Articles Tagged with: Foot & Ankle Specialists
Mar
25

How to Get Rid of Toenail Fungus

Toenail fungus is a common, frustrating, and particularly pesky condition millions of Americans deal with on a daily basis. It can cause your nails to become discolored, thick, brittle, and separated from the nail bed. If left untreated, it can lead to infections and other complications. Even when toenail fungus treatment appears to be successful and visible symptoms subside, repeat infections are a frequent occurrence.

Treating nail fungus can significantly reduce the chances of recurrent infection. Severe toenail fungus may cause permanent damage to your nail, while infections can spread beyond your feet, particularly in individuals with diabetes or suppressed immune systems.

Some cases of toenail fungus can be resolved with at-home or over-the-counter anti-fungal remedies. But many fungi put up a tenacious fight or progress to a point where professional treatment is the only way to solve the problem.

Traditional Treatment Options

If you’ve developed toenail fungus and have been unable to resolve the issue on your own, we can help. We offer several effective treatment options for eliminating toenail fungus and restoring your feet to optimal health.

We may recommend one of or a combination of the following approaches to your toenail fungus issues:

  • Oral anti-fungal medications. Prescription medications such as terbinafine (Lamisil) and itraconazole (Sporanox) can help a new nail grow free of infection over the course of six to 12 weeks, slowly replacing the infected nail.
  • Medicated nail polish. Another option called ciclopirox (Penlac), an anti-fungal nail polish that you apply to infected nails and surrounding skin once a day. After every seven days, you’ll wipe the piled-on layers clean with alcohol and begin applying again, repeating this process for up to a year.
  • Medicated nail cream. Patients rub anti-fungal creams into infected nails after soaking in an effort to penetrate get through the hard nail surface to attack the underlying fungus.

In some advanced cases of toenail fungus, the nail may need to be removed entirely so that a fresh, healthy nail can grow in its place. It usually takes about a year for the new nail to grow in fully, and we treat the nail bed with antifungal agents to disinfect the area.

Want to Get Rid of Toenail Fungus? Call JAWS podiatry Today

The experienced podiatrists at JAWS podiatry in Hollywood, Florida know how frustrating toenail fungus can be. We welcome the opportunity to help you solve this common problem. For a personal evaluation and to learn more about our toenail fungus treatment options, please contact us online or call us at (954) 922-7333.

Mar
11

Infected Ingrown Toenail and Granuloma Removal

Ingrown toenails are one of the more common foot problems treated by podiatrists. They can be very painful, with people limiting their activity to keep off their sore feet. A small benign tumor called a granuloma can form along the nail margins. When the ingrown toenails get really big and nasty, the JAWS team is here to take care of them.

Watch as Dr. Wagner quickly removes the huge ingrown toenail and the pyogenic granuloma.

Call the Foot and Ankle Specialists at JAWSpodiatry Today to Schedule an Appointment

The experienced and skilled podiatrists at JAWSpodiatry in Hollywood, Florida can help you keep your feet healthy, and help you get back on your feet when problems arise. We are a growing group of exceptional professionals who offer the highest degree of care in a welcoming, comfortable environment. Please contact us today at (954) 922-7333 to schedule a consultation.

Mar
04

How High Blood Pressure Affects Your Feet

How High Blood Pressure Affects Your FeetAccording to the American Heart Association (AHA), over 100 million Americans have high blood pressure, also called hypertension. This condition can and often is deadly, as high blood pressure is a leading contributor to heart attacks and stroke. High blood pressure is actually causing an increasing number of deaths every year. The death rate from high blood pressure rose by nearly 11 percent in the United States between 2005 and 2015 the AMA says, and the number of deaths rose by approximately 38 percent — with almost 79,000 Americans losing their lives by 2015.

While cardiovascular disease and stroke may be the most high-profile consequences of hypertension, this serious condition can cause other health issues as well, including foot problems.

Hypertension damages blood vessels throughout your body, including the ones in your feet and other extremities. It usually involves the buildup of plaque in those vessels, resulting in decreased circulation and a condition called peripheral vascular disease (PVD).

The plaque buildup that is the defining characteristic of PVD can reduce or block blood supply to the feet. Without a sufficient supply of blood, your feet are vulnerable to a whole host of problems, including the development of ulcerations (open wounds on the skin) that can necessitate amputation.

People with diabetes are particularly prone to problems with blood circulation in the feet, with PVD 20 times more common in people with diabetes than those without diabetes.

You should visit your podiatrist if you experience any of the following leg, foot, and ankle symptoms associated with high blood pressure:

  • Cramping in the feet and legs, particularly when exercising
  • Sores on the feet or legs 
  • Changes to the color of your feet
  • Changes in the temperature of your feet
  • Hair loss on your legs and feet

When you meet with your podiatrist, he or she will take your vital signs, including your blood pressure, in addition to thoroughly examining your feet for signs of circulation problems. Hypertension can be controlled with prescription medication, and exercise and a healthy diet can also help lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of the severe consequences of this common condition. 

JAWSpodiatry: Your South Florida Foot & Ankle Specialists

At JAWSpodiatry in Hollywood, Florida, we use the most advanced, effective, and non-invasive techniques to reduce pain and speed recovery for people suffering from foot and ankle problems. If you’d like to learn more about our innovative treatments, our skilled and caring podiatrists, and our attentive and professional staff, please call us today at (954) 922-7333 or contact us online to schedule a consultation.

Feb
18

Double Ingrown Toenail Removal

Reoccurring ingrown toenails can be painful, hard to cut and cause lots of foot pain. A simple, and effective procedure can be performed to permanently remove ingrown toenails. If left untreated, an ingrown toenail infection can cause an infection in the bone in your toe. A foot infection can be more serious if you have diabetes. Even a small cut, scrape, or ingrown toenail may quickly become infected due to the lack of blood flow and nerve sensitivity.

Watch as Dr. Wagner aka Dr. Toe Jam reels in two big ones!!

 
Read More

Feb
11

Manicure and Pedicure Safety

Manicure and Pedicure SafetyWhen you walk out of a nail salon after a relaxing manicure or pedicure, beautiful nails may not be the only things you leave with. If you pick the wrong salon, you could come home with fungus, bacteria, infections, and other unattractive and uncomfortable problems.

Nail salons here in Florida and almost every other state must follow strict regulations in order to keep their license to operate. These rules were not put in place because officials were worried that a nail tech would apply the wrong color polish.

The Problem With Nail Salons and Fungus

Unless a salon and its staff adhere to rigorous sanitary and hygiene policies and practices, it can become a busy breeding ground for all sorts of highly contagious and easily transferred ailments. With hundreds of pairs of bare hands and feet in close quarters every day, sharing equipment and facilities while all being handled by the same few technicians, it’s not hard to understand why. The good news is that you don’t need to give up your manicure/pedicure and can keep your nails looking on point just by taking a few precautions before sitting in the chair.

The sheer volume of people who visit nail salons each day means that some of these people may unknowingly bring nail fungus and bacteria into the salon. Those folks sit in the same chairs you do and get treated with the same brushes, basins, towels, and tools, all of which the salon will use over and over and over again.

How to Choose a Safe and Healthy Nail SalonRead More

Jan
28

Preventative Foot Care for Diabetes

Preventative Foot Care for DiabetesPreventing the many risks and problems that can accompany diabetes requires vigilance, planning, and proactive measures. This is especially true when it comes to your feet. Folks living with diabetes are at particular risk for serious foot ailments that can lead to painful foot ulcers or amputation if they are not recognized and treated at an early stage.

Fortunately, people with diabetes can take some simple, easy, and common-sense steps to significantly reduce the likelihood of foot ailments associated with diabetes.

The first step in diabetic preventative foot care is awareness. You need to understand not only the seriousness of letting problems go unchecked but also the reasons that such issues are allowed to progress to the point of no return. The most significant factor that contributes to the problem is the reduction in sensation and feeling that often affects the extremities of people with diabetes. Read More

Jan
21

PRP for Plantar Fasciitis

PRP for PLANTAR FASCIITIS

Common injuries of the feet such as ankle sprains, Achilles tendonitis, and plantar fasciitis, as well as acute and chronic tendon and joint diseases such as arthritis, can all be treated with PRP injections. For many, this therapy has lead to greatly reduced pain and increased function of the foot. Combining exercise or physical therapy with the PRP injections will help increase the success of the treatment.

Here’s Dr. Toe Jam demonstrating how it’s done!

Call the Foot and Ankle Specialists at JAWSpodiatry Today to Schedule an Appointment

The experienced and skilled podiatrists at JAWSpodiatry in Hollywood, Florida can help you keep your feet healthy, and help you get back on your feet when problems arise. We are a growing group of exceptional professionals who offer the highest degree of care in a welcoming, comfortable environment. Please contact us today at (954) 922-7333 to schedule a consultation.

Jan
14

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy for Chronic Venous Ulcer

PRP for chronic venous ulcer

Chronic venous leg ulcers come with cost and morbidity for patients. A leg ulcer is a long-lasting (chronic) sore that takes more than four to six weeks to heal. They usually develop on the inside of the leg, just above the ankle. The symptoms of a venous leg ulcer include pain, itching and swelling in the affected leg. For patients with chronic venous leg ulcers, autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is safe and effective, with highly significant improvement in ulcer size compared to conventional treatment.

This patient has been in-and-out of the hospital multiple times with this wound caused by poor blood flow. Watch as Dr. Wagner performs PRP therapy treatment for their chronic venous ulcer.

Call the Foot and Ankle Specialists at JAWSpodiatry Today to Schedule an Appointment

The experienced and skilled podiatrists at JAWSpodiatry in Hollywood, Florida can help you keep your feet healthy, and help you get back on your feet when problems arise. We are a growing group of exceptional professionals who offer the highest degree of care in a welcoming, comfortable environment. Please contact us today at (954) 922-7333 to schedule a consultation.

 

Jan
07

Frostbite Prevention and Treatment

Frostbite Prevention and TreatmentHere is sunny South Florida, temperatures rarely drop to the frigid levels they do elsewhere in the country. This means that many folks may not be prepared for cold temperatures on those rare occasions they do come our way or when traveling to colder climates. Failing to arm yourself against cold weather won’t just leave you shivering or chattering your teeth. It can cause permanent damage and even the loss of a limb or extremity if you develop the condition known as frostbite. 

What is Frostbite?

Frostbite is what happens when skin and underlying tissues freeze. That freezing occurs when not enough blood flows throughout the body, and extreme cold can dramatically decrease blood flow. The reason frostbite occurs most often in hands, feet, fingers, and toes is that they are the farthest away from your body’s core and blood has to travel a longer distance to get to these extremities. If blood isn’t flowing well, it will never get there. Since the nose, ears, cheeks, and chin, are often left exposed, they also are at risk for the development of frostbite.

The length of time it takes for frostbite to develop in freezing temperatures depends on the severity of the conditions outside and what protection, if any, is being worn to shield the skin from exposure. In extreme cold and wind, frostbite can start to develop as quickly as five minutes.

Severe, advanced cases of frostbite make their way through all skin layers into the tissue below. The numbness that develops at this stage may cause the loss of any sensations of cold or pain in the affected areas.  This often causes people to underestimate or ignore the extreme damage that being inflicted on their body. Joints and muscles may stop functioning, and ultimately, frostbite can cause gangrene – the death of tissue and muscles – which can result in amputation to prevent infection from spreading.

Frostbite Treatment

If you believe that you may be getting frostbite, get inside and out of the cold and seek medical attention as soon as you can. Soak your hands or feet in warm water (between 104-107 F). Make sure the water temperature is not too hot, as the numbness and loss of sensation could prevent you from feeling any burning or scalding. As your body and skin warm, you may experience pain and blistering as well as changes in the color of the affected skin.

Frostbite Prevention

The key to avoiding frostbite in cold weather is to protect yourself with the proper clothing and accessories. If you are heading north during the winter or the temperature goes south down here, keep these functional fashion tips in mind as you venture out into the cold:

  • Wear layers of loose clothing, including a layer closest to your skin made of a material that will keep you dry.
  • Make sure your outer garments are windproof and waterproof.
  • Wear a hat, headband, or earmuffs that completely cover your ears.
  • Go with mittens instead of gloves
  • Wear wool socks over a pair of moisture-resistant socks and wear insulated and waterproof shoes or boots.
  • Get out of wet clothing as quickly and safely as possible.

JAWS podiatry: Your Hollywood, Florida Foot and Ankle Specialists

At JAWS podiatry in Hollywood, Florida we are committed to excellence in the care and treatment of your feet and ankles. A growing group of exceptional professionals we offer the highest degree of care in a welcoming, comfortable environment. Please call us today at (954) 922-7333 or contact us online to schedule a consultation.

Dec
31

Cheilectomy for Severe First Metatarsal Arthritis

Cheilectomy for severe first metatarsal arthritis

Today, arthritis and foot pain are both major public health problems.  This patient was having a lot of pain in his big toe for a long time. The X-rays showed typical changes due to arthritis. The first metatarsophalangeal joint (MPJ) of the big toe/great toe is a common condition (hallux limitus/rigidus) marked by pain, stiffness, and impaired ambulation.

Watch as Dr. Wagner performs a Cheilectomy for severe first metatarsal arthritis.Read More

Questions? Contact our office today: (954) 922-7333