My favourite television show, as a boy, was Star Trek, the original series.  It featured the adventures of Captain James T. Kirk, played by my favourite actor, Canadian, William Shatner, as he visited strange new worlds on board the Starship  Enterprise.  

One of his trusty companions was helmsman Sulu, played by George Takei.

It turns out that, in real life, George had bunion surgery years ago, and it was unsuccessful.

Although there can be no guarantees with any foot surgery, one of the keys to successful bunion surgery is to adequately treat the problem in the first place.  It is not enough to just remove the bump.  The first metatarsal, which sits behind the great toe, must be made as straight as possible during the surgery, or the deformity may reoccur.  Podiatrists do this by performing what is called an osteotomy.  An osteotomy is when we cut through a bone to make it straighter,  in this case, the first metatarsal.  If this is not performed, in most cases, the deformity is destined to come back.

Postoperative orthotics can help to improve the mechanics following surgery but will not be enough if the deformity is not treated adequately in the first place.

In my Toronto podiatry office, I perform osteotomies for bunions, painlessly with local anesthetic.  I then keep the foot taped for six weeks to reduce the possibility of a loss of correction.

If you suffer from bunions, make sure the foot surgeon plans to do an adequate bunion procedure.  You should ask him or her if and how they plan to improve the position of the first metatarsal.  In most cases, removing the bump and releasing soft tissue contractures is not enough.  The bone must be made straighter.

If you, a friend or a relative suffer from bunions please call my foot clinic at 416-486-9917 to make an appointment for a private consultation where I will evaluate your bunion and tell you what is involved and the best way of treating it.

Don’t end up like Mr. Sulu with feet that are Lost in Space. 

(Foot photo from The Howard Stern Show)

Today, Tuesday October 09 2012, marks John Lennon’s birthday.  Had he not been shot and killed by the man whose name we don’t mention, he would have been 72 years old. We celebrated by listening to Beatles music all day in my Toronto podiatry office.

Today also marks the re-release of the Beatles movie “Magical Mystery Tour” on DVD and Blu-ray.  It was practically a home movie directed by Paul McCartney.  In this film the Beatles go on a magical journey on a magical bus, meet strange people and do strange things. It first came out in the mid to late 60’s to universally poor reviews. However, it is a must see for any true Beatles’ fan and the music is still great. It features several songs written for the movie, and, individually, they look like music videos before there was such a thing as music videos.

If you have pain in your feet, from Bunions, hammertoes, Ingrown Toenails, Heel Spur Pain, Arch Pain, Plantar Fasciitis, or you have ugly toenails from Nail Fungus, please call Toronto foot care clinic at 416-486-9917 to set up a private consultation. When you come to visit, please enjoy my various Beatles posters, including one that was signed  by Pete Best, the Beatles original drummer.  If you are a serious Beatles fan, I may also show you my 1967 Hofner bass guitar. 

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.

I believe it is essential for the modern podiatrist to attend medical conferences on a regular basis in order to stay current so that I can provide the most up to date care for my patients in my Toronto podiatry clinic. The Chicago conference was the third meeting I have been to in 2012. I previously attnede a seminar in Pittsbugh in February and a surgical conference in Barcelona Spain in January 2012.

I had the pleasure of attending several lectures on wound care, bunion surgery and laser treatments for toe nail fungus. Most of the laser companies were represented, including CoolBreeze laser (made by CoolTouch or Cool Touch), Cutera Genesis laser (Cutera),  Pinpointe or Pinpoint laser (Cynosure),  ClearSense laser or Clear Sense (Sciton),  Q-clear Q-switched laser (Light Age)  and the Fox diode laser. I discussed protocols with the company reps and other podiatrists and compared them to how I treat fungal nails using my long pulsed laser in my Toronto podiatry office.

I learned about the latest in digital X-ray technology including Reina 20/20 P-DR (20/20 Imaging), Simon Marathon (SimonDR), iCR3600 (iCRco) and ScanX (AllPro Imaging).

While I was there, I ordered some inexpensive soft insoles to provide  cushioning for patients who do not need custom orthotics, as well as some surgical instruments for use when I perform minimally invasive surgery to treat bunions (hallux valgus) hammer toes (crooked or contracted toes), bone spurs, corns and calluses (osteotomies) with local anesthetic in my office.

I also ordered some textbooks on antibiotics, diseases of toe nails and a textbook called Minimally Invasive Surgery of the Foot and Ankle for which I had the honour of writing a  chapter called "The modified Wilson osteotomy for the correction of hallux valgus" which is a technique  I use for treating bunions in my office with local anaesthetic. This type of foot surgery involves specialized instruments and reduces soft tissue trauma which can mean less pain and swelling and quicker return to normal activities following foot surgery.

For more information on minimally invasive foot surgery and laser treatment for thick yellow fungal toenails , or onychomycosis, please call my office today at 416-486-9917. My friendly staff will be happy to answer your questions and arrange a private consultation with me.

All work and no play makes Sheldon a dull boy, so I managed to go out for dinner and I caught the Chicago production of Jersey Boys, one of my all time favourite musicals about the life and times of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. After the show, I said hello to Joseph Leo Bwarie who plays Frankie Valli. I told him that I liked the show so much even after seeing it twice in Toronto that I couldn't turn down a chance to see it again  in Chicago. He was very personable and asked me lf I remembered which cast I saw in Toronto. I told him that I remembered him and several others of the Chicago cast from Toronto. I picked up an Jersey Boys poster autographed by the cast. I will get it framed and put it up in my Toronto podiatry office beside my Beatles and Elvis posters. If the show comes to your area, see it. You will enjoy it.

On Friday January 20 2012 I attended the Percutaneous (minimally invasive) Foot Surgery Conference in Barcelona, Spain.

It wasn't easy. I left Toronto Wed. night at 10pm and changed planes in Frankfurt Germany where I met up with my friend Dr. Stephen Isham, who was on his way to lecture at the conference. We arrived in Barcelona Thursday afternoon and headed for the Gran Havana hotel in Barcelona. I had time to rest for a short period before it was time to have dinner with the conference instructors. They were some of the best known orthopedic foot surgeons in Europe.

On Friday morning we re picked up by bus at 730 a.m. and taken to the University of Barcelona medical school along with attendees from Spain, Italy, Germany, France England and Mexico.  I was the sole representative from Canada and Steve was the only American.

The main topic for the morning was minimally invasive surgical procedures (M.I.S.) for the treatment if hallux valgus, or Bunions. These lectures included the Reverdin Isham Osteotomy ( named after my friend Dr.sham, and a procedure I perform in my Toronto foot clinic), the Lapidus procedure and the Chevron procedure which is very similar to the Modified Wilson Osteotomy, which I  perform in my Toronto podiatry office. I also lectured on the Modified Wilson Osteotomy, at another Spanish conference, in Madrid in June 2011.

Other surgical topics included the treatment of Tailor's bunions, or bunionettes (those annoying bunion-like bumps at the side of the foot near the baby toe), plantar fasciitis (a leading cause of Heel Pain. and arch pain) and contracted toes or hammer toes (which can make it difficult for people to wear shoes comfortably and cause painful corns). these deformities can be treated without pins and screws whlie leaving very small scars which may not be visible following healing.

Another topic was hallux rigidus which results in stiffness at the first metetarsal joint near the big toe due to arthritis. Hallux rigidus (also called hallux limitus) is often treated in hospitals by fusing the arthritic joint or replacing the joint with an implant - both of these procedures destroy what is left of the joint. In my Toronto podiatry clinic, I prefer to work through small openings in the skin, under local anaesthetic, to remove the arthritic bone spurs, and, in many cases, shorten the first metatatarsal to reduce the jamming of the joint and preserve the joint, not destroy it. In many cases, this will result in less pain and increased mobilty in the joint.

After a long day, the bus brought us back to the hotel at 830 pm and this was followed with a late night dinner, which I am told is typical for Spain.

Saturday was a free day so Steve and I saw some of the sights in Barcelona, including the amazing Gaudi church, which is still not quite finished after 125 years, Old Spain, which is a recreation of an old Spanish town, and the waterfront, where we had lunch. This was followed by a long walk, back to our hotel via a famous boulevard called La Ramblas.

That evening I had dinner with my friends Steve Isham and Fernando Barosso, an orthopedic surgeon from Mexico city.

The next day, Sunday, it was time to fly back to Toronto, again via Frankfurt, so that I could be back to work by Monday. It was short, but sweet.