On August 10, 2012, Mark Teixeira, the New York Yankees first base man, was kind enough to visit the children at the Miles and Kelly Nadal Youth Centre at the Toronto Kiwanis Boys and Girls Club on Spruce Street in Toronto. Mark talked about the charitable work he does for inner city youth in New York and gave encouragement to the inner city Toronto kids. It was very generous of Mark, taking time out from his busy schedule on a game day as the Yankees played the Toronto Blue Jays that evening.

Mark was kind enough to take a picture with the kids and gave a signed baseball bat to the club. Fittingly, he hit a home run that evening. Unfortunately, that hit contributed to the Yankees' victory over the Blue Jays.

He was the designated hitter that night., Apparently he had a hand or wrist injury. I told him if he ever had a foot problem (such as Heel Spur Pain, Plantar Fasciitis, Bunion or  painful  Ingrown Toenails , I would be happy to help him in my Toronto foot clinic.

In the photograph below, the two good looking guys are Mark and my 11-year-old son. I am the guy on the left.

According to www.utsandiego.com San Diego Chargers Antonio Gates, has lost some weight, is able to practice, and hopes not to lose anymore time with  Plantar Fasciitis with which he suffered during the previous two seasons.

The plantar fascia is a thick band of connective tissue that runs from the plantar or bottom surface of the heel bone or calcaneous and goes forward in the foot and attaches to the toe bones.  It helps to support the arch.

The plantar fascia can become injured or irritated due to excessive wear and tear, overuse, or injury.  This can cause heel/ or arch pain which is noticeable with the first few steps in the morning, particularly if you've been active the day before.  If you've been standing and walking for a period of time and then you sit down for a while, you will often experience heel and arch pain when you start walking again.

The keys to relieving plantar fasciitis are:

1) You must relieve the forces that are causing the plantar fascia to pull away from the heel bone.  This can be accomplished temporarily, by applying a supportive taping to the foot.  You can get more long lasting relief by using orthotics in your shoes.  They help to support your feet and improve the mechanics and reieve the pull of the plantar fascia.  You can try off the shelf inserts from the drug store.  If this is not helpful you may need made to measure custom foot orthotics from your podiatrist or foot specialist.

2) You must relieve the inflammation and irritation at the plantar fascia.  This can be accomplished with antiinflammatory medication.  However this is not a good idea for people who have sensitive stomachs, a history of ulcers, high blood pressure or heart disease.  Your podiatrist can also perform a cortisone injection but this can be painful and repeated injections are not a good idea.  In my Toronto podiatry office I am utilizing therapeutic modalities that do not have these effects.  For people who have had plantar fasciitis for less than two or three months, I use a combination of a sound wave treatment called radial wave or pressure wave or radial shockwave.  This is combined with a super pulsed Laser Pain Treatment.  In many cases this combination of treatments can help patients start feeling better immediately.  Many people will need three to four treatments spaced one week apart. 

For someone who has been suffering for more than three to six months, I use a stronger modality called Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy for Heel Spur Pain, Arch Pain, Plantar Fasciitis, Achilles Tendonitis.  This is a stronger sound wave and is often performed with a local anesthetic.  We have found that seventy-five percent of people with chronic or long term plantar fasciitis will experience anywhere from a fifty to a hundred percent improvement following one treatment.  Some people will experience the effects of the shockwave quickly, others will take up to three months to notice a significant improvement.

If you have heel pain or arch pain or plantar fasciitis or any other foot problems please call Our Office  at 416-486-9917 to set up a private consultation.  I will tell you how we can help you to achieve painless feet.

It is my hope that Antonio Gates has a great season and does not experience anymore symptoms of plantar fasciitis. 

On Thursday June 14 2012 I had the pleasure of meeting well known American broadcaster and T.V. personality, Glenn Beck.

Mr. Beck was sponsored by Uptown Chabad to speak at the Wintergarden Theatre in downtown Toronto, a 20 minute drive from my Toronto podiatry office at 586 Eglinton Ave East Suite 501.

Glenn Beck spoke very passionately and emotionally. The gist of his speach was that we should always strive to do the right thing when we deal with other people because one day we will be held accountable by a higher power.

Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to ask him if he suufered from foot pain due to Bunions, or hammer toes, which I treat with Minimally Invasive Foot Surgery,  Heel Spur Pain, Plantar Fasciitis, which I treat with Custom foot orthotics, as well as Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy for Heel Spur Pain, Arch Pain, Plantar Fasciitis, Achilles Tendonitis or painful  Ingrown Toenails which can be treated painlessly under local anesthetic.

If he does, perhaps he will call my Toronto foot clinic at 416-486-9917 for a private consultation.

Next week I will be travelling to Cleveland, Ohio where I will be lecturing on minimally invasive foot surgery for bunions and tailors' bunions, also known as bunionettes (bony enlagement near the baby toe).This is an international meeting that will be attended by podiatrists from all over the United States, Canada and from as far away as Australia.It will take place at the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine (of which I am a proud graduate) at the new modern facility in the suburb of Severance Ohio.

In case you were wondering, I am the guy on the right side of the photo.

According to reports, Seattle Mariners centre fielder Franklin Gutierrez is suffering with heel pain due to  plantar fasciitis. If not treated appropriately, plantar fasciitis can be devestating to a professional athlete since they need their feet to be free of pain in order to run quickly and efficiently. If not treated properly, palntar fasciitis can become a nagging problem.

The plantar fascia is a broad, dense ligament that begins at the plantar (bottom) surface of the calcaneus (heel bone), runs along the arch, giving it support, and ends at the toe bones.

Classically, someone with planatar fasciitis will experience sharp or dull pain in their heel or arch with the first few steps in the morning and following a period of rest. This is called post kinetic dyskinesia. The foot tends to feel betterwith stretching and a little bit of walking. It the person with plantar fasciitis spends a lot of time on his/her feet during the day and sits for a while (watching T.V. or eating dinner), it tends to be very painful when he or she gets up to walk again. It may not be terribly painful during exercise but usually will hurt later or the next morning.

In my Toronto podiatry office, I encourage patients with plantar fasciitis to replace their shoes if they are showing signs of wear, in order to support and protect the foot. I may recommend off the shelf arch supports to give cushioning or made to measure orthotics fabricated from plaster casts of their feet in order to improve the biomechanics and relieve excessive stretching of the plantar fascia.

In my Toronto foot clinic, I may recommend a non-steroidal anti-inlammatory medication (or N.S.A.I.D.) to releve the associated pain and inflammation, such as Aspirin (A.S.A.), Motrin (Ibuprofen), or Naprosyn (Naproxen). Another good medication is Celebrex (Celecoxib). I will also consider a cortisone injection.

However, many people do not wish to take anti-inlanmmatory pills because they are not good for their blood pressure, heart, stomach and bowels. Many also do not want cortisone injections because they can cause discomfort and also weaken the connective tissue. For those people, I offer sound wave and laser treatments.

If you or a loved one is suffering from heel pain or arch pain due to plantar fasciitis, or other foot problems, please call my Toronto podiatry office today at 416-486-9917 for a private consultation. My staff and I will do everything we can to get you back on your feet.

The image below is from a modern postcard reproducing a painting titled "The Foot Surgery." The painting is by Antonie Victorijns (c.1612-c.1655) and it is on display at the Catharina Gasthuis Museum in Gouda, the Netherlands.

This postcard was published in the Netherlands in the 2000s.  

The equiptment in my Toronto podiatry office is somewhat newer and cleaner.  I use local anesthetic when I do Minimally Invasive Foot Surgery to treat problems such as Bunions, hammertoes, corns, bone spurs, and ingrown nails. Also, the surgeon in the picture probably didn't have access to other modern equiptment that I have in my Toronto foot clinic such as a long pulsed YAG laser for the treatment of onychomycosis or toenail fungus, as well as sound wave units such as radial wave (also called pressure wave or radial shockwave) and Superpulsed Laser Pain Treatment for acute plantar fasciitis, heel pain and arch pain and Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy for chronic Heel Spur Pain, Arch Pain, Plantar Fasciitis, Achilles Tendonitis.

 I do, however, have a few vintage foot surgery posters and beatles posters on the walls in my Toronto podiatry clinic which you can admire when you come for a private consultation to discuss your foot problem with me . Call us today at 416-486-9917