People often think that podiatrists only deal in feet but, the truth is, here at Feet First Foot Care Specialists we look at your lower limbs as a whole. This includes ankle injuries and chronic ankle problems. As football season rages on, we see headline after headline of players benched due to ankle injuries. A big reason athletes suffer from chronic ankle issues is that they can’t take the time away from the game to allow their ankle to completely heal – their teammates need them, but so does their health!

We see plenty of patients here with chronic ankle pain and instabilities who are not professional athletes. Often their issues are due to old ankle injuries that weren’t properly rehabilitated. When you sprain your ankle, your ligaments overstretch or sometimes even tear. When the pain subsides, many patients consider themselves healed and resume their normal daily activities. Unfortunately, retraining and rehabilitating that damaged tissue and building supportive muscle up around it takes more time.

Chronic Ankle Condition Symptoms

If you’ve suffered multiple ankle sprains in your life, you might have chronic ankle conditions. Other indicators include:

• Pain and tenderness in your ankle
• Wobbly feelings in your ankles
• Swelling in your ankles
• Constantly twisting your ankle when playing sports, walking on uneven surfaces, or even standing still.

We Can Help Improve Ankle Stability

If you’re dealing with any of the above symptoms or if you have a sprain that you think might not be fully healed, call our office today. Our podiatrist Dr. Adam Mucinskas will examine your ankle, checking your range of motion and asking questions about pain, swelling, or other sensations. If needed, x-rays or other internal imaging will be ordered to more closely examine your ankle’s condition.

Once Dr. Mucinskas has determined how extensive your ankle problems are, he will discuss all of the non-surgical treatment options available. These options include:

• Medication to help reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation
• Braces or orthotics
• Physical therapy to help repair any ligament damage and build muscles to prevent future sprains

If you’re suffering from painful ankles, make an appointment today at Feet First Foot Care Specialists! Dr. Adam Mucinskas keeps up-to-date on all the latest podiatric health issues and utilizes state-of-the-art diagnostics and treatment techniques. Please give us a call today to schedule an appointment at our conveniently located office in the Cromwell, Connecticut area: (860) 632-5499.

Have you been struggling with seemingly random cramps in your feet? They happen at different times of the day during different activities, so you can’t quite figure out what’s causing them! It’s frustrating and painful: they happen right when you wake up, or when you’re working out, or just strolling down the street – what is causing these painful foot cramps!?

Unfortunately, there isn’t just one specific cause of cramps in your feet; there are numerous things that can cause your feet to cramp up. Here are a few of the things that could be causing the cramps:

• Dehydration – If you haven’t had enough water to drink for the day, you could suffer cramps. It’s especially important to stay hydrated when you know you’re going to be sweating. Hard workouts, hot days, etc., can all add to dehydration. Balance any potentially dehydrating drinks, such as coffee, with a cup of water.
• Electrolytes –  Foot cramps can be a sign of low electrolytes. Electrolyte-enhanced water, coconut water, and potassium-rich snacks like bananas all contain a good amount of electrolytes. Try munching a banana next time your foot cramps up!
• Overworking your feet – Anyone can suffer a foot cramp. If you’re reeling from a hard workout, or if you’re on your feet all day, it can only take one slight movement from an exhausted foot to push it too far and into a cramp. Stretching before a workout, or when you know you’re going to be on your feet for long periods of time, can help keep your muscles limber.
• Poor circulation – If your feet cramp when you walk, it could indicate diabetes or neuropathy issues, which can cause poor circulation. Poor circulation can cut the proper nutrients off from your extremities and make your feet cramp. Comfortable shoes for your lifestyle can help with these types of cramps. Custom orthotics are also available in these instances.

Here at Feet First Foot Care Specialists, Dr. Adam Mucinskas can help you decide what is causing any foot cramps and assist with relief moving forward. We feature innovative treatments and state-of-the-art technologies at our conveniently located office in the Cromwell, Connecticut area. Please give us a call today to schedule an appointment at (860) 632-5499.

Corns that occur on the foot are the result of great amounts of pressure and friction. They form because the body produces a thickened skin defensive response to the friction. They may seem helpful; however, they can become infected or be the source of ulcers. These issues may be inconvenient for some, but can be devastating for anyone with diabetes or neuropathy since poor circulation in those individuals can cause problems with healing and allow infections to develop more readily. When corns are not treated on a timely basis, they can cause significant discomfort since the pressure that initially produced them will not go away. Factors that tend to increase the likelihood of this condition are shoes that fit too tightly or abnormal toe structures.

Treatment for this condition includes:

• Use of correctly fitting shoes with wide toe box areas so that there is plenty of space around the toes at all times.
• Utilizing padding or orthotics to reduce pressure on the toes.
• Use of a pumice stone to scrub the outer layers of the corn. This is best accomplished by soaking the corn in warm water multiple times a day to make the skin softer and easier to remove.
• Use of toe wedges to help place space between the toes which can reduce pressure and alleviate current pain from corns.
• Surgical procedures may be required to fix a bone deformity that may be causing this condition.

Corns can be a problem if you allow them to become one. The best way to keep them from becoming infected is to obtain needed treatment in a timely manner. So contact us to receive a comprehensive examination to determine the best treatment plan for your corns. Here at Feet First Foot Care Specialists, LLC located in Cromwell, CT, podiatrist Adam Mucinskas, D.P.M. will alleviate pain in your foot caused by this condition and will do his best to ensure that they don’t reoccur in the future. Moreover, please make an appointment today by calling our office at (860) 632-5499 and check out our Patient Education library for further helpful information.

Hammertoe generally affects the middle toe. The condition causes a misshaped joint at the location that controls whether the toe is straight or is in a bent position. Factors that increase the chances of this condition occurring are:

• The type of footwear worn - if it is narrow and space constricting
• An injury caused by trauma to the toes where the toe is jammed or broken, making the development of this condition more probable
• If there is an irregular balance of the toe muscles that cause instability - this may be the result of genetic traits causing a misshaped foot.

Treatment for Hammertoes includes:

• Wearing shoes that are both comfortable and spacious, keeping in mind to change shoes for children as they age since the size of their feet changes quickly.
• Using open toe shoes or sandals to provide ample room for toes not to rub against each other or against the roof of the shoe.
• Use of supportive devices such as orthotics which can help to redistribute pressure away from the toes.
• Utilizing padding to cushion toes that may be bent, thereby preventing further damage.
• Surgical procedures may be necessary if the bent joint does not straighten with conservative treatments. These procedures will be used to straighten the bent toe and will be more likely the longer the toe has remained in that bent position.

Hammertoes can be painful when fitting your feet in their normal shoes and when walking, depending on the severity of the condition. We recommend that you contact us for a consultation to determine the best choices for treating your hammertoes. Here at Feet First Foot Care Specialists, LLC located in Cromwell, CT, podiatrist Adam Mucinskas, D.P.M. utilizes the most effective treatment methods to help your toes regain their normal shape with the least amount of pain possible. Please make an appointment today by calling our office at (860) 632-5499 and look over our Patient Education section for helpful information about other foot conditions that may help you to avoid future complications with your feet.

Orthotics provide an amazing feeling of recovery, especially when they are custom molded. Our podiatrist, Adam Mucinskas, D.P.M., can provide you with the best fitting orthotics at Feet First Foot Care Specialists, LLC, located in Cromwell, CT, where we can be reached at (860) 632-5499. Our Patient Education library also contains a wealth of information for keeping your feet and ankles in their best possible shape.

Orthotics are designed to relieve pain, ease deformities, enable greater mobility and provide stability. Although they can be bought from stores without a prescription, those that are custom-molded to the specific contours of a patient's feet are most effective. An extensive choice of orthotics is offered for diverse foot complications. Orthotics alleviate pain for those with arthritis, tendonitis and other foot or ankle pain. There are two types of these devices:

• Accommodative which protect and support foot deformities that cannot be corrected and help by providing cushioning and support.
• Functional which help to balance the hind foot and the fore foot from mechanical issues and act to control asymmetrical motion.

A large group of the population use these devices to treat an underlying condition or for extra support. In particular, athletes who participate in high intensity activities use sports orthotics for stability or to treat a prior injury. Pregnant women may use them to alleviate pain radiating from their feet. Those with fractures may use these devices to cope with recovery after a cast has been removed. Others may use them to alleviate general pain. Patients with diabetes use orthotics to prevent further injuries. Furthermore, custom orthotics are especially helpful as they are not only made to match the contours of feet, but can be designed to react to the way individuals move. Runners can benefit immensely when examining wear patterns to see how these devices can help.

Due to the many benefits that orthotics can provide, there is a high likelihood of probability that your foot condition can benefit from the use of these devises. Whether you choose to buy them from a pre-cut size or have them custom fitted to your feet, we can provide you with the best option. So, contact us today for your pair!