How to Take Care of Your Feet

Transcript Hi. I’m Dr. John Fritz, and today we’re going to talk a little bit about how to cut your toenails properly. The best time to cut your toenails is immediately after a bath or shower when your nails are soft and supple. You should use a proper toenail clipper to cut your nails, and …

Transcript Flat feet is when the arch of your foot decreases and comes in contact with the ground. So when you make a footprint, you see your entire outline. No arch is visible. Flat feet can be painful. In order to successfully manage flat feet, the most important thing is adequate shoe gear. The shoe …

Transcript Hammertoes are a contracture of the toe where your toe bends downward at the joint closest to your foot. It can also be bent downward at the tip of your toe, similar to a mallet toe. The difference between a hammertoe and a club toe is typically the toe does not contract up where …

Transcript Hi. My name’s Dr. John Fritz, and today I’m going to talk to you a little bit about fungal toenails. Fungal toenails are also called onychomycosis. Fungal toenails account for one-third of all the skin infections that occur. Fungal toenails are responsible for at least half of nail disease. It’s caused when a fungus …

Transcript Hi, I’m Dr. John Fritz, and today we’re going to talk about how to prevent foot pain during pregnancy. During pregnancy, the body undergoes some amazing changes. Weight gain changes your center of gravity. Hormonal changes, changes that cause ligament laxity, both of which can put excessive pressure on the feet. In addition, changes …

Transcript Personally I’m not a big fan of pedicures, but I understand some women and men love them. In order to have a safe experience and prevent future injury, there are some simple tips you can follow. Don’t soak in the foot tubs if you go for a pedicure. It’s extremely difficult to sanitize the …

Transcript Hi, I’m Dr. Fritz, and I’m going to talk to you a little bit about what is a Haglund’s deformity. A Haglund’s deformity is a bony growth in the back of your heel. It’s also known as a pump bump. Because of the bump and irritation on the heel counter of the shoe, the …

Transcript A claw toe is when your toe bends downward at both joints, the one closest to you, and the one farthest from you. The toe also bends upwards where it attaches to your foot, giving a resemblance of an animal claw. Claw toes are due to a muscle imbalance between the tendons of the …

Transcript What is a mallet toe? A mallet toe is a contracture of the joint at the tip of your toe. The toe bends in a downward position. It’s caused by an abnormal balance between the tendons that make your toe extend, and the tendons that make your toe flex. This can be common with …

Transcript Bunions are a deformity of the great toe joint in which the big toe starts to point to the second toe. Over time, the bones in the forefoot change and a large bump can develop on the side of your foot. Symptoms of a bunion include pain in the effected area, swelling, inflammation, numbness, …

Transcript Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of a band that is located on the bottom of your foot. The band is triangular-shaped and attaches from your heel bone and goes forward to the ball of your foot. When excessive tension is placed on the plantar fascia, it becomes inflamed. Certain foot conditions can result in …

Transcript Flat feet is when the arch of the foot comes in contact with the ground. This can be a normal condition. The causes for flat feet can be congenital, in that you’re born with it, or acquired, which develops with age. Acquired flat feet typically occurs secondary to wear and tear on the tendon …

Transcript Hi. My name is Dr. John Fritz. I’m going to talk to you today about some common ways to prevent toe problems. Some of the biggest problems we see with the toe are related to the skin. Proper foot hygiene is key. Wash your feet daily. Dry especially well between your toes. You can …

Transcript Gout is typically characterized by a sudden onset of acute pain, redness, and swelling. It typically occurs in the big toe joint. There usually is no history of an injury to an area. One goes to bed, and the attack either occurs while you’re sleeping, or you first notice it when you get out …

Transcript Hi, my name is Dr. John Fritz, and today we’re going to talk to you a little about some common injuries as a result of high heels and how to prevent them. High heels cause all kinds of damage to the nails and skin in your forefoot. The pressure being placed on the toes …

Transcript Hi, my name’s Dr. John Fritz, and I’m going to talk to you about how to find a proper fitting shoe. One of the most important things that I recommend to everyone is have your shoe measured. If you haven’t had your shoe measured in years, we change. As we get older, our feet …

Transcript Hi. My name’s Dr. John Fritz, and today I’m going to talk to you a little bit about how to prevent foot injuries from running. The foot is an amazing structural feat. You have 28 bones, 33 joints, 112 ligaments in the foot. There’s a lot of things that can go wrong, and runners …

Transcript Hi, I’m Dr. John Fritz, and today we’re going to talk about how do you know if your child is having a foot problem. One of the most common things I see are ingrown toenails in the office. Usually when a child comes in, it’s so horrific I ask myself, “How could this get …

Transcript The rate of childhood obesity has tripled in the last three decades. Currently, 17% of our children are obese. The problem is with obesity leads foot pain. It’s a vicious cycle. Children need to exercise, but they don’t want to exercise because their feet hurt. I’m seeing more and more children in my office …

Transcript Hi. My name is Dr. John Fritz, and today I’m going to talk to you a little bit about how to prevent toe and foot cramps when you run. Sooner or later, all runners are going to get some type of a toe or a foot cramp. What’s important is to understand what causes …

Transcript Some of the most common causes of foot pain that I see in the office are typically affected with the nails. Some of the biggest things we see, especially with guys, are ingrown toenails. An ingrown toenail is when the nail border actually penetrates the skin, typically resulting in pain and infection. Some other …

Transcript Hi, my name is Dr. John Fritz, and I’m going to talk to you a little bit today about one of the more common causes of arch pain. One of the most common causes of arch pain is a condition called plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the band on the bottom …

Transcript Hi. My name is Dr. John Fritz, and I’m going to talk to you today about some common causes of pain in the ball of your foot. The most important thing is: What type of pain are you experiencing in the ball of the foot, and what have you been doing activity-wise in the …

Transcript Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. In the United States it continues to gain popularity, particularly among our youth. As a result, we are seeing more and more injuries to the foot and ankle. Lower extremity injuries accounted for 60% to 80% of all injuries during soccer, and the foot and …

Transcript It is estimated that 25% of all diabetics will develop a foot ulcer at some time in their lives. Proper foot care is critical in preventing ulcerations. Diabetes can affect the circulation to your feet, impairing the amount of blood flow to your toes. It can also affect the nerves to your feet. It …

Transcript Toe pain is one of the most common things I see in the office. Patients usually come in with a complaint of corns or callouses on their toes. Corns are typically due to friction, and they’re usually a result of shoe irritation, with an underlying deformity. On our toes, we can get different types …

Transcript Hi. My name is Dr. John Fritz, and today we’re going to talk to you a little bit how to prevent and treat cramping of your toes, foot, and calves while you sleep. Sixty percent of all Americans experience a cramp at some point in their lives when they sleep. It’s one of the …

Transcript Hi. My name is Dr. John Fritz, and I’m going to talk to you a little bit about some common causes of heel pain. He’ll pain is one of the most common things I see in my practice. The location of pain is obviously one of the more important things. Pain on the bottom …

Transcript Hi, my name’s Dr. John Fritz, and today we’re going to talk about what to look for in children’s shoes. When your child first starts to walk independently, it’s when he needs, or she needs, a first pair of shoes. It’s important to take your child to a shoe store that deals with children. …

Transcript Some of the most important things you can do in taking care of your feet is to wash them well daily. Regular soap and water, antibacterial soap, and particularly drying well when you’re done can avoid many problems. What you put on your feet is equally as important. The socks you wear are very …

Transcript Claw toes are a contracture downward of the toe and upward where the toe attaches to the foot. They are quite painful and make fitting in shoe gear quite difficult. When you come to my office and you present with a claw toe, usually what I’ll recommend is a change in shoe gear. You …

Transcript A bunion deformity is typically characterized by a large bony prominence on the inside of your foot. It can be quite painful, especially with shoe gear. When a patient comes to the office with a bunion deformity, usually I start by recommending a change in shoe gear. A shoe with a wider, deeper toe …

Transcript Sweaty feet is quite embarrassing and can lead to significant foot odor and fungal infections. Each foot has over 300,000 sweat glands in it, making it among the most parts of our body that perspire. Emotion and stress can increase sweating in the feet, as well as hormonal changes. It’s quite common in teenagers, …

Transcript Hi. I’m Dr. John Fritz, and I’m going to talk to you a little bit about heel spurs. What is a heal spur? A heal spur is a bony growth on the bottom of the heal. It is a radiographic finding. Heel spurs normally don’t hurt. Heel spurs unfortunately are commonly confused with plantar …

Transcript Hi. I’m Dr. John Fritz, and I’m going to talk to you a little bit about how to prevent and treat foot blisters. Blisters are a small, water filled, raised area on your skin, and they’re typically caused by excessive friction and moisture. To effectively prevent and manage them, you must control moisture and …

Transcript Hammer toes start as a flexible deformity. Stretching exercises can reduce the deformity. Since hammer toe is associated with certain foot structures, such as low-arched feet, wearing supportive shoe gear is critical. When a patient comes into my office with a hammer toe deformity, I usually recommend a change in shoe gear immediately. The …

Transcript Hi. My name is Dr. John Fritz, and I’m going to talk to you a little bit about warts. Warts are a virus that infects the skin. The virus is typically called the human papilloma virus or HPV. It is contagious and quite difficult to get rid of. Plantar warts typically occur on the …

Transcript A mallet toe is when the joint at the tip of the toe is bent in a downwards position. There are two ways to deal with mallet toes–conservatively and surgically. Conservative treatment revolves around decreasing the inflammation that can occur as a result of the deformity. Because the toe is bent at the tip …

Transcript Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the band on the bottom of your foot. It typically occurs when excessive tension is being placed onto the band. Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain that I see in the office. Typically, when a patient comes in with plantar fasciitis, I …

Transcript Hi, I’m Dr. John Fritz, and I’m going talk to you about how to treat and prevent athlete’s foot. Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection of the foot. The infection usually occurs either through contact with another individual or conditions on the foot changing, usually increased moisture. The shoe is a perfect breeding ground …

Transcript Hi. My name is Dr. John Fritz. I am a podiatrist. I practice in New Jersey. I’ve been practicing now for over 20 years. I maintain offices in Livingston, New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey, Ewing, New Jersey, and Bordentown, New Jersey. I went to school at Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine in Chicago, Illinois, …

Transcript Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection of our skin. Fungus normally lives on our skin, but in certain environments, fungus can flourish. Athlete’s foot is also contagious, so you can be exposed to the fungus and, as a result, develop athlete’s foot. What are the signs and symptoms? Moisture between the toes can commonly …

Transcript What is a black toenail? A black toenail is a common injury in which blood gets beneath your toenail. It can be caused from repetitive trauma or an acute trauma. One of the ways to prevent it is wearing protective shoe gear. If you work in an environment that’s dangerous, wear a protective Class …

Transcript Gout is caused by urate crystals being deposited in your joint. The urate crystals are produced when our body has too much uric acid in it. Dietary changes are critical in maintaining proper health and preventing a gout attack. Organ meats are also very important to avoid. Organ meats, such as liver, contain purines, …

Transcript An ingrown toenail occurs when the side of the nail grows in towards the skin, resulting in pain, inflammation, and swelling. If the nail penetrates the skin, this can result in an infection, which is a serious condition. The most common causes of an ingrown toenail is improper nail care, cutting your nails too …

Transcript If you injure your toenail and have active bleeding, seek medical attention immediately. The toenail is at the tip of your toe to protect the underlying structures. If your nail becomes loose, secondary to an injury, this can be a serious condition. You may have a nail bed laceration, or you may have a …

Transcript Hi. I’m Dr. John Fritz, and today we’re going to talk about how to prevent UGG feet and stinky feet. The most common thing I see in the office when it comes to UGG feet and stinky feet are parents bringing in their 13-year-old child, and their main complaint is, “My child’s feet stink.” …

Transcript Fungal toenails are also called onochomycosis. Fungal toenails account for one-third of all the skin infections that occur. Fungal toenails are responsible for at least half of nail disease. It’s caused when a fungus infects the nail matrix, the nail bed, and the nail itself. It’s very difficult to get rid of and can …