How to Know If You Need Custom Orthotics

One of the most common questions we hear is:

“Do I really need custom orthotics, or just better shoes?”

The answer often depends on what you do for a living. Your feet are your equipment. Just like a chef needs a sharp knife or a surgeon needs precision tools, your feet need the right support to perform your specific job without injury. What a marathon runner needs is different from what a restaurant server needs.

At Kentlands Foot & Ankle Center, we don’t just look at your foot; we look at your life! The following checklist was designed with that method in mind, so use it and see if your job is putting your feet at risk.

1. The Healthcare Hero (Nurses & Doctors)

Working 12-hour shifts on hard hospital floors, often clocking 15,000 steps a day? Ask yourself:

• [ ] Do your heels throb the moment you sit in your car after a shift?
• [ ] Do you feel a burning sensation in the ball of your foot (Metatarsalgia)?
• [ ] Are your knees or lower back stiff when you wake up the next day?

The Verdict: If you checked any of these, your arches are fatigue-failing under the long hours. Orthotics provide the “scaffold” to hold you up when your muscles get tired.

2. The Restaurant Worker (Servers & Chefs)

If you’re constantly pivoting, dodging, and standing on tile or concrete in non-slip shoes…

• [ ] Do you have hard calluses or corns on your big toe or heel?
• [ ] Do you constantly roll your ankles on uneven mats or wet floors?
• [ ] Do your shins ache during the dinner rush?

The Verdict: Restaurant work requires stability. Orthotics can correct the overpronation that causes calluses and stabilize your ankle against sprains.

3. The Athlete (Runners & Court Sports)

Your feet take up to 3x your body weight in force with every stride. If you run, consider:

• [ ] Do you have recurring shin splints that won’t go away with ice?
• [ ] Does one shoe wear down unevenly compared to the other?
• [ ] Do you feel a “pinch” in your Achilles tendon when you push off?

The Verdict: You are likely dealing with a biomechanical inefficiency. Custom orthotics align your Kinetic Chain, stopping the energy leaks that cause overuse injuries.

4. The Active Senior (Pickleball & Walkers)

Want to stay active, keep up with grandkids, and travel without limits? Ask yourself:

• [ ] Do you feel like you are walking on “bony” feet (Fat Pad Atrophy)?
• [ ] Do your bunions ache after a long walk?
• [ ] Do you feel unsteady or fearful of tripping?

The Verdict: As we age, our natural padding thins and ligaments stretch. Orthotics can replace that lost cushion and provide the proprioceptive feedback needed for balance.

5. The Dancer (Ballet & Contemporary)

Your art requires extreme flexibility, but that often comes at the cost of stability. Consider:

• [ ] Do you have pain under the big toe joint (Sesamoiditis)?
• [ ] Do you have “snapping” hips or ankles?
• [ ] Do your arches cramp significantly after class?

The Verdict: While you can’t wear orthotics in pointe shoes, wearing them in your street shoes is vital for recovery. They allow your overworked tendons to rest in a neutral position.

The Takeaway

If you recognize yourself in these checklists, your feet are trying to tell you something. Don’t ignore it! Instead of waiting for things to worsen, schedule your evaluation today.

Still have questions? Get in touch for a comprehensive foot examination with Kentlands Foot & Ankle Center podiatrist Dr. Jon M. Sherman. To make your appointment, please call our office at 301-825-9697. You can also contact us online.

“Why Won’t My Heel Pain Go Away?”

You’ve been dealing with heel pain for months. You’ve done the icing. You’ve rolled your foot on a frozen water bottle. You’ve taken enough ibuprofen to stock a pharmacy. At first, it seemed to help. But now, you’ve hit a wall. Why did your treatment stop working?

The answer lies in how your body handles long-term injury. If you have been in pain for months, you likely aren’t dealing with simple inflammation anymore; you are dealing with degeneration. And to fix that, you don’t need more rest; you need a “wake-up call.”

That’s where Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) comes in. In this blog, Kentlands Foot & Ankle Center will explain how the treatment works, what it handles best, and more.

The “Chronic” Trap: Inflammation vs. Degeneration

To understand why Shockwave works when other methods fail, you have to understand what’s happening inside your foot.

• Acute Phase (The first few weeks): You have Plantar Fasciitis. The tissue is inflamed. Ice and anti-inflammatories work here because they calm the fire.
• Chronic Phase (Months later): The inflammation subsides, but the tissue hasn’t healed correctly. It has become thick, scarred, and stagnant. This is often called Plantar Fasciosis. The body has essentially “given up” on repairing that spot because the blood flow is poor.

This is why your ice pack stopped working. You can’t “anti-inflame” tissue that isn’t inflamed; you have to regenerate tissue that has degenerated.

How Shockwave “Tricks” Your Body into Healing

Shockwave Therapy is a regenerative technology. It uses high-energy acoustic sound waves to penetrate deep into that scarred, stagnant tissue.

Think of it as a controlled reboot for your injury.

1. Micro-Trauma: The sound waves create microscopic agitation in the damaged tissue.
2. The Signal: This signals your brain that an acute injury has just occurred in that specific spot.
3. The Rush: Your body responds by rushing oxygen-rich blood, stem cells, and growth factors to the area (a process called neovascularization).

We aren’t masking the pain. We are forcing your body to restart the healing cycle that it abandoned months ago.

Is Shockwave Better Than a Cortisone Shot?

This is one of the most common questions we get. Both are effective, but they have opposite goals.

• Cortisone is a powerful suppressor. It shuts down inflammation and pain quickly. It is fantastic for acute relief, but it does not repair the tissue.
• Shockwave is a stimulator. It takes longer to see results (weeks, not days), but because it builds new, healthy tissue, the results are often longer-lasting and more permanent.

For active patients who want to fix the problem rather than just hide it, Shockwave is often the superior long-term choice.

Who is the Ideal Candidate?

Shockwave isn’t usually our first line of defense for a mild strain. Rather, we use it for:

• Pain that has lasted longer than 3 months.
• Injuries that have “plateaued” with physical therapy.
• Achilles Tendonitis or Plantar Fasciitis that returns as soon as you stop resting.

Break the Cycle of Chronic Pain

You don’t have to accept heel pain as your “new normal.” Schedule a consultation today to see if Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy is right for you!

Still have questions? Get in touch for a comprehensive foot examination with Kentlands Foot & Ankle Center podiatrist Dr. Jon M. Sherman. To make your appointment, please call our office at 301-825-9697. You can also contact us online.

Why Does It Feel Like There’s a Rock in My Shoe?

(A Guide to Ball-of-Foot Pain)

You’ve felt it. It’s that sharp, annoying pain in the ball of your foot that makes you stop and take your shoe off, convinced a small pebble or a bunched-up sock is the culprit.

But every time you check, there’s nothing there.

This “phantom pebble” feeling is one of the most common and frustrating symptoms we hear. It’s not in your head; it’s a classic sign of a neuroma, and it’s one of the most treatable conditions in all of podiatry. If you’re tired of guessing, here is the explanation for your pain, courtesy of Kentlands Foot & Ankle Center.

What is a Morton’s Neuroma?

A Morton’s Neuroma isn’t a tumor or a “growth,” despite its name. It’s a pinched, irritated, and swollen nerve that runs between the long bones in your foot (the metatarsals).

• This nerve is normally very small. But when it’s repeatedly compressed or irritated, it becomes inflamed and thickens.
• When you walk, that thickened nerve gets “pinched” between the bones, sending a sharp, burning, or tingling pain signal to your toes.

Do You Have a Neuroma? A Symptom Checklist

The symptoms are very distinct. You’re likely dealing with one if you experience:

• The “Pebble” Sensation: The #1 sign. A persistent feeling of walking on a small rock, a fold in your sock, or a marble.
• Burning or Tingling: The pain often radiates from the ball of your foot into your third and fourth toes.
• Numbness: You may feel a “pins and needles” or a lack of sensation in your toes.
• Pain That Gets Worse with Shoes: The pain is minimal when you’re barefoot but becomes agonizing when you wear tight, narrow, or high-heeled shoes.
• Pain That Gets Better with Massage: You feel an almost-immediate sense of relief when you take your shoe off and rub the painful area.

This “shoe on/shoe off” pattern is the key. The nerve is fine when your foot is spread out, but it gets pinched when you put it in a shoe that squeezes those metatarsal bones together.

How Do We Treat a Neuroma?

The good news is that neuroma treatment is extremely effective, and we almost always start with conservative, non-surgical options. The goal is simple: stop the squeeze.

1. Shoe Changes: The first step is getting you into shoes with a wide, deep toe box. This simple change gives your bones room to spread out, stopping the nerve from getting pinched.
2. Strategic Padding: We can use a simple metatarsal pad. This small, raised pad sits behind the ball of your foot, not on it. This “lifts and separates” the metatarsal bones, creating more space for the nerve.
3. Custom Orthotics: This is the true, long-term fix. We can create a custom-molded orthotic with a built-in metatarsal pad that perfectly supports your foot’s mechanics and permanently offloads the pinched nerve.
4. Shockwave Therapy: In some cases that require more substantial but non-invasive methods, shockwave therapy can promote healing in the damaged nerve tissue.

Don’t Walk on That “Rock”!

Stop taking your shoe off at your desk or in your car trying to find a rock that isn’t there. We can give you a definitive diagnosis (often in a single visit) and create a simple, conservative plan to get rid of that pain for good.

Get in touch for a comprehensive foot examination with Kentlands Foot & Ankle Center podiatrist Dr. Jon M. Sherman. To make your appointment, please call our office at 301-825-9697. You can also contact us online.

Love the Loafer Trend? Sidestep the Pain With a Podiatrist’s Help!

Walk down any city street this fall, and you’ll see them everywhere: sleek, stylish, and sophisticated loafers. They are the go-to shoe for the modern professional, a perfect blend of casual comfort and office-appropriate style. But this fashion trend has a dark side that many are discovering the hard way: persistent, nagging foot pain.

If you’ve found yourself with aching arches or a sore heel after a day in your favorite flats, you’re not alone. The very features that make many loafers look so chic are often the same ones that are terrible for your feet. In this blog, Kentlands Foot & Ankle Center will explain why your stylish shoes might be the source of your pain…and how you can choose a pair that offers fashion and function.

“Why Do My ‘Comfortable’ Flats Hurt Me So Much?”

The irony of many popular loafers and ballet flats is that they are marketed as a comfortable alternative to heels, but they often lack the fundamental features your feet need for support. This is mostly due to:

• Zero Arch Support: The most common design flaw is a completely flat interior.
  • Without a supportive arch, the full force of your body weight collapses onto your plantar fascia, the ligament that runs along the bottom of your foot.
  • This constant strain is a primary cause of plantar fasciitis.
• No Shock Absorption: A thin, flimsy sole provides zero cushioning against hard surfaces like concrete sidewalks and office floors.
  • Every step sends a jarring impact through your heel and up your kinetic chain, leading to heel pain and general foot fatigue.
• Narrow Toe Boxes: Many fashion-forward loafers have a tapered or pointed toe box that squeezes your toes into an unnatural position.
  • This can aggravate existing bunions and hammertoes or even contribute to their formation over time.

The Podiatrist’s Checklist for a Better Loafer

You don’t have to give up the style you love. You just need to become a smarter shopper. The next time you’re looking for a new pair of flats, use this simple checklist!

[✔] The Bend Test: A good shoe should only bend where your foot naturally bends—at the ball of the foot. If you can fold the shoe in half in the middle of the arch, it has no structural support.

[✔] The Squeeze Test: The back of the shoe that cups your heel (the heel counter) should be firm and stable. A flimsy heel counter provides no support and can contribute to instability.

[✔] Look for a Removable Insole: This is a game-changer. A shoe with a removable insole allows you to add your own custom orthotic.

[✔] Check for a Subtle Heel: Even a slight, quarter-inch heel is better than a completely flat sole. This small amount of elevation can help to reduce strain on your Achilles tendon and plantar fascia.

The Power of Custom Orthotics

If you’re already dealing with chronic pain or if your foot structure requires more significant support, consider a custom orthotic.

Unlike an over-the-counter insert, a custom orthotic is a prescription medical device created from a 3D scan of your feet. Modern orthotics can be designed with a slim profile to fit discreetly inside many styles of dress shoes and loafers!

Still have questions? Get in touch for a comprehensive foot examination with Kentlands Foot & Ankle Center podiatrist Dr. Jon M. Sherman. To make your appointment, please call our office at 301-825-9697. You can also contact us online.

Boost Your Balance & Prevent Dangerous Falls!

Falls Prevention Awareness Month truly matters. After all, the risk it addresses is all too real: according to the CDC, one in four adults over 65 will fall, making it a leading cause of serious injury. In this post, Kentlands Foot & Ankle Center explores common risk factors and shares how you can improve your balance, too!

The 10-Second Balance Test

How can you tell if you’re at risk of falling? All you need is 10 seconds and a chair!

1. Stand on a flat, non-slip surface near a counter or sturdy chair you can grab if needed.
2. Lift one foot off the ground. Keep your elevated foot from touching your standing leg!
3. Cross your arms over your chest.
4. Try to hold this position for 10 seconds without touching down or grabbing for support.

Could you do it? If you felt unsteady or had to put your foot down, it’s not just a sign of “getting older.” It’s a signal that your body’s balance system needs attention.

How Do Your Feet Affect Your Balance?

Your feet are complex structures designed to keep you stable and upright. When problems arise, they can compromise your entire body’s balance in several ways:

• A Faulty Foundation: Foot deformities like bunions or hammertoes, or alignment issues like flat feet, can change the way your foot meets the ground.
  •  This creates an unstable base, forcing your ankles, knees, and hips to work overtime to compensate, which can easily throw you off balance.
• Scrambled Signals: Your feet are packed with nerves that send constant information to your brain about your position in space (a sense called proprioception).
  •  Conditions like diabetic neuropathy or even just the stiffness from arthritis can interfere with these signals. When the brain doesn’t get a clear message from the feet, your stability suffers.
• Pain and Compensation: When you have a painful spot on your foot, you naturally change the way you walk to avoid putting pressure on it.
  • This altered gait—a limp or a shuffle—is an unnatural movement pattern that can significantly compromise your balance and increase your risk of a fall.

The Podiatrist’s Role: Rebuilding Your Foundation

As foot and ankle specialists, our goal is to address these foundational issues to improve your stability. A key tool in our arsenal for fall prevention is the custom orthotic.

Unlike a flimsy store-bought insole, a custom orthotic is a prescription medical device created from a precise mold of your feet. It works to improve balance by:

• Correcting Misalignment: An orthotic provides targeted support to correct issues like flat feet or overpronation, creating a stable, properly aligned foundation for your entire body.
• Redistributing Pressure: By evening out the pressure across your foot, orthotics can significantly reduce pain from conditions like arthritis or bunions, allowing you to walk with a more natural, stable gait.
• Improving Sensory Feedback: For some patients, orthotics can improve the sensory signals being sent from the feet to the brain, providing a clearer sense of position and stability.

It’s important to note that regular exercise and stretching can make a difference, too!

Get In Touch and Stay Stable!

If you or a loved one is concerned about their balance or has experienced a fall, don’t wait. Schedule a comprehensive fall risk assessment with our team today!

Get in touch for a comprehensive foot examination with Kentlands Foot & Ankle Center podiatrist Dr. Jon M. Sherman. To make your appointment, please call our office at 301-825-9697. You can also contact us online.

Tired of Painful Ingrown Toenails? A Surgery-Free Solution is Here.

For anyone who has suffered from a painful, curved, or ingrown toenail, the cycle of discomfort is all too familiar. The fear of painful treatments, injections, or even surgery can cause many to simply live with the problem. But what if there was a way to correct the shape of your nail and relieve the pain without any of that?

Kentlands Foot & Ankle Center is proud to introduce the Onyfix® Nail Correction System, an innovative, pain-free solution that restores your toenail to its natural shape! Read the blog below to learn how it works and why it might be right for you.

Who is Onyfix For?

This versatile system is a game-changer for many, but it’s especially beneficial for individuals who are:

• Tired of Recurring Ingrown Toenails: If you’re looking for a solution that addresses the nail’s shape to prevent future pain.
• Anxious About Surgery: Onyfix is a completely non-invasive and pain-free alternative to traditional nail procedures.
• Diabetic or At-Risk: The system is exceptionally safe, making it an ideal choice for patients with diabetes or other conditions where surgery is not recommended.
• Active and On-the-Go: There are absolutely no restrictions on your daily activities after the application.

How Does the Onyfix System Work?

The process is simple, quick, and performed in-office. It uses a hardened composite material to act as a gentle brace, guiding nails into a healthier shape as they grow.

1. Painless Application: The Onyfix composite is carefully applied to your nail, creating a path for it to follow as it grows.
2. Quick Hardening: A special LED light cures the composite in about a minute, fixing the system to your nail without any tension or pressure.
3. Natural Growth: The Onyfix system stays on your nail, ensuring it maintains the corrected shape as it grows out naturally over several months.
4. Simple Removal: Once the correction is complete, the composite is easily removed by our team, and your nail continues to grow naturally.

What are the Benefits of Onyfix?

The advantages of this modern system are clear, especially for those who have been putting off treatment.

• Surgery-Free and Pain-Free: No needles, no cutting, and no discomfort.
• Rapid Treatment: Application is quick. You’ll be on your way in minutes!
• Induces Natural Growth: Works with your body’s physiological growth process.
• No Downtime: Continue your daily life, including sports and wearing your favorite shoes, without any restrictions.
• Cosmetically Friendly: You can still use nail polish and other topical products with the system in place.

Interested in learning more? We’re always happy to help!

Schedule a comprehensive foot examination with Kentlands Foot & Ankle Center podiatrist Dr. Jon M. Sherman. To make your appointment, please call our office at 301-825-9697. You can also contact us online.

5 Ways Diabetes Impacts Your Feet

So, you have diabetes, but you’ve never really considered the impact it can have on your feet. We at Kentlands Foot and Ankle Center love treating people with diabetes and educating them on the importance of proper foot hygiene and management. Today, we’ll be talking about the 5 main foot issues that chronically high blood sugar could lead to.

Peripheral Neuropathy

One of the most significant dangers is peripheral neuropathy, which is nerve damage caused by consistently high blood sugar levels over time. Tingling, burning pain, numbness- you might not feel a small cut from stepping on something, a blister from old shoes, or even the constant pressure of a poorly placed seam in a sock. Without the warning signal of pain, these minor injuries can worsen right under your nose.

Peripheral Artery Disease

Diabetes also frequently contributes to Peripheral Artery Disease, which is where the arteries in the legs and feet narrow due to plaque buildup. High cholesterol can reduce blood flow to the lower extremities.

And when circulation is compromised, your feet feel cold, your legs ache and cramp when walking, and most dangerously, the body’s ability to heal is impaired. Even a small wound or infection on the foot can struggle to receive the oxygen and nutrients needed for healing, which raises the risk of it becoming chronic and non-healing.

Foot Deformities

This combination of nerve damage and reduced circulation can also lead to structural changes in the feet. When the muscles weaken, it leads to imbalances and gait issues that result in foot deformities like bunions, hammertoes, or even the devastating collapse seen in Charcot foot.

These deformities then create abnormal pressure points on the foot, and coupled with impaired sensation, they can continuously rub against your shoes without you even feeling it. Yet another risk for blisters and cuts.

Infections

High blood sugar levels can also weaken your immune system, which can make a diabetic more vulnerable to getting sick. This weakened defense, coupled with reduced blood flow and neuropathy, creates a perfect storm.

What might be a simple cut for someone else can quickly escalate into a severe fungal infection for a diabetic.

Diabetic Foot Ulcers

All these factors can culminate in the development of a diabetic foot ulcer – an open sore that penetrates through the skin. These ulcers are the most serious threat, as they can become infected, lead to deep-seated bone infections, and tragically, are the leading cause of lower limb amputations in people with diabetes.

Manage Your Diabetes

The dangers of diabetes for foot health are significant. Proactive daily foot checks, choosing appropriate footwear, and regular visits to a podiatrist are not just recommendations; they are vital steps in preventing these life-altering complications and preserving mobility.

Interested in learning more? Schedule a comprehensive foot examination with Kentlands Foot and Ankle Center podiatrist Dr. Jon M. Sherman. To make your appointment, please call our office at 301-825-9697.

PinPointe Laser = Your Fast Fungal Nail Fix!

Fungal toenail infections are common, but that doesn’t make them easier to deal with! In fact, they can be surprisingly stubborn, and they’re difficult to treat with over-the-counter remedies or traditional topicals.

Fortunately, Kentlands Foot & Ankle Center is here to help! We’re proud to offer the advanced PinPointe™ FootLaser®, an FDA-cleared technology designed to effectively and safely treat nail fungus. Read on to learn more about how PinPointe works and the special offers we use to provide it to patients in need.

Why Traditional Treatments Can Be a Long Road

Many patients try other methods without success:

• Topical Creams & Polishes: Often struggle to effectively penetrate the hard nail plate to reach the fungus underneath. They typically require months of diligent, consistent application.
• Oral Antifungal Medications: While sometimes effective, these can carry potential systemic side effects and may require monitoring with blood tests.

A Modern, Targeted Approach

The PinPointe FootLaser is a breakthrough, offering a significant advantage by targeting the fungus directly where it lives. Three core steps are involved:

1. Delivery of Targeted Light Energy: The PinPointe device delivers a patented laser light through the toenail.
2. Destruction of the Fungus: This specific light wavelength is absorbed by the pigment in the fungal organisms. The energy gently heats and destroys the fungus without harming the surrounding healthy nail or skin.
3. Stimulation of Healthy Growth: By eliminating the fungus, the laser allows new, clear nail to grow!

It’s more than a Band-Aid or a cosmetic solution; rather, it’s a precise, focused treatment that can eradicate the infection at its source!

The PinPointe Advantage

Choosing PinPointe laser therapy offers numerous benefits:

• Clinically Proven & FDA Cleared: A trusted technology for onychomycosis.
• Safe & Virtually Painless: Generally well-tolerated, with most feeling only a mild warming sensation. No anesthesia is required.
• No Side Effects: Unlike oral medications, there are no systemic side effects.
• Quick & Convenient: Treatment for all affected nails usually takes about 30 minutes or less.
• No Downtime: Resume normal daily activities immediately. No recovery period needed!
• Often Just One Treatment: Many patients see significant improvement after just one session, though some may require additional treatments depending on severity.

Want some results you can see for yourself? Check out this extensive video for detailed before/after pics!

Results, Relief, and Fungus-Free Nails!

You don’t have to hide your feet or endure ineffective treatments for toenail fungus. The PinPointe FootLaser offers a safe, effective, and convenient path to clearer nails. Get in touch and schedule your appointment today!

Interested in learning more? Schedule a comprehensive foot examination with Kentlands Foot and Ankle Center podiatrist Dr. Jon M. Sherman. To make your appointment, please call our office at 301-825-9697.

A Podiatrist’s Guide to Plantar Fasciitis

You can’t fix a problem if you don’t even know what it is! That’s often the issue with plantar fasciitis, a common form of chronic heel pain that could affect up to 10% of the population! This time around, Kentlands Foot & Ankle Center will be explaining what defines the condition and which non-invasive treatment options you can trust.

Q: What exactly is plantar fasciitis?

A: Plantar fasciitis is the inflammation of the plantar fascia, a thick band of tissue running along the bottom of your foot, connecting your heel bone to your toes. Think of it as your foot’s built-in shock absorber. When it’s overstressed, it becomes painful.

Q: What does it feel like?

A: The hallmark symptom is stabbing heel pain, especially in the morning or after rest. It often feels better as you move around, then worsens again after activity. Some describe it as a deep ache or burning sensation along the arch.

Q: What causes it?

A: Several factors can contribute:

• Foot Mechanics: Flat feet, high arches, or abnormal walking patterns put extra strain on the plantar fascia.
• Overuse: Runners, walkers, and those who stand for long periods are at higher risk.
• Improper Footwear: Lack of arch support and cushioning.
• Tight Calf Muscles: Limit ankle flexibility, increasing stress on the fascia.
• Obesity: Excess weight adds pressure.

Q: How is it diagnosed?

A: A podiatrist can usually diagnose plantar fasciitis with a physical exam and review of your symptoms. X-rays may be needed to rule out other issues like stress fractures.

Q: How can I fix this without surgery?

A: Good news! About 95% of plantar fasciitis cases improve with non-surgical methods. Here are some key approaches:

• Rest: Reduce activities that aggravate the pain.
• Ice: Apply ice packs or roll a frozen water bottle under your foot for 15-20 minutes, 3-4 times a day.
• Stretching: Gentle stretches for your plantar fascia, Achilles tendon, and calf muscles are crucial.
• Supportive Shoes and Orthotics: Proper arch support and cushioning can redistribute pressure. Custom orthotics are often beneficial.
• Night Splints: These keep your foot flexed while you sleep, stretching the plantar fascia.
• Medications: Over-the-counter pain relievers (NSAIDs) can help with inflammation.
• Physical Therapy: A physical therapist can guide you through stretches, strengthening exercises, and other treatments.

Keep an eye out for future posts and more detailed information on treatments! We’ll explore options like ESWT, which involves using sound waves to stimulate healing in the plantar fascia.

Interested in learning more? We’re always happy to help! Schedule a comprehensive foot examination with Kentlands Foot and Ankle Center podiatrist Dr. Jon M. Sherman. To make your appointment, please call our office at 301-825-9697.

Bunion Basics: Understanding That Bump on Your Foot

It’s a typical day…until you put on your shoes. That’s when you notice a bony bump forming at the base of your big toe. What is it? How did it get there? And why does it seem to be “drifting” towards your second toe?

If this sounds familiar, you might be dealing with a bunion, medically known as Hallux Valgus. To keep you informed on why bunions form and what to watch for, Kentlands Foot & Ankle Center is breaking down the basics below.

What’s a Bunion?

A bunion isn’t just an overgrowth of bone. It represents a change in the actual bony framework of the front part of your foot.

• The long bone connected to the big toe (the first metatarsal) starts to drift outward, and the big toe itself begins to point inward towards the smaller toes.
• This misalignment creates the characteristic bump on the side of the foot at the base of the big toe.

Bunions are often progressive, meaning they tend to get worse over time if not managed appropriately.

Why Do Bunions Form?

While ill-fitting footwear gets a lot of blame, the primary cause of bunions is usually:

• Heredity: The biggest factor! Certain inherited foot types and faulty foot mechanics (like excessive pronation or flat feet) make you more susceptible to developing bunions. If your parents or grandparents had bunions, you might be more likely to develop them, too.
• Foot Structure & Biomechanics: The way your foot functions when you walk can place abnormal stress on the big toe joint, contributing to the deformity over time.
• Footwear (The Aggravator): While usually not the root cause, shoes that are tight, narrow, or have high heels can definitely aggravate an existing bunion and potentially accelerate its progression. They force the toes into an unnatural position.

Less common causes can include foot injuries or certain types of arthritis.

Spotting the Signs: Bunion Symptom Checklist

How do you know if that bump is truly a bunion? Look for these common signs:

• The Bump: A bony prominence on the side of your foot at the base of the big toe.
• Toe Drift: Your big toe angling towards your second toe.
• Pain or Soreness: Discomfort around the big toe joint, often worse when wearing shoes or after activity.
• Redness & Swelling: Inflammation around the bony bump.
• Corns or Calluses: These can develop on the bump itself, between the big and second toes, or even on the ball of the foot due to altered pressure.
• Restricted Motion: Decreased flexibility or stiffness in your big toe joint.
• Difficulty Fitting Shoes: Finding shoes that are comfortable and don’t irritate the affected area.

Diagnosis Matters!

Even if your bunion isn’t causing significant pain yet, early evaluation allows us to confirm the diagnosis, rule out other conditions, and plan the best course of treatment for your unique needs. Affected? Don’t suffer in silence. Schedule your appointment and move toward relief today!

Interested in learning more? We’re always happy to help! Schedule a comprehensive foot examination with Kentlands Foot & Ankle Center podiatrist Dr. Jon M. Sherman. To make your appointment, please call our office at 301-825-9697.