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Brooklyn Podiatrist - Dr. Perlstein's Blog
Posts for: June, 2010
Athlete's foot is one of the most common fungal infections of the skin and is frequently seen in our Brooklyn office. Whether you've had it or not, it's important to understand how you can avoid and treat this highly contagious infection if you do contract it.
The fungus that causes athlete's foot thrives in damp, moist environments and often grows in warm, humid climates, such as locker rooms, showers and public pools; hence the name "athlete's foot. " This infection can itch and burn causing the skin on your feet and between your toes to crack and peel.
Tips from Dr. Perlstein for avoiding Athlete's Foot:
- Keep your feet dry, allowing them to air out as much as possible
- Wear socks that draw moisture away from your feet and change them frequently if you perspire heavily
- Wear light, well-ventilated shoes
- Alternate pairs of shoes, allowing time for your shoes to dry each day
- Always wear waterproof shoes in public areas, such as pools, locker rooms, or communal showers
- Never borrow shoes due to the risk of spreading a fungal infection
Treatment
A mild case of athlete's foot will generally clear up on its own with over-the-counter antifungal creams and sprays. But since re-infection is common due to its contagious nature, many people require prescribed anti-fungal medication to effectively treat the infection. Generally, it's always best to consult with Dr. Perlstein before choosing a treatment.
Mild cases of athlete's foot can turn severe and even cause a serious bacterial infection. If you notice your rash has become increasingly red, swollen and painful or you develop blisters and sores, call our Brooklyn office right away. Athlete's foot left untreated could eventually spread to other body parts and infect other people around you.
With the right treatment, you'll be cured of your athlete's foot in no time, which means the sooner you can enjoy the activities you love without pain and irritation!
Treating an array of problems of the foot and ankle at Dr. Perlstein's office, we put the best of technology to work in diagnosing many biomechanical injuries and abnormalities that cause pain and discomfort when walking or running.
After extensive research and new advances in podiatric technology, there are now faster and more accurate ways to asses a patient's feet and administer the most appropriate treatment. In fact, many foot problems can be treated most effectively by addressing their mechanical function, and at Dr. Perlstein's office, we offer our new Computerized Gait Analysis technology that helps us identify biomechanical faults faster and more accurately than ever.
Assessing Your Gait
Our Computerized Gait Analysis is an advanced method used to assess the way an individual walks or runs to highlight biomechanical abnormalities. While many of these common problems are treatable with modern medicine, assessing motion, and more specifically how you walk, has always been limited until the recent development of the Computerized Gait Analysis.
The Procedure
A Computerized Gait Analysis uses pressure mapping technology to identify pressure points in the feet as a patient walks or runs. Dr. Perlstein can observe and analyze the way an individual moves, looking in particular at the feet, ankles, knees and hips to determine the problem. This can then be relayed to a computer screen where slow motion and freeze frames can be used to carefully assess your running or walking style. By assessing the condition in the actual environment that causes that particular problem, we can actually identify what is happening while you walk and give you the best treatment for your condition based on this data.
By analyzing the mechanics of a patient's stance, postural alignment, and flexibility of the hips and back, recommendations can be made for orthotics, shoe modifications or a course of physical therapy designed to strengthen core muscles. Many times, with the right treatment, surgery can be avoided, thus diminishing the recovery time from a variety of injuries or disorders. With the new foot pressure measurement technology, our Brooklyn office can identify foot abnormalities more accurately than ever before.