New Book By Leading Podiatrist
Shows How To Have A Lifetime Of Pain-Free Foot Health
![Ask the Foot Doctor: Real-Life Answers to Enjoy Happy, Healthy, Pain-Free Feet by [Tumen, Dr. Doug]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41wEr4lxmPL.jpg)
Ingrown Toe Nail.
Bunion. Gout. Arthritis. Foot Fungus. Achilles Tendon. Hammer Toe. Diabetes.
Twisted Ankle. Broken Foot.
These are some of the
chronic conditions, injuries, and diseases that give tens of millions of
Americans aches, pains, and stress in their feet daily. But you don’t have to
suffer any more.
A new book by a
podiatrist of 35 years provides a handy, comprehensive, guide in plain English
for anyone seeking to better understand how to care for their feet, including
prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation tips.
Ask The Foot Doctor:
Real-Life Answers To Enjoy Happy, Healthy, Pain-Free Feet (Morgan James Publishing, June
2019, Trade Paper, 200 pages, $17.95, ISBN: 9781642791983) is penned by Dr.
Doug Tumen, founder of Hudson Valley Foot Associates (www.HVFA.com). Having treated tens of
thousands of people, Dr. Tumen wrote this book to provide foot fundamentals so
people of all ages can take smart steps implementing prevention and everyday
care to their feet.
The average American
will walk the globe four times over a lifetime, so they will need all of the
help they can get. Each of our feet contains 26 bones, 33 joints, 107
ligaments, and 19 muscles. There’s a lot that can go wrong over the course of
many years.
Here’s an interview
with Dr. Tumen, whom is a client of the public relations firm that I work for:
1. As a podiatrist of 35 years, what
are the more common foot-related ailments and injuries to come across your
office? Anything
and everything related to the foot and ankle walks in our door on a daily
basis. It could be someone who stepped on a nail, to someone who sprained their
ankle playing basketball, to a concerned mom worrying about their child’s feet,
to a diabetic with a serious foot infection. However, some of the more common
foot problems we see daily are painful ingrown toenails, heel pain and plantar
fasciitis, foot deformities needing correction, such as bunions and hammer
toes, diabetics in need of foot care, plantar warts, fungus toenails, flat
feet, foot injuries from sprains to fractures, gout attacks, tendon injuries,
seniors care, and just people complaining of being tired of suffering with foot
aches and pains.
2.
How
many of these conditions are preventable, if only people had more awareness of
them? Many of the
more common foot problems and conditions are preventable with proper education and
awareness. The best example is with diabetics. Most of the serious diabetic
foot complications, such as diabetic wounds, infections, and amputations are
totally preventable if a diabetic does one simple thing; an annual diabetic
foot examination. Diabetics who are educated and examined regularly by a foot
specialist avoid most of the serious foot complications by following the simple
do’s and don’ts, taking precautions and understanding their personal risk
factors. Unfortunately, the first time we often see a diabetic is when they
show up with in infection or a wound that requires hospitalization. Totally preventable. Of course, so many other
foot problems are also avoidable with simple awareness and education.
3.
Please
give us some good foot fundamentals on everyday care for our feet. Foot care can be pretty simple and does not need to be
complicated. Our feet do so much for us and a small amount of TLC can go a long
way. The best thing far and away you can do for your feet is to wear comfortable
shoes. Give your feet some love and don’t force them into shoes because they
look good or match your outfit. Shoes should have a combination of support and
cushioning. Support to hold your feet up to their daily tasks, and cushioning
because we live in a concrete world. Daily massage, rolling your feet on a
rolling pin or tennis ball, stretching your foot and leg muscles, and applying
a good moisturizing cream are great ways to keep them happy.
4. What are some of the symptoms to
common foot conditions? One
of the most common painful foot conditions we treat is plantar fasciitis.
Plantar fasciitis seems to be at epidemic proportions based on how many people
we see with this painful foot condition. If you wake up in the morning and your
foot hurts getting out of bed, if it hurts any time after you sit and get back
up, and if you have pain around your heel that may extend into your arch,
chances are you have plantar fasciitis. Sometimes the area surrounding the
bottom of your heel may be swollen, and sometimes it can ache even if you are
sitting or are just lying in bed. Pain can persist throughout the entire day
and often causes one to limp because of the pain.
6.
Does
exercise do more harm than good when it comes to our feet? Exercise, a good diet and sleep
are the trifecta for your health. So, no matter what condition your feet are
in, exercise is essential. For those that can, which is most people, walking is
the simplest way to get your exercise in. Just a 20-minute walk is proven to
have great cardiac benefits, improve your circulation, help lose weight, in
addition to easing stress, and improving mindset. There are certainly instances
where foot pain can limit exercise, and some modification of exercise is
necessary. Often, I tell a patient to ride a stationary bike, use an elliptical
machine, swim or take an aqua aerobics class. It is rare that exercise is going
to damage feet and the benefits are too great, so as the saying goes, Just Do
It!
7.
Some
serious diseases are associated with our feet, including diabetes. What do our
feet tell us about our overall health? Your feet can actually be a wonderful window into your
body. It’s common for a podiatrist to be the first physician to diagnose a
patient with diabetes. Rheumatoid arthritis and other types of arthritis such
as psoriatic arthritis are commonly first spotted in the feet. PAD, peripheral
arterial disease is going to show up in the feet and legs as pain with walking
or at rest. Skin texture, skin color, toenail changes, or also windows. X-rays
we take of the feet are often the first a patient may know that they have
osteopenia, osteoporosis and weakening of their bones. And of course, gout,
which is elevated uric acid in the blood is most commonly seen as a red hot
swollen and painful great toe joint
8.
Are there dangers associated with
pedicures? Oh, the perils of pedicures!
Countless women are horrified when they take off their nail polish and see
yellow and white spots covering their toenails. And it is so frustrating to
develop a painful ingrown toenail after a pedicure went awry. As I often tell
my patients, pedicures can be great but they also should be educated on the
do’s and don’ts of pedicures. First,
nail polish is toxic, filled with chemicals such as formaldehyde and toluene
and left in place for long periods of time, will allow for fungus to breed on
the nail. New anti-fungal non-toxic nail polish is now available and will not
promote fungus. Instruments and sterilization are a whole additional topic as
different strands of fungus will survive cold sterilization and are considered
contagious.
9.
Are
certain shoes bad for our feet? Why? Yes, there are many types of shoes
that can cause pain and even damage your feet. Everyone’s feet are different
and what may be comfortable for one person may cause foot pain for another.
Most importantly your shoes should be comfortable and if they cause pain should
be replaced. Wrong sized shoes are responsible for a lot of people’s foot pain.
Keep in mind our feet “grow” as we age. Most people recognize as we age, we
often shrink in height, but our feet also are affected as they spread and
expand. Get your feet measured, but don’t go by size alone, go by comfort. High
heels and flats each have their challenges when it comes to the feet. If a shoe
makes your foot hurt, ditch them. Remember function over fashion is always the
best way to show some love to your feet.
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©2019. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His
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