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Stubbed or Run Over Toenail

March 14, 2013

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There is nothing worse than running over your toe with a door or jamming your toe into a door. The pain of doing this is really like none other. So, it is no surprise that this kind of pain can result in one heck of an injury. It can be as bad as separating your toenail from your toe.

So, what do you do for this kind of injury? Well, for one thing, this injury can result in actually breaking your toe. However, if you just dragged the door over it, you could just have injured the skin and soft tissue. Either way, it is important to get x-rays done to make sure there is not more of an injury than what you think. It also may be necessary to remove the toenail. You don’t want any blood to build up underneath the nail. This will just cause pressure and more pain than is necessary. Removing the nail is not going to result in a permanently absent nail. Your nail will grow back over a period of about 6-9 months.

If the skin has been broken, it may be necessary to place you on some antibiotics. If the door was rusty and you are not up-to-date on your tetanus boosters, we may need to get you a tetanus booster. These steps may be important for you to prevent infection and keep you from having bigger troubles than necessary. You’ve already had enough pain without having to endure an infection.

So, what happens if you did break your toe? Depending on how bad it is, it may be as simple as putting you in a surgical shoe to stabilize it and keep the fragments from moving or you may need surgery to stabilize the fragments.

If you or someone you know rammed their toe into a door or run over it with the door, it is important that you see your local podiatrist. If you live in the Reading or Tewksbury, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your calluses. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.

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How to Fix Shin Splints

March 14, 2013

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Depending on what part of the country you are living in, you may be still in the thick of winter or in the beginning stages of springtime. This means that you could either be revving up to hit the streets again, or you may still be on the treadmill in the gym. Either way, there are many injuries that can occur with running. One of these is shin splints.

Shin splints can present in a variety of ways. You can feel pain literally in your shins which could be a result of tiny breaks in your bones from repetitive trauma. It can also involve pain in your calves, this stems from little tears in your muscle belly. Regardless of what the cause though, the treatment is about the same; rest. It is important that you find out what the cause of your pain is though. Just because you have pain in your shins or calves, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it is shin splints. This is why a thorough physical exam from your podiatrist can help determine what the actual cause of your pain is.

Now, the more important part of shin splints is how to prevent them in the future. Runners tend to have very definite patterns that they follow every single day. For instance, you may run on the same side of the road every day, both there and back. That means that you are running on the same slope every day, putting the same stress on the same muscles, every day. Or you may always run on cement, asphalt or grass, instead of switching up the surface you are running on. Any of these kinds of patterns can lead to the same kind of stress on your body every day.

One way that you can help prevent shin splints is to switch up your pattern. Vary your running path every day, vary the surface, and vary the length of your runs. If you are first starting out, it’s not smart to instantly strive for a marathon distance, instead start slow. Stretching, is probably the most important thing you can do as a runner. Your muscles are going to be sore and tight after every run you do. It doesn’t matter if you are a weekend warrior or a cross country runner, every run puts stress on your muscles. People who get shin splints are also more likely to be flat footed. If you are flat footed, then putting some sort of arch support into your shoes will help relieve the stress that is being put on your muscles.

If you or someone you know has shin splints it is important that you see your local podiatrist to talk about the best treatment plans for you. If you live in the Tewksbury or North Reading, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your calluses. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.

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What Causes A Blister?

March 14, 2013

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There are two different types of blisters that are common on the feet. There are blisters filled with blood and blisters filled with clear fluid. You’ve all heard the age old saying of don’t pop a blister, but many of us just don’t listen because it is annoying and just sitting there. The reality is though, there is some truth to this saying. Popping a blister and leaving raw skin open to the environment can lead to infection and a bigger issue than you started with.

So, what exactly is the cause of a blister? The primary cause of a blister is friction and pressure. Ladies, think of when you wear a new pair of heels, if they are too loose they can rub against your heel, and if they are too tight, they can push against your heel. Either way, you can end up with a blister after a long night out on the town. So, what do you do once you have a blister?

If the blister is small, it can resorb on its own. If the blister is larger, it is important for you to see your podiatrist. You don’t want to have a large blister open and exposed to the air, because of the possibility of infection. So, by coming into your podiatrist, your blister can be opened and drained and it can be properly covered and treated.

Blood blisters can be a little different because they result from a blood vessel injury. Think about your toe getting pinched in the door, dropping something on your foot or pinching your skin with a tool. All of these can lead to a blood blister. If you have a blood blister at all, you should seek assistance from your podiatrist. These are not blisters that you want to try and treat on your own.

Now, how can you prevent a blister from forming? If you are wearing new shoes, you may want to put a soft pad in the heel of your shoe to protect it from the hard shell of your shoe. However, if you are wearing too small of a shoe, this can push your foot farther forward and cause your toes to hurt. So, you may want to stick to those old faithful shoes for a long night out and just slowly work in your new ones.

If you or someone you know has a blister, it is important that you see your local podiatrist. If you live in the Lowell or North Reading, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your calluses. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover and 87 Jackson St, Methuen.

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Is Your Nail Starting to Fall Off?

March 14, 2013

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Is your nail starting to come off? Is it thick and yellow colored? Is their pain in your toenail when you are wearing yours shoes? All of these factors could point to you having fungus toenails. The fungus can cause your toes to change color, thicken and quite frankly just be painful.

So, what can you do for these toenails? Well, if your toenail is starting to lift off of its base, then you need to come in so that we can clip it down to the point where it is still attached. As strange as it may sound and look to have a short toenail, it would be much worse if that toenail caught on your sock and ripped the whole thing off. Not to mention how painful that would be.

Now, what about the color and the thickness? Well, fungus nails can be very difficult to treat. So, we want to be as aggressive as possible. There are topical creams and clear nail polish that can be painted on to treat your nails. There is also an oral medication that you can take. It is just important that you liver is monitored while you are on this medication to make sure that you don’t have some side effects.

One of the best ways to treat your fungus toenails is using a new technology. We use a laser that makes use of particular wavelengths to kill the fungus. The most important thing that you need to remember is that the laser is killing the fungus so that your new nail will look healthier. It will not change the appearance of the old nail though. So, it will take 6 months to a year for you to see a full change as your nail grows out. It may take longer depending upon how slow your nail grows. Some people like to combine the medication and the laser so that you are really treating the problem aggressively.

If you or someone you know has thick, yellow, fungus nails, it is important that you see your local podiatrist. If you live in the Pelham or Windham, New Hampshire area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your calluses. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover and 87 Jackson St, Methuen.

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What do you do when you Stub your Toe?

March 14, 2013

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Have you stubbed your toe lately? If you are anything like most of Americans, you have had some clumsy moments during your life. Whether it was running into a wall, stubbing your toe on the bedpost or even tripping over your own feet, we have all done it at some point. The most common injury is hurting your little piggy. Over 70% of people have broken one of their little toes at some point in their life.

So, what about stubbing your toe into a bedpost? We’ve all done it and gosh does it hurt. So, how should you treat it? Well, as with all injuries, it is really important to follow RICE: rest, ice, compress and elevate. You should put the ice on for about 20 minutes and then off for 20 minutes. If after a couple of days you are stilling having a lot of pain or your toe starts to change color, you need to immediately see your podiatrist. There is not much that can be done for a broken toe, other than your big toe. But, if you have damaged your blood vessels then it will need to be evaluated.

What can be done for a broken toe? We can splint your toe to the one next to it. Or if it is your big toe, then you can have it set sometimes with a leg cast that extends out some or it can be surgically fixed. Many times though, it will just be left alone because toes are so little that they are hard to treat for a fracture.

So, if you or someone you know has broken a toe and are having a lot of pain, you should seek help from your podiatrist. If you live in the Bradford or Burlington, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your calluses. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.

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Podiatrist - North Andover, Mitchell Wachtel, D.P.M., 451 Andover Street, North Andover, MA 01845 (978) 794-8406
Podiatrist - Haverhill, Mitchell Wachtel, D.P.M., 145 Ward Hill, Bradford, MA 01835
Podiatrist - Methuen, Mitchell Wachtel, D.P.M., 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01844
Podiatrist - Lowell, Mitchell Wachtel, D.P.M., 704 Rogers Street, Lowell, MA 01852

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