It's impossible to ignore heel pain when every step you take is so uncomfortable. Fortunately, Dr. Mukesh Bhakta, your Gainesville, VA, podiatrist at Prince William Foot & Ankle Center offers treatments that can improve your painful symptoms.

Why Do My Heels Hurt?

Heel pain can occur due to a variety of reasons, including:

• Worn-Out Shoes: Do you remember the last time you replaced your running or walking shoes? After months of use, the cushioning layer inside shoes becomes compressed. Although the shoes may look perfectly fine, they no longer support your foot adequately. As a result, you may develop a stone bruise in the fat pad under your heel bone, Achilles tendinitis (inflammation of the long tendon at the back of your heel), or retrocalcaneal bursitis (inflammation of the cushioning sac under the tendon).
• Plantar Fascia Inflammation: Is your heel pain worse first thing in the morning or when you stand after sitting for a while? If so, there's a strong possibility that you have plantar fasciitis. The condition occurs when the plantar fascia that runs along the bottom of your foot becomes inflamed. You may be at increased risk of developing plantar fasciitis if you are overweight, spend long hours on your feet, are over age 40, are a runner, wear poorly fitting shoes, or have flat feet or high arches.
• Bone Spurs: Bone spurs can happen to anyone, but are particularly common after you've had plantar fasciitis. In addition to pain, swelling over your heel may also occur. In some cases, it may be possible to feel a bony bump on your heel. You may be at increased risk of developing a bone spur if you have arthritis, are overweight, have diabetes, spend long periods on your feet, run or walk on hard surfaces, or have a gait abnormality that stresses your heel.

How Can My Gainesville Foot Doctor Help?

Your podiatrist offers a variety of treatment strategies that will ease your pain. Most stone bruises go away on their own, but they will return if you continue to exercise in worn-out shoes. In addition to buying new shoes, you may benefit from orthotics, custom-designed shoe inserts that cushion your feet and keep them properly aligned in your shoes.

Other possible treatments, depending on your diagnosis, may include anti-inflammatory medications, corticosteroid injections, orthotics or heel cups, and night splints (for plantar fasciitis.) If you have Achilles tendinitis or plantar fasciitis, you may benefit from shockwave therapy. The treatments send shock waves deep into your tissues to trigger your body's natural healing abilities.

Get back on your feet with a trip to the foot doctor! Call Dr. Mukesh Bhakta, your Gainesville, VA, podiatrist at Prince William Foot & Ankle Center at (703) 753-3338 to schedule an appointment.

Has your child been complaining of heel pain? Sever's disease may be the reason. Dr. Mukesh Bhakta of Prince William Foot & Ankle Center offers treatment for the disease and other foot and ankle conditions that affect your family's feet in his offices in Gainesville and South Riding, VA.

What is Sever's Disease?

Sever's disease, formally known as calcaneal apophysitis, is a painful inflammation that affects the growth plate in the heel. Growth plates are areas of cartilage found at the ends of the long bones in a child's body. As he or she grows, the cartilage is gradually replaced with bone.

The disease typically affects kids during a puberty-related growth spurt. It's most common in girls between the ages of 8 and 13 and boys between 10 and 15. During this time, it's not unusual for growth to occur very quickly. Sometimes, the heel bone grows faster than the muscles and tendons, which can cause them to tighten and place too much pressure on the bone. Fortunately, symptoms usually go away on their own after a few weeks or months.

What are the symptoms of Sever's disease?

These signs and symptoms often occur in children who have Sever's disease:

• Pain at the back of one or both heels
• Redness and swelling over the heel
• Stiffness first thing in the morning
• Trouble walking (particularly if your child has been very active)

Who get's Sever's disease?

Although any child can develop Sever's disease, it's more common in children who participate in sports that require jumping or running and may also be more likely to occur if your son or daughter is overweight or obese. Other risk factors include rolling the foot inward when walking, arches that are either flat or too high or differences in leg length.

How is Sever's disease treated?

Although convincing your son or daughter to stay off his or her feet for a few weeks may not be so easy, rest is an important part of your child's recovery. Your child's Gainesville or South Riding foot doctor may recommend exercises to stretch the muscles and tendons, heel pads or lifts to cushion the heel and reduce strain, or orthotics for flat feet or high arches. Shoes with plenty of cushioning will help reduce pain.

Does your child have any of the symptoms of Sever's disease? A visit to your Gainesville or South Riding, VA, foot doctor can help relieve his or her pain. Call (703) 753-3338 to schedule an appointment with podiatrist Dr. Bhakta of Prince William Foot & Ankle Center.

Avoiding the fungus that causes athlete's foot is the key to preventing the itchy, uncomfortable fungal infection. Our Gainesville, VA, podiatrist, Dr. Mukesh Bhakta of Prince William Foot & Ankle Center, treats athlete's foot, along with many other foot and ankle conditions.

What's the best way to prevent athlete's foot infections?

The fungus responsible for athlete's foot is very contagious. It can survive for weeks on surfaces and is often found around public pools and in public shower and locker rooms. If you swim at a public pool or work out at a Gainesville area gym, you can reduce your risk of developing athlete's foot by wearing sandals or shower shoes at all times.

Other ways to avoid athlete's foot, include:

• Decreasing Moisture: Sweaty socks and shoes provide the dark, moist environment the fungus needs to thrive. Adding talcum powder to your socks, spraying antiperspirant on your feet, wearing socks that wick away moisture and changing your socks throughout the day will help keep your feet drier.
• Alternating Footwear: Moisture can become trapped. Materials that breathe, such as canvas or leather, are a better choice than shoes made of synthetic materials.
• Washing Clothing, Bedding, and Towels in Hot Water: The athlete's foot fungus will survive a trip through the washing machine if you use cold water to clean your clothes. In fact, it only dies if clothing and other items are washed in 140F water. If someone in your home has athlete's foot, prevent the infection from spreading by washing bathmats, washcloths, towels, bedding, and socks on your washer's hottest setting.

How is athlete's foot treated in Gainesville?

An athlete's foot infection won't go away on its own, even if you keep your feet clean and dry as soon as you notice symptoms. Although over-the-counter anti-fungal creams can be helpful, the topical products may not be able to penetrate the deeper layers of the skins. If your infection doesn't go away or worsens, your foot doctor can prescribe topical medications that can reach the fungus deep inside your skin or oral anti-fungal medication if topical treatment isn't helpful.

Are you tired of living with athlete's foot? Call our Gainesville, VA, podiatrist, Dr. Bhakta of Prince William Foot & Ankle Center, at (703) 753-3338 to schedule an appointment.

Ankle sprains are one of the most common podiatry injuries. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, a sprained ankle results from strain or injury to the ligaments that help to keep the ankle stable and aligned in the joint. Like most soft tissue injuries, a sprained ankle can be mild, moderate or severe, depending on the size, location and extent (partial or full) of the tear. Dr. Mukesh Bhakta, a podiatrist at Prince William Foot & Ankle Center in Gainesville, VA, offers a range of diagnostic and treatment options for ankle sprains and other orthopedic injuries and conditions.

Ankle Sprain Diagnosis and Treatment in Gainesville, VA

The ankle is stabilized the lateral and medial ligaments, which are looked on the side and center front of the ankle. Although they are strong and designed to support the ankle's normal range of motion, a forceful twisting motion can create tears in the ligament, or a complete rupture in extreme cases.

The main symptoms of a sprained ankle are:

• Swelling
• Bruising
• Pain or tenderness when you touch it or apply pressure
• Ankle instability (severe sprains where a ligament has fully torn)

In most cases, a mild ankle sprain will heal on its own with conservative treatment like rest, elevation, icing, and over the counter pain relievers and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) like Advil or Motrin. Moderate to severe sprains may require additional treatment that includes immobilizing the ankle and performing exercises to restore strength and range of motion. The treatment period can range from 2 to 12 weeks depending on the type of strain. Your podiatrist will physically examine the ankle and may order diagnostic imaging tests to determine the extent and severity of the injury.

Find a Podiatrist in Gainesville, VA

If you suspect that you have a sprained ankle but are not sure or are experiencing foot or ankle pain, contact Prince William Foot & Ankle Center by calling 703-753-3338 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Bhakta today.

Are you suffering from foot warts?

If you have foot warts and don't know how to treat them, then your best bet may be your, Gainesville, VA, podiatrist, Dr. Mukesh Bhakta.

What are foot warts?

Foot warts are usually mistaken for corns or calluses, which are layers of dead skin built up to protect an area constantly irritated. Viral infections cause warts that penetrate the skin through cuts and abrasions. On the upside, the majority of foot warts are not dangerous but painful.

What do they look like?

They are raised above the rest of your skin and fleshy, and are found anywhere on the foot or toes. Warts can sometimes disappear, then recur in the same place. If, however, they are left untreated, they can grow up to an inch or more in circumference and spread into clusters.

Who is like to get warts?

Children and teenagers are the most susceptible to warts. It's vital to ensure your children's feet are constantly clean and dried properly after a bath.

What's a common wart?

Plantar warts appear on the soles of the feet and are painful. They are hard, flat, maintain well-defined boundaries and a rough surface and. They vary in color but are usually gray or brown.

You can get plantar warts if you walk barefoot on dirty or littered surfaces. The virus that causes plantar warts thrives in warm, moist environments, making infection a common occurrence in public pools and locker rooms.

Plantar warts spread by touching, scratching, or contact with skin shed from someone who has the wart.

How do you prevent warts?

Here are a few tips to prevent warts:

• Avoid direct contact with warts
• Avoid walking barefoot, except on sandy beaches
• Change your shoes and socks daily
• Constantly check your children's feet
• Keep your feet clean and dry

For more information on foot warts in the Gainesville, VA area call Prince William Foot & Ankle Center at (703) 753 3338 today!