be working alongside your podiatrist for up to a few months, depending on the severity of your injury. They’ll give you an x-ray to rule out further damage and injury to your foot, bones, and tendons.

Your foot doctor will determine a specific treatment plan depending on your injury. This usually involves applying the RICE regime (rest, ice, compression, and elevation), using bandages or splints, and certain foot and ankle exercises after you’ve healed. For more severe cases, surgery or a physical therapist may be recommended.

If you suspect you have a sprained ankle, it’s crucial to seek help from a podiatrist ASAP! Letting it “heal” on its own without proper treatment is a recipe for disaster. Step By Step Family Foot Care is here to assist you with any of your podiatry needs! To make an appointment with Dr. Debra Manheim, call us at (973) 917-3785 or visit our site to schedule an appointment. The staff at our Parsippany office is ready and eager to help.

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Five Ways to Say Thank You to Your Feet

Happy Thanksgiving! We hope your start to the holiday season is enjoyable. Thanksgiving is naturally a time when people like to reflect on their everyday life and consider what they’re most grateful for. Our feet do so much for us, but they’re often neglected when it comes to self-care. This Thanksgiving, we’re encouraging everyone to spend some time giving their feet extra TLC. What better way to show gratitude and appreciation for your feet than with an at-home foot care routine? We’re sharing five of the best ways you can give your feet some love this November!

Trim

First things first. Are your toenails trimmed properly? For the best results, cut straight across the nail and file down any rough spots with a file. Rounding the edges or cutting too short can cause ingrown nails! If trimming your nails is difficult, see if your podiatrist offers this service or go to your local nail salon. Another thing to keep in mind – never share nail tools with others!

Soak

What’s better than a nice foot soak? Foot soaks have so many benefits. Not only are they great for moisturization, decreasing inflammation, and getting rid of odor, but they’re the perfect way to relax after a long day. Fill your tub or a big bucket with lukewarm water up to your ankle. Next, add Epsom salts, black or green tea bags, vinegar, or essential oils to amp up the experience and benefits. Allow your feet to soak for up to 30 minutes before drying.

Exfoliate

With the weather cooling down, dry skin may seem to be inevitable. But exfoliation is one of the ways you can keep your feet itch and flake-free! Use a gentle washcloth or sponge and some mild soap during your shower. Alternatively, you can get a pumice stone if you suffer from calluses.

Massage

The best treat for your feet? Daily foot massages! This is especially helpful for those who deal with foot conditions that cause soreness, pain, or inflammation. For even more benefits, consider reflexology.

Moisturize

Incorporate some lotion into your foot massage or apply it after your shower! Moisturizer can not only help with dry feet but calluses and corns as well. Just be sure to avoid applying in between your toes!

Step By Step Family Foot Care is here to assist you with any of your podiatry needs! To make an appointment with Dr. Debra Manheim, call us at (973) 917-3785 or visit our site to schedule an appointment. The staff at our Parsippany office is ready and eager to help.

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Living With Arthritis

Arthritis

We know arthritis can limit your activity and prevent you from enjoying the things you love. With no cure for your condition, you might begin to feel hopeless. But hope is not lost! With the help of a trusted podiatrist, there are plenty of ways you can treat and overcome arthritis. Here’s your simple guide on how to live with arthritis.

Switch Up Your Daily Routine

Making some minor lifestyle changes can drastically help ease any pain and discomfort you feel from arthritis. Minimizing any activities that aggravate your condition is highly recommended. For those who love to run, limit your activity to a short walk. Always pay attention to how your body responds and adjust from there. Swimming and cycling are also great alternatives to high-impact sports. Staying active despite your arthritis is recommended; maintaining a healthy weight can help put less stress on your joints.

Ask About Physical Therapy

There are plenty of specific exercises that help increase flexibility and strengthen muscles. Your podiatrist can come up with a personalized exercise routine that fits your needs. In most cases, physical therapy is a great way to lessen pain from arthritis. But for others, exercise and movement can lead to more pain. If this is the case, let your podiatrist know.

Consider Orthotics and Inserts

One of the best ways you can manage arthritis is by wearing custom orthotics and shoe inserts. Orthotics are designed to be worn inside your shoe, providing support, and lessening the pain of the condition you’re dealing with. For arthritis, they can also put less pressure on your joints and increase mobility.

Seek Surgery

If your arthritis pain and discomfort impact your life daily, it might be time to talk with your podiatrist about surgery. There are numerous types of surgery, all based on where your arthritis is located and the impact it’s had on your joints.

If you suffer from arthritis, getting treatment is crucial. Contact your podiatrist and discuss your pain. Step By Step Family Foot Care is here to assist you with any of your podiatry needs! To make an appointment with Dr. Debra Manheim, call us at (973) 917-3785 or visit our site to schedule an appointment. The staff at our Parsippany office is ready and eager to help.