When diagnosed—whether self or otherwise—with an ingrown toenail, you’ll have a quite painful on an otherwise seemingly unnoticeable part of your body. You need to find ways to prevent ingrown toenails. This condition might make a simple task like walking in shoes even more difficult than you may think. When left untreated, this condition can […]

Although you might not have been born with flat feet condition (even though it can be a congenital ailment), flat feet —or pes planus—can actually develop over time through injury or developing age. Flat feet treatment is necessary. In this article, we’re going to go over the symptoms you may be feeling that are associated […]

Having stronger ankles is very important for stability—especially if you are like to engage in lower body workouts or play a sport that involves movement. Weak ankles can easily cause injuries—not only in your feet and ankles but also in your knees and hips. There are many methods to strengthen your ankles. To avoid these injuries, try […]

Any runner will tell you—out of all the possible injuries and pain that they’ve suffered from throughout the years, plantar fasciitis is one of the worst. From the sole of the foot all the way through the heel and up the back, this common injury has sidelined runners for months—and maybe even years. There are many […]

When not attended to, a minuscule, annoying problem can quickly turn into a persistent medical issue that requires attention. An ingrown toenail can happen to just about anyone, no matter what your habits are—whether you’re an elite athlete or if you simply work long hours during the day on your feet. Especially with the way your […]

Whether you‘ve already been diagnosed with peripheral Neuropathy or you think you may be suffering from it, we would always advise you to get the professional advice of a medical professional. However, if you’re simply looking for some guided information about Neuropathy—specifically in the legs and in the feet—we’ve written this article in hopes to help […]

Whether you’ve gone to the doctor’s and they’ve encouraged you to look into the helpful traits of diabetic shoes or if you’re diving into some research yourself, this article helps outline some important aspects of these shoes and how they can help you with your Diabetic symptoms. The Importance of the Health of Your Feet […]

When blood sugar levels are poorly controlled, most parts of the body get damaged including the vessels and nerves that go to the feet. And because of this process, people with diabetes have high risks of developing foot problems, which may lead to surgery. Post-op, however, can also be a challenging time. Here are the best shoes […]

Plantar fasciitis is a foot injury caused by inflammation, strain, and overuse of the ligaments on the plantar fascia, which connects the toes and the heel. There are some exercises to relieve Plantar Fasciitis. It is important to heal this because this condition affects the tissue under the arch of the foot and can also […]

Whether you’ve been feeling foot discomfort for a while or you’re new to the toll diabetics takes on your heels, pain can sometimes get to an unbearable point. Fortunately, there are exercises for diabetics that can help manage and find relief from heel pain. First and foremost, however, we think it‘s important that you’re aware of some […]

Although you may think you’re properly pampering yourself, an improperly sterilized and cleaned nail salon can actually cause you more harm than good on your day off. There are many ways pedicure can cause toe infections. If the tools used to do pedicures aren’t sterilized as they should be, this can lead to skin and […]

As most diabetics know, the condition causes the likelihood of foot infections arising much higher than those without diabetes. In this article, we’re going to go over the reasons as to why the risk increases through the existence of the disease. Why is Diabetes Linked to Foot Infections? Along with diabetes comes another condition, called peripheral artery […]

You’ve probably felt foot cramps before—whether they may have come in the middle of the night or in random moments throughout the day. It is important that you find methods for getting rid of foot cramps. But the most important question is: how do you get rid of foot cramps—and fast? Before we go on, what […]

Whether you are on your feet all day, an athlete or just an average joe, fungal toenail infections are commonly found across a wide variety of different people. This infection is commonly found in the toenails or the fingernails, which will lead the nail to not only change in color but even can become thick, crack […]

Out of the 33 joints, over 100 tendons, and 26 bones that make up your foot and ankle, your heel is one of the largest. Not only because of its size, but there are also a few reasons why the Achilles heel might literally be your Achilles heel. The heel takes a major beating since it […]

Whether you are on your feet all day or are a regularly performing athlete, there are so many common myths, misconceptions, and misguided information floating around out there that can reach your ears (and make you worry about your feet). To help you sort out myth from fact, we’ve put together five common misconceptions about […]

One of the most popular sports in the United States is basketball. Right from a young age, many people want to dunk, sprint, and lace the ball through the hoop. This can be a lot of fun—and make you a ton of money down the road if you end up going pro. But it can […]

Whether you have diabetes or not, you should know that one of the consequences of having diabetes are feet and toe problems. This article discusses a few different ways in which you can prevent diabetic feet and toe problems. Although intended to help inform, it’s important to visit your local medical professional if you are diabetic […]

For developing children, a body can go through a ton of change. Whether teeth are falling out, clothes are being outgrown or even growth spurts that will leave your child knobby kneed and wiry, change can be completely normal.   But what about when it’s not? During growth, some kids go through changes that don’t […]

Just like most parts of your body, your feet have been serving you since you were young. Right from jumping off the jungle gym in your school playground to your sports activities as a college student, your feet have been a major part of your experiences in life, growing with you as you get older. […]

Whether you’re skating in an indoor ring or are enjoying the great outdoors on the ice in a winter wonderland, you’ll still need to take the sport seriously. A recreational skater can even be more prone to getting an injury than a professional one—because of the lack of experience or practice. That’s why skating properly […]

With the perfect slope months coming up, you’ll want to know how to stay safe and free from injury before tearing up the mountains! However, not just like any winter getaway, skiing qualifies as a sport—which means that it comes with all the various risks of injuries and pain that most other sports have. In […]

“Gait” might be an unfamiliar term for you. When you hear the word “gait”, you might think of bait or a disease or just a misspelled way of naming that fence that borders your front yard. However, your “gait” belongs to you. It is a medical term for the way you walk. Improving your gait […]

When you have foot pain, it might feel like there’s not much you can do against it. After visiting your podiatrist, however, they might recommend something that can really help you out: custom orthotics. The Way Orthotics Work Orthotics are slips that fit into your shoes. They easily fit into your shoes and are designed […]

When you think about winter time, you normally think hot cocoa and warm blankets, watching the snow gracefully float down outside from the comfort of your warm couch. However, if you’re staying moderately active, the vision of winter might look like this. Things like downhill skiing, sledding, ice skating, snowboarding, and ice hockey. Winter sports […]

If you’ve noticed someone who seems to be walking abnormally—with a sort of bounce in their step, it might be because they have cavus foot. Cavus foot, also known as high arches, is a condition where the bend in the middle of your foot (the arch), is abnormally high. When a person with cavus foot […]

This is something that we get asked about more often than you might think. How do we work with people who have smelly or sweaty feet? After all, your feet are bare when you work with us. Here’s the good news. For the most part, smelly or sweaty feet, in general, is not a big […]

It happens to all of us. Whether you’re an athlete, an avid walker or just have been walking too long in wet shoes, blisters happen to the best and the most of us. However, since it is such a common foot and ankle injury, it is hard to distinguish when or if you have to […]

In children, it’s often common to notice that a toddler or a baby has flat feet when they’re walking. However, it’s hardly a cause for alarm. It is actually normal for a child to have flat feet because the bones—especially the ones in their feet—are still developing. In adults, though, it’s a different story. At […]

You’ve probably heard of the myth of the Greek Achilles—the great warrior who had only one weakness. The origin of his problems could be dated back to when he was a baby when he had been lowered down into the River Styx by his mother in hopes of securing his future as an invincible warrior. […]

When you think of foot issues, you often think of an athlete or a worker who is often on their feet all day, every day. However, leading a low-active, sedentary lifestyle, can also be quite dangerous and risky for someone’s feet, as well. When someone ignores the physical necessity to just move around, leading a […]

Since soccer—or football as they call it everywhere outside North America is a sport where players are using their feet the majority of the time, it also means that it is also a very foot-injury prone sport. Not only do players have to watch out for other players coming in with their tackles, they also […]

There are various numbers of studies being done that have recorded the data linking common foot injuries and specific job positions. Although you may think you’re off the hook when it comes to obtaining a foot injury because your job isn’t listed, you might not be completely footloose and free of the threat of a […]

With summer vacation in full motion, the last thing on your mind—between learning how to ride waves and finding the perfect angle for your beach chair—is probably your foot health. However, you might not realize how badly the beach can do a number on your feet. Whether it’s your feet getting burned from the sun […]

A harmless toenail fungus can be more dangerous than you think. When you feel like you’re handling it and want to take care of it yourself, it’s a tough pill to swallow. It is possible that your toenail fungus may be out of your control. However, especially with ailments related to your feet, you can’t […]

You realize that your shoes might be starting to fall apart, literally, or you’ve just noticed a bit of the rubber underneath coming off. You know how much you’ve invested in them and you’re not extremely keen to give them up. However, keeping old athletic shoes can hinder and hurt you more than they can […]

Plantar fasciitis can be a painful experience—especially if you’re an active person. Although it can be debilitating, there are some things you can so and ways to work around it. What is Plantar Fasciitis? First, what is plantar fasciitis? The injury originates from the plantar fascia, a connective tissue intertwined in a thick band. This […]

Being an athlete already puts you at so much risk for injuries. However, the risk often seems to be worth the reward—playing sports is fulfilling a passion that so many have which makes them much more willing to compete and put themselves into a position with the possibility of severe injury that can have a […]

Surgery is always a stressful time in someone’s life. You put all your trust in a doctor and his or her team’s abilities. But there’s always a slim possibility that something could go wrong. When you are going in for bunion surgery as your last resort, after all the pain and discomfort you’ve gone through, […]

No matter what sort of medical condition you are going through, the number one thing to avoid in most cases is to try and avoid surgery at all costs. However, sometimes the condition gets to be so unbearable or at the point of no return that you have no choice: you have to shimmy yourself […]

If you are an athlete, you are probably always on your feet, moving around, shifting your weight from one foot to another, while your feet take a beating. Every athlete knows that their bodies can take a beating while competing or playing sports. There are preventative measures you can take to avoid injury as best […]

When you have any of these ailments, especially associated with your feet and you are on them 24/7, the situation can feel hopeless. Even if you feel like you’ve already tried everything out there, there might still be hope. MLS Laser Therapy is a recent medical advancement that has been proven to be effective and […]

If your doctor has suggested that diabetic shoes will benefit you and your feet are in desperate need of a change, you might be left on what feels like a never-ending hunt to find the perfect diabetic shoes. Before you head into the shoe store, however, we would like to help give you some direction […]

Every single year across the United States, almost 75,000 lower limb amputations occur in diabetic patients that have nothing to do with a trauma-induced incident. The statistics are astounding and eye-opening. What preventative measures can be done to help a diabetics’ foot care needs? Vascular Health Risk Management had traced these amputations back to being […]

Our staff at Foot & Ankle Clinic of the Virginias wants you to be able to do your favorite activities, without having to endure foot or ankle pain. We probably aren’t going out too far on a limb to assume that you want this too! Fortunately, our medical specialists can provide care to resolve many […]

Ingrown toenails are one condition you definitely want to avoid, if you can help it. One, they’re unsightly. Two, they can cause significant pain and tenderness and make it difficult to wear shoes comfortable. Third, if untreated they could lead to a serious infection, especially if you have diabetes or an otherwise compromised immune, circulatory, or nervous system. […]

Some skills are learned at such a young age that we can’t remember what it was like—or think that we might be doing it “wrong.” You’ve probably never given how to brush your teeth, or use a fork, or put on pants a second thought. Of course you’re doing it right! It might surprise you, […]

As a general rule of thumb, we attempt to treat every foot and ankle condition in the least invasive way possible. The good news is that many problems are effectively resolved with conservative treatment. Sometimes, though, we do need to use more advanced solutions, even for a nail problem like ingrown toenails. For a fairly basic ingrown […]

Toenails have a simple function: grow slowly, and in the correction. Frustratingly, they often fail in that task. For many reasons, the edge or corner of a toenail might take an unwelcome detour into the soft flesh of your toe, causing pain, tenderness, and—if allowed to fester—sometimes even a nasty infection. If you’ve just noticed […]

Heel pain is a frequent, and frustrating, companion to those who work on their feet. Whether you work in energy, R&D, healthcare, education, retail, the service sector, or any other active role, the daily grind can leave your heels aching and your entire body warn out by the time you punch out. Well, we have news […]

As the temperatures start to heat up this summer, the sidewalks, trails, and pathways are filling up with runners going out for their morning or evening jog. We hope you’re one of them! We probably don’t have to tell you how good running is for your mind and body, not to mention your feet. That […]

Achilles tendinitis is a common source of pain and misery in the heels and ankles, especially among active adults. Repetitive, high-stress activities (think running, tennis, or basketball) can cause the tendon fibers to swell, tear, or even degenerate. Older adults are particularly at risk, since at this time tendons are generally becoming weaker and less flexible […]

Ankle sprains are the most common lower limb injury—and sports injury of any type—in America. As a matter of fact, as many as 20% of all sports-related injuries are ankle sprains. Despite this, many people aren’t sure about the best way to care for a sprain, and that can mean longer healing times, chronic pain, or […]

Feet are particularly vulnerable to fungal infections, for lots of reasons. Here are just a few: We stick them in sweaty shoes and socks all day. They may not get as much attention from the soap as other parts of your body when you take a shower. If you go barefoot in public, you might […]

Trust us: athlete’s foot is one condition you definitely want to avoid. If you’ve ever had it, you know what we mean. Even a relatively mild case can be extremely aggravating, and even embarrassing. A dry, scaly, reddish rash develops, often along the tops of feet and between the toes. Your feet itch all day, but especially […]

Your body contains around 4,000 tendons—give or take—but none of them can match the Achilles in either thickness or strength. Also known as the “heel cord,” the Achilles attaches the powerful, explosive calf muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus) to the foot, inserting into the top of the heel bone. The Achilles, along with the calf muscles […]

The numbers are in, and we have your spring forecast for 2017! It’ll be hot and humid, with lots of rain and a chance of fungus! Surprised? Don’t be. As temperatures and humidity levels increase, you may find yourself more and more likely to come into contact with dermatophytes, a particular group of fungi that […]

Most people are familiar with bunions—those big, knobby, bony, protruding bumps that can develop on the inside of some feet at the base of the big toe. Did you know, however, that the same thing can happen to the little toe, on the opposite side of the foot? A bunion on the fifth toe is called […]

Childhood is often the most active time of life. While a typical American adult might take an average of around 5,000 steps per day, adolescents can easily double or triple that figure, especially if they enjoy playing outside or are active in one or more sports. All that activity, of course, is great for keeping […]

Heel pain is extremely common. Some estimates suggest that about half of all Americans struggle with it at one point or another. We’re not talking about minor aches and pains here, either, which we all experience to some extent. We’re talking about pain strong enough to stop you in your tracks, keeping you from enjoying your […]

There are a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings about bunions, despite how incredibly common they are. Many people assume that only older ladies can get them, or that you can only develop them by wearing high heels. While there’s a sliver of truth to these misconceptions—bunions are indeed most common in older women, and high heels […]

If someone asks you to think about a person with bunions, chances are you probably wouldn’t imagine a child or adolescent. The stereotype, of course, is that bunions are a condition only experienced by women in their middle or older ages. However, while that is the most common and vulnerable demographic, we’ve seen bunions in teenaged […]

White water rafting is big around here, but once you go ashore, are your feet roaring as loud as the rapids? Bunion pain can put a real damper on your activities and your shoes can make matters worse. If you feel like you’re paddling upstream trying to find shoes that will accommodate the bulging bump on your […]