Barefoot Running
There has been a lot of publicity in the media in the last few days with a number of press releases related to the benefits of barefoot running as opposed to running in running shoes. A quick look around some barefoot running websites and some running forums show that these studies have been widely discussed and promoted. The first was this: The Effect of Running Shoes on Lower Extremity Joint Torques and the other was in Nature: Foot strike patterns and collision forces in habitually barefoot versus shod runners. What is somewhat alarming is the support that barefoot runners are giving ...
Lipid disorders and diabetic neuropathy
More and more research is linking cholesterol and lipid disorders to the development and management of diabetic neuropathy. Most recently a review in the Journal of the Pheripheral Nervous System (Hyperlipidemia: a new therapeutic target for diabetic neuropathy Andrea M. Vincent, Lucy M. Hinder, Rodica Pop-Busui, and Eva L. Feldman Journal of the Peripheral Nervous System; Volume 14 Issue 4, Pages 257 - 267 2009) discusses how the separate metabolic imbalances of hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia, converge to lead to oxidative stress in the sensory neurons. They concluded that this provides opportunites for novel therapeutic strategies to treat diabetic neuropathy. A 2007 press release from ...
Is MRSA in infecting or contaminating organism?
In the latest issue of Current Diabetes Reports, Bowling, Jude and Boulton ask the question as if wound colonization by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the cause of infection or just a contaminating organism. A number of studies have found the bacterial content of diabetic foot ulcers to be polymicrobial, so this question as to which is the infecting organism remains unanswered. Bowling FL, Jude EB, Boulton AJ.; MRSA and diabetic foot wounds: contaminating or infecting organisms?. Curr Diab Rep. 2009 Dec;9(6):440-4. (link) {openx:164}
More than half of Scotland are obese
Data from 2008 was disclosed by Public Health Minister Shona Robison in answer to Tory questions in parliament show that two-thirds of men and more than half of women in Scotland are overweight. Conservative MSP Jackson Carlaw said the statistics disclosed the true scale of "Scotland's obesity epidemic" and are appalling. Figures for children aged between two and 15 showed that more than a third of boys and a quarter of girls weighed too much. See the full story from the BBC. {openx:164}
Guidelines for the treatment of Psoriasis
Several issues of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology has some definitive review and guidelines on teh treatment of psoriasis for those that can access the journal: Guidelines of care for the management of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: Section 1. Overview of psoriasis and guidelines of care for the treatment of psoriasis with biologics Guidelines of care for the management of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: Section 2. Psoriatic arthritis: Overview and guidelines of care for treatment with an emphasis on the biologics Guidelines of care for the management of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: Section 3. Guidelines of care for ...
New Rheumatoid Arthritis Criteria
The current criteria for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were developed in 1987. At its October meeting, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) released revised the guidelines. The revised criteria rate patients on a scale of 0-10 points, with points assigned in four separate domains of signs and symptoms: joint involvement, serology, duration of symptoms, and acute phase reactants. Those who tally 6 or more points are considered to have definite rheumatoid arthritis. The joint ACR/EULAR panel is still considering what score should distinguish patients with probable RA from those in whom RA is unlikely, but ...
Cuboid Syndrome
Cuboid syndrome is due to what is thought to be a subluxation of the cuboid bone. When the peroneus longus muscle muscle contracts, it tries to dorsally displace and evert the cuboid as the tendon passes under the bone. To prevent this from happening the cuboid needs to be very stable against the calcaneus. If it is not stable, then there is some amount of subluxation of the bone. This results in symptoms around the joints on the lateral side of the foot. Treatment usually starts with some form of cuboid manipulation. Foot othotics and or strapping may be needed to ...
Foot orthotic mechanisms of action
A recent review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine show just how much we don't now about how foot orthotics work (Foot Orthoses and Gait: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Literature Pertaining to Potential Mechanisms. Br J Sports Med. 2009 Dec 8) The authors did a systematic review looking at the evidence for the physiological basis for orthoses under the biomechanical, shock attenuation and neuromotor paradigms. They concluded that: Based on our review, we conclude with rudimentary guidelines for the prescription of orthosis to individuals with a range of injury histories. We also highlight the need for further research focusing on ...
Web sites for Podiatry Clinics
Web sites these days are almost essential for anyone in business. Yellow pages and similar directories are going out of print around the world as more and more people search online for what they used to use the yellow pages for. A web site offers a great way to get your message out to potential patients. It is one thing to have a web site, it is another think to be found when a searcher looks for you in a search engine like Google. You can pay for advertisements to get your site noticed in the search engines, or you can ...
How good are MBT shoes?
Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT) shoes are marketed by the manufacturers as the 'anti-shoe' as they are supposed to mimic barefoot working. They also claim that they increase muscle activity so give the wearer a workout when using them. The shoes design is supposed to have been inspired by the barefoot Masai people from Africa who have no postural of back problems. The rocker sole of the shoe is supposed to mimic this barefoot walking style of the Masai people. Do MBT shoes work? The research is mixed. Biomechanical research has shown that there are differences in the gait pattern when wearing ...
BBC Story on Podiatric Surgery
The BBC have a sensationalised story on podiatric surgery in the NHS being "unregulated": Podiatric Surgeons are chiropodists who go on to learn surgical techniques to operate on feet and ankles. But BBC London has learned that there is no independent body which accredits these training courses. Furthermore, these surgeons do not have to be medical doctors, they usually hold a BSc in chiropody and a masters degree in the theory of podiatric surgery but as chiropodists they are not qualified to be admitted for traditional surgical training within the Royal College of Surgeons. Needless to say there is concern that the ...
Barefoot Running
Web sites for Podiatry Clinics
Lipid disorders and diabetic neuropathy
More than half of Scotland are obese
Barefoot Running
There has been a lot of publicity in the media in the last few days with a number of press releases related to the benefits of barefoot running as opposed to running in running shoes. A quick look around some barefoot running websites and some running forums show that these studies have been widely discussed...
Lipid disorders and diabetic neuropathy
More and more research is linking cholesterol and lipid disorders to the development and management of diabetic neuropathy. Most recently a review in the Journal of the Pheripheral Nervous System (Hyperlipidemia: a new therapeutic target for diabetic neuropathy
Andrea M. Vincent, Lucy M. Hinder, Rodica...Is MRSA in infecting or contaminating organism?
In the latest issue of Current Diabetes Reports, Bowling, Jude and Boulton ask the question as if wound colonization by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the cause of infection or just a contaminating organism. A number of studies have found the bacterial content of diabetic foot...More than half of Scotland are obese
Data from 2008 was disclosed by Public Health Minister Shona Robison in answer to Tory questions in parliament show that two-thirds of men and more than half of women in Scotland are overweight. Conservative MSP Jackson Carlaw said the statistics disclosed the true scale of "Scotland's obesity epidemic"...Guidelines for the treatment of Psoriasis
Several issues of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology has some definitive review and guidelines on teh treatment of psoriasis for those that can access the journal:
Guidelines of care for the management of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: Section 1. Overview of psoriasis and guidelines...New Rheumatoid Arthritis Criteria
The current criteria for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were developed in 1987. At its October meeting, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) released revised the guidelines. The revised criteria rate patients on a scale of 0-10 points,...Cuboid Syndrome
Cuboid syndrome is due to what is thought to be a subluxation of the cuboid bone. When the peroneus longus muscle muscle contracts, it tries to dorsally displace and evert the cuboid as the tendon passes under the bone. To prevent this from happening the cuboid needs to be very stable against the calcaneus....Foot orthotic mechanisms of action
A recent review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine show just how much we don't now about how foot orthotics work (Foot Orthoses and Gait: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Literature Pertaining to Potential Mechanisms. Br J Sports Med. 2009 Dec 8)
The authors did a systematic review...Web sites for Podiatry Clinics
Web sites these days are almost essential for anyone in business. Yellow pages and similar directories are going out of print around the world as more and more people search online for what they used to use the yellow pages for. A web site offers a great way to get your message out to potential patients.
It...How good are MBT shoes?
Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT) shoes are marketed by the manufacturers as the 'anti-shoe' as they are supposed to mimic barefoot working. They also claim that they increase muscle activity so give the wearer a workout when using them. The shoes design is supposed to have been inspired by the barefoot...BBC Story on Podiatric Surgery
The BBC have a sensationalised story on podiatric surgery in the NHS being "unregulated":
Podiatric Surgeons are chiropodists who go on to learn surgical techniques to operate on feet and ankles. But BBC London has learned that there is no independent body which accredits these training courses. Furthermore,...