Podiatry & Podiatric Medicine

Denville Medical & Sports Rehabilitation specializes in numerous treatments and all aspects of Podiatric medicine. Some of these include, but certainly are not limited to:

Committed to the health of your feet, podiatric medicine focuses on diagnosing, treating, and preventing foot and ankle problems such as plantar fasciitis, bunions, hammer toes, warts, heel spur, fungus nail, nerve pain, ingrown nail, cysts, and arthritis. Our podiatric physician is highly trained through years of study and clinical practice, including a bachelor's degree program and four years of podiatric medical school. In addition, our podiatric physician has several years of residency training to study foot care and surgery in greater depth.

In treating your feet, our podiatric physician may also work with your other health care providers to give you appropriate and comprehensive care. Remember, your structure is only as good as your foundation and that starts at your feet! Below is a list of related problems and their causes:

The plantar fascia is a ligament-like band running from your heel to the ball of your foot. This band pulls on the heel bone, raising the arch of your foot as it pushes off the ground. But if your foot moves incorrectly, the plantar fascia may become strained. the fascia may swell and its tiny fibers may begin to fray, causing plantar fasciitis.

CAUSES: Plantar fasciitis is often caused by poor foot mechanics. If your foot flattens too much, the fascia may over stretch and swell. If your foot flattens too little, the fascia may ache from being pulled too tight.

SYMPTOMS: With plantar fasciitis, the bottom of your foot may hurt when you stand, especially first thing in the morning. Pain usually occurs on the inside of the foot, near the spot where your heel and arch meet. Pain may lessen after a few steps, but it comes back after rest or with prolonged movement.

Your big toe is the hardest-working toe. Every time your foot pushes off the ground, this toe supports most of your body's weight. Because the big toe is so critical to movement, any problem with it can make walking or even standing painful. A bunion (excess or misaligned bone in joint) is one of the most common big-toe problems. In addition to causing pain, a bunion changes the shape of your foot, making it harder to find shoes that fit. But you don't have to hobble for the rest of your life. Bunions can be treated. With our doctor's help, your feet can feel and look better.

Your little toes help to balance and propel your body when you move. As your foot flattens, the little toes bend to grip the ground. Then they straighten, acting like levers to help push your foot so you can walk, run , or dance. But if the front of your foot is wide, you may develop a problem know as a hammer toe. Hammer toes are little toes that buckle or curl under. Over time, these toes may hurt and make movement more difficult. But you don't have to live with the pain. With our doctor's help, even severe hammer toes can usually be treated so you can move more easily.

Degenerative Arthritis is a condition that slowly wears away joints (the link where bones meet and move). In the beginning, you may notice that the affected joint seems stiff. It may even ache. As the joint lining (cartilage) breaks down, the bones rub against each other, causing pain and swelling. Over time, bone spurs (small pieces of rough or splintered bone) develop, and the joint's range of motion becomes limited. But movement doesn't have to cause pain. The effects of arthritis can be reduced. Talk with our doctor about developing a treatment plan to meet your needs.

Here at Denville Medical, we recognize the value of healthy feet. Many structural problems in other parts of the body are affected by the feet. So in our commitment to looking at each patient as a whole, it is very obvious that our podiatrist at Denville Medical plays a large role in the overall structure and health of our patients.