Specialty Services & Treatments

EPAT (Extracorporeal Pulse Activation Technology)

Monday February 18, 2019 /

What is EPAT®? EPAT® stands for Extracorporeal Pulse Activation Technology. EPAT® is a form of ESWT (Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy) which is an evidence-based, emerging, proven treatment option for patients suffering from both acute and chronic musculoskeletal injuries. This technology was developed in Europe and is considered a standard of care in most of the world for treating chronic musculoskeletal conditions. If you are tired of being in pain and not able to participate in activities you love, EPAT could be right for you. How does EPAT® work? EPAT® uses acoustic pressure waves to safely increase metabolism and blood… Continue Reading

Heel Pain (Plantar Fasciitis) Treatments

Thursday July 9, 2015 /

Plantar Fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain. The plantar fascia is a ligament that supports the arch of the foot. Plantar fasciitis occurs when this ligament gets over stressed, damaged and inflamed. Cause: Some common causes of heel pain / plantar fasciitis include, but not limited to: Weight gain Excessive physical activity Abnormal (gait) walking pattern Improper or ill-fitting shoes High impact activities (i.e. repetitive jumping, certain sports like tennis, basketball and certain exercise programs) Tight calf muscles and achilles tendon Presentation: The heel can be painful, red, and/or swollen. The first steps out of… Continue Reading

Foot & Ankle Surgery

It is our goal at Foot and Ankle Specialists of the Mid-Atlantic to provide the best care possible to address your specific foot and ankle condition. Our doctors will provide our patients with a thorough understanding of their surgical and non-surgical options. If surgery is recommended, our experts will offer an individualized surgical plan to best address your condition and goals. Foot surgery is a well-planned, personalized event between you and your doctor. Selection of the proposed procedure, and the rehabilitation after surgery, is all part of the plan to help make you the best you can be. Listed below… Continue Reading

General Foot & Ankle Care

The foot and ankle are a complicated network of nerves, blood vessels, bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Every step involves an intricate series of interactions between these tissues. Foot pain can be a clue to overall health. For example, joint stiffness can be caused by arthritis. Numbness and tingling can be caused by diabetes. Swelling might indicate kidney, heart, or venous disease. It is important to take care of your feet, so they can take care of you. They are needed to complete your work and keep you walking to keep you healthy, help circulation, reduce weight, increase strength and… Continue Reading

Gait Analysis Services

Gait analysis is of fundamental importance in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal conditions affecting the foot and ankle. Most foot and ankle specialists initially examine the patient in the seated position to determine position, range of motion and strength, leg length, and gross deformity. Then, the patient stands to enable assessment of the alignment of the feet, ankles, knees, legs, and hips. Finally, the patient is asked to walk and/or run to enable a more functional assessment of the lower extremity, as well as to measure the effects of body weight, form, and posture. Gait analysis can be accomplished… Continue Reading

Biomechanics & Orthotics

Wednesday July 8, 2015 /

Poor biomechanics can be debilitating for patients. It can cause chronic pain, which can significantly affect a patient’s quality of life. Podiatrists can change a patient’s life quality by altering their biomechanics to function more efficiently. Over-the-counter or custom orthotics are effective, common treatments. Over-the-counter (OTC) orthotics can be a quick fix for a minor issue or an intermediary step when transitioning a patient into custom orthotics. Generally, patients who are of light to normal weight, have minimal deformity, a relatively neutral arch, and have a job that requires light weight-bearing benefit the most from OTC orthotics. These orthotics tend… Continue Reading

Hammertoe Treatments

Hammertoes are caused by muscle imbalances in the toe. Ligaments and tendons of the toe are tightened, which causes the joint to buckle and appear slightly deformed. Hammertoe deformities are fixed structural deformities affecting one or multiple toes of the feet. Each toe (except the big toe) consists of 3 separate joints. Hammertoes can affect one of multiple joints of each toe. Hammertoe deformities cause a bending of the toe which is created by ‘jamming’ of bones in toe joints, and is considered one of the most common foot deformities. Most often it is seen in the middle joint of… Continue Reading

Bunion Treatments

A bunion is a bump on the outside of the big toe joint. It is a misalignment of the bones in the foot. The bump is noted where your big toe meets the rest of your foot. The bump and deformity can gradually get worse over time making it difficult finding comfortable shoe gear. It also can cause other toes to become deformed when you have a bunion for a long time. Bunions can occur at any age, starting in childhood. The misalignment can be genetically inherited, meaning someone in your family also had/has a bunion. Specific foot types can… Continue Reading

Trauma

26 bones, 33 joints, and over 110 ligaments, tendons, and muscles – the foot and ankle is a complex system that, when functioning well, can provide a stable construct to support our daily activities. However, when one or more of these bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, or tendons becomes injured, it can have a cascade of negative side effects when left untreated. Sprains, strains, and tears are common occurrences in the foot and ankle. These are usually the result of a misstep, a twisting of the foot/ankle, or trauma. Fractures or breaks in the bone can also occur through direct or… Continue Reading

Diabetic Foot Care

Diabetic patients should make podiatric health a top priority in their lives. Diabetes is a devastating disease that affects multiple sites of the body, including your feet and lower extremities. Two common systems that are affected in the feet are the Nervous and Vascular. Diabetes can damage the nerves of the body that can lead to burning, tingling and even numbness of the feet. This is called diabetic neuropathy. Diabetic neuropathy may lead to the development of ulcerations or wounds to the feet because cuts, lesions and irritations can go unnoticed due to the diminished sensation to the feet. Wounds… Continue Reading

Sports Medicine

Sunday July 5, 2015 /

Sports medicine focuses on the treatment and prevention of injuries involved in athletics, exercise, and other types of physical fitness. Common injuries and problems of the foot and ankle include ankle sprains, tendinitis, shin splints, skin blisters, turf toe, muscle strains, and fractures. Most sprains and strains or “soft tissue” injuries can be treated conservatively with “P.R.I.C.E.” therapy (Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) for several weeks. Special strapping and taping techniques can also be utilized along with different types of bracing to provide support to the injured area as it heals. Another newer treatment for both acute and chronic soft… Continue Reading

Foot & Ankle Wound Care

Friday July 3, 2015 /

Foot & Ankle Specialists of the Mid-Atlantic: Your wound healing partners! Foot & Ankle Specialists of the Mid-Atlantic is committed to providing personalized, effective and advanced treatments to improve our patient’s ability to heal their lower extremity wounds. Lower extremity wounds are often complex and challenging to heal. Foot and ankle specialists are a key component to your multidisciplinary wound care team. One of the most important aspects of wound care management is having a full understanding of each individual patient. This is achieved by carefully listening to our patients, addressing our patient’s concerns, answering our patient’s questions, reviewing our… Continue Reading

Foot & Ankle Ultrasound Diagnostic Imaging

Our physicians use ultrasound imaging in the office on a daily basis to assist in the diagnosis and the treatment of many foot and ankle conditions. Ultrasound allows the physician to see and diagnose problems with the soft tissues of the foot including plantar fasciitis, ligament tears or sprains, tendon tears or sprains, and soft tissue masses like neuroma or ganglion cysts. Many times, the use of an ultrasound can replace the need for an MRI or determine if MRI is needed for surgical planning. Ultrasounds are done in real-time in the office, allowing your physician to provide an image-based… Continue Reading

Foot & Ankle Laser Therapy

It’s likely that either you or a close friend or family member has struggled with a severe injury, chronic pain, or some type of degenerative disease and experienced the difficulty in managing the discomfort. The chronic symptoms can be debilitating and have major effects. What are our choices to combat the pain? We have resorted to long-term use of anti-inflammatories or addictive narcotics for the discomfort. Maybe even taking a leap of faith with surgery. Put the brakes on! Fortunately, advances in medical research and technology have proven once again to offer effective relief. Welcome to laser therapy. Laser… Continue Reading

Pediatric Foot & Ankle Care

Foot and Ankle Specialists of the Mid-Atlantic doctors are highly skilled in pediatric foot and ankle care. There are many types of children’s foot and ankle problems, both congenital and acquired, that FASMA doctors are highly qualified to diagnose and treat. Some common foot conditions that we see in children include: Ingrown toenails- This can present as an infection on the child’s toe. The edge of the nail grows down and into the skin. Treatments include soaking the toe, wider shoe gear or a minor office procedure to remove the ingrowing nail border. Plantar warts- Approximately 10-20% of children in… Continue Reading

Foot & Ankle Peripheral Vascular Disease

Your body needs oxygen to survive. Oxygen is brought to your feet (and everywhere else) in your blood, which travels through your body from your heart through arteries. Arteries are like pipes that bring blood to your feet (and everywhere else). Peripheral Arterial Disease a component of Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD or PAD) is a narrowing of blood vessels leading to decreased circulation in the lower extremity, which is similar to a pipe being partially or completely blocked. The blood vessels narrow due to plaque buildup or “hardening of arteries” causing decreased blood flow and oxygen to the lower limbs…. Continue Reading

Foot & Ankle Cosmetic Surgical Services

Our primary goal as foot and ankle specialists is to treat painful foot and ankle deformities by improving and optimizing foot and ankle function. Cosmetic surgical services is often performed to correct the underlying deformity and may concurrently improve the aesthetic and cosmetic appearance of the foot and ankle. Cosmetic surgical services include, but are not limited to: bunion correction, hammertoe correction, and scar revision. Early evaluation and treatment is key to prevent the progression of the foot or ankle deformity. Often times there is more to your foot and ankle than meets the eye. Schedule an appointment with one of our foot and ankle specialists… Continue Reading

Foot & Ankle Clinical Research Department

What are clinical trials? Clinical trials are scientific studies conducted to find better ways to prevent, screen for, diagnose, or treat disease. Clinical trial sites assist pharmaceutical companies working together with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to find new ways to help patients better manage their healthcare. Clinical trials produce high-quality data for healthcare decision making. These studies follow strict, scientific and ethical standards which protect patients who volunteer for clinical trials. The results are used to determine if a medication or device should be approved by the FDA. Our doctors are proud to be at the forefront of advancing… Continue Reading

Foot & Ankle Arthroscopic Surgery

Arthroscopic surgery is a minimally invasive procedure, in which small fiber optic cameras are used to see inside a joint to assist with diagnosis, as well as treatment of various conditions. This can be useful when imaging techniques, such as X-rays and MRIs, are unable to identify pathology within the joint. By using an arthroscope, the surgeon can see inside the joint without creating a large incision. What Can be Treated with Arthroscopic Surgery? Many joints in the lower extremity are amenable to arthroscopic surgery, including the ankle and subtalar joints. The procedure is used to treat conditions such… Continue Reading