Harvey R. Danciger, DPM
74-000 Country Club Drive, Suite A-2
Palm Desert, CA 92260
(760) 568-0108

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Posts for category: Foot Health

By Dr. Danciger
January 27, 2012
Category: Foot Health
Tags: treatment   Flat Feet   Fallen Arch  

For the most part, flat feet is not a serious condition. The average patient suffering with flat feet can go their whole life without experiencing excess pain. However, there is a small percentage of the population who have extremely flat feet that will cause them considerable pain and may need to be operated on.

Before resorting to surgery, most podiatrists will seek alternative treatments because surgery on flat feet is invasive and inconvenient for the patient. Some of the most common treatments include braces, physical therapy, medications, icing, supportive taping, and orthotics. A foot brace is a device that holds the foot in a set position to prevent the patient from putting excess weight on the already enflamed tendons. Anti-inflammatory medications and icing are both treatment methods that keeps swelling down and reduce inflammation. Orthotics are similar to bracing and taping except they're customized for your feet and they're much easier to use. Orthotics are simply inserts you place in your shoes that realign your feet to the position they should be in.

In the extreme case that none of these treatments work, surgery may be the only effective treatment left. It's recommended to only have one foot operated on at a time. Having both done at once will leave you crippled and dependent. There are different kinds of procedures for the surgery, but in each case, the doctor will go in and reconstruct the foot in a way so that the patient has an arch.

To read one woman's personal experience with flat feet surgery, click here.

Dr. Danciger is an excellent surgeon who is experienced and effective.

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By Dr. Danciger
January 06, 2012
Category: Foot Health
Tags: Christmas   Inserts   Shoes  

After months of cooking, shopping, and planning, the holidays have come and now they are gone for another year. How did your loved ones do on your Christmas list? Did you get everything you wanted? Or did you get another drawers-worth of socks?

If you didn't get everything you dreamed of, it's okay. It's the thought that counts. But that doesn't mean that you can't have the left over things on your list, especially if those things are good for your feet. As a doctor, I'm justifying your purchase of that pair of shoes no one bothered to get you, or those inserts that help support your struggling arches. Is it worth waiting for your feet to get healthy?

If you know that you have unhealthy feet, here are some things to remind yourself to do in the upcoming year to ensure foot health:

1. Examine your feet regularly. Look for changes in color, texture, and temperature. Also any growth on the foot is not normal. Make to treat cuts or scrapes with disinfectant and bandages if necessary.

2. Clip toenails straight across. Aside from your inherited foot structure, poor trimming habits are the main cause of ingrown toenails.

3. Choose shoes for your feet. Lots of times we choose our shoes because of style. Do not compromise proper fit and support for style. Shoes come and go, but you're stuck with your feet. Also, when purchasing shoes do it in the middle of the day when your feet are the biggest.

4. Always be wearing something on your feet. Walking around barefoot makes your feet vulnerable to fungus, bacterial infections, cuts, and injuries.

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By Harvey Danciger
September 02, 2010
Category: Foot Health

Back To School-A Time to Examine Your Feet

 

At this time of year when children are going back to school, parents should be reminded to have their kids seen by a podiatrist. This is the perfect time to get that yearly check-up and make sure there are no foot, ankle, or leg problems which would interfere with the daily activities and sports your children will be doing at school. If there are problems which are not attended to, this can cause disability and future problems which the child may develop. As activity levels change and increase, more stress is put on the lower extremities, which can then aggravate existing problems and deformities, causing pain, difficulty walking, running or doing normal activities.

 

At a time when many school districts have less funding for nursing staff and physical education staff, causing a reduction in these personnel, children are at a greater risk for injury. This makes it even more critical to have your children see their podiatrist yearly for examinations.

 

Younger children can injure themselves while playing sports, and if they have pain and can not walk, they should be seen to make sure there is no fracture through the growth plate of the bone. The growth plate is a separate area of long bones which allows the bone to grow and reach the adult size, at which point there is no further growth of that bone. Fractures in this area require experience in knowing what to look for on x-rays and through examination, all qualities podiatrist have. We treat the feet and ankles all day and have vast knowledge of the injury mechanisms and what to look for when someone injures their foot or ankle. It is possible to twist and ankle and break the bone up in the leg or in the foot, but the patient may only complain of pain in the ankle. This is where experience counts.

 

Healthy feet, ankles and legs can help your children grow and develop normally. Isn't this what all parents want for their kids!

 

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Podiatrist - Palm Desert, Harvey R. Danciger DPM, 74-000 Country Club Drive, Palm Desert CA, 92260 760-568-0108