As a certified pedorthist, because I am working very closely to an area of the body that is trapped inside of a warm, moist environment for most of the day, our feet are prone to many types of fungus. While I am in clinic completing assessment after assessment or adjusting a pair of existing custom made foot orthotics that have been in a pair of shoes for a prolonged period of time, I am always thinking about coming in contact with various types of foot fungus. So, as a clinician seeing many pairs of feet a day, I make sure that I am always wearing a pair of gloves to help protect myself from these fungus. During my time as a certified pedorthist, I have come across a few foot fungus, that I thought needed to be addressed because not many people know how to treat them when they have a fungus on their feet.

The three common types of foot fungus are:

A tarsal coalition is a fusion of two tarsal bones in the midfoot. The fusion produces very little motion and can be fused by either fibrous, cartilaginous or osseous. Fibrous coalitions have some motion where cartilaginous and osseous coalitions have less motion and more symptoms such as peronei muscle spasms.The two most common joints that are involved in this fusion are the talocalcaneal and the calcaneonavicular.

Diabetes is considered a silent killer because of its effects on the body without you knowing unless blood levels are monitored on a daily basis. One of the large areas of concern with diabetes on a certified pedorthic stand point is its effects on the lower limb and the presence of peripheral neuropathy that, in its later stages, can develop into a charcot foot.

Athletic events that used to be dominated by boys and young men are now becoming increasingly popular with young girls. Sports such as softball, basketball, volleyball, soccer, gymnastics and track have women trying to get scholarships and professional contracts to bring them financial gain and endorsments. A few years ago, women were considered to play a slower, more defensive style of sport and today, they are more competitive then ever. This greater participation and intensity has increased the level of interest in the health and medical world specific to female athletes.

Having an acquired or congenital flatfoot deformity - pes planus or pes valgo planus often presents itself with medial and/or lateral ankle pain. This pain has not been clearly identified  but subfibular impingement has surfaced as a possible explanation along with sinus tarsi. Both sinus tarsi and subfibular impingement conditions can be caused by trauma or abnormal biomechanical characteristics. This is where the space between the calcaneus and talus or between the calcaneus and the fibula has decreased in space and sometimes can be bone-to-bone contact which then results in soft tissue entrapment. The reason is due to the abnormally everted position of the calcaneus during weight bearing with symptoms of pain on the medial ankle area leading to posterior tibialis tendon dysfunction even when lateral ankle pain is described.

The term pes equinus refers to the lack of dorsiflexion at the ankle joint. Basically this ankle deformity has your foot always pointing downward with difficulty pulling your toes toward your shin bone.  During typical gait, ankle dorsiflexion allows your body to travel forward while your foot is planted on the ground (eccentric contraction of the gastroc-soleus complex in a closed kinetic chain). When an equinus is present, there is excessive plantarflexion at the ankle joint. This creates problems during swing phase of gait because it can give the impression of a drop foot and causes instability during stance phase.

There are many causes of pes equinus foot type:

Today I felt I had to write a blog about my most frequently asked question in clinic when it comes to getting a pair of custom made orthotics. I get this question asked on such a regular basis that I felt it was important to let everyone know how I differ from many other health care professionals that design their own orthotics.

Question: When I get my pair of orthotics, do I have to go up in shoe size?

For 2012, I made the decision to become a certified member of the Ontario Kinesiology Association (OKA) and at the beginning of this week, I received my certification. Even though I graduated back in 2005 with a Bachelor of Kinesiology, I never followed through to become an active member of the kinesiology world. I chose to persue the world of pedorthics and submerge myself whole-heartedly into the pedorthic scope of practice. With 5 years of pedorthic practice under my belt, my profession has been completely rewarding to me. However, in these recent months, I chose to finally become a member of OKA to open up more doors and services to provide to my clients with more of a well rounded treatment plan. With my OKA certification, I am now able to prescribe proper stretching and strengthening exercises along with providing custom and prefabricated knee bracing when applicable.

Here is a brief outline of the Kinesiology world:

During your pregnancy, many hormonal changes occur in your body. These hormonal changes can have a profound effect on your veins. When the volume of blood begins to increase to nurture your developing baby, greater amounts of blood can stretch your veins and damage the valves. This can cause a number of venous and circulatory problems:

Because venous disorders are extremely common, just like high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes, it is estimated that 20% of men and 30% of women suffer from some form of veinous disorder in their lifetime.

Although venous disorders are very complex medical conditions, educating yourself on the risk factors associated with venous disorders will better decrease your chances of ending up with a venous disorder later in life or learn to properly manage it if you do have a venous disorder now.