The Podiatrist Denver Loves

Your feet aren't supposed to hurt. Do you have heel pain or ingrown toenails? Is daily life uncomfortable because of your foot pain? Do you dread putting on your shoes and anticipate the moment you can remove them and comfort your aching feet? Foot pain does not need to be a fact of life. It is not normal for your feet to hurt constantly.

Many people just accept continuous foot pain because they don't know what to do about it.

Did you know:

• About 75% of Americans will experience foot problems at some time in their lives; over half of them are over the age of 50, but approximately 35% are between the ages of 18-24
• There are approximately 250,000 sweat glands in a pair of feet. Sweat glands in the feet excrete as much as a half-pint of moisture a day. Excess moisture can cause (and exacerbate) many skin-related problems such as athletes foot, fungal nails, eczematous conditions, and many dermatoses.
• 60-70% of people with Diabetes will develop some form of nerve and/or circulation-related foot problems within their life time.
• Ingrown nails and heel pain are the most common foot problems.
• Standing in one spot is far more tiring than walking. The reason for this is that demands are being made on the same few muscles for a length of time.
• The skin on bottom (plantar surface) of your feet is thicker than it is anywhere else on your body. It is the first defense against repetitive foot problems.
• The soles of your feet contain more sweat glands and sensitive nerve-endings per square centimeter than any other part of your body.
• Combined….there is over 60 joints, 200 ligaments, and 35 muscles in your feet.
• Each foot contains 26 bones (x 2 feet = 52 bones)…almost ¼ of the total bones in your body.
• During an average day of walking, the total forces on your feet can total hundreds of tons. Equivalent to the average weight of a cement truck fully loaded!!
• Women are four times more likely to experience foot problems than men.
• About 19 percent of the US population has an average of 1.4 foot problems each year. This is based on statistics from the American Podiatric Medical Association.
• The average person takes approximately 8-10,000 steps/day and will walk almost 115,000 miles in his/her lifetime. This is equivalent to about 4 ½ times around the earth.

Left untreated, foot problems can worsen or become permanent.

Complaints such as tired feet, leg aches, athlete's foot, corns or calluses, bunions, plantar warts, fungal or ingrown toenails, varicose/spider veins, tendonitis , stress fractures, sprained ankles, metatarsalgia (inflamation and pain in the ball of the foot), neuromas, nerve entrapments (Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome), and sports related injuries are more common but can cause severe discomfort and inhibit your mobility. Dr. Mechanik has the medical and surgical skills to treat all your foot health needs.

Some foot conditions are congenital, such as clubfoot, flat feet, and intoeing (pigeon toe). With his expertise in foot care, Dr. Mechanik can help you resolve these life altering conditions, correct pediatric disfigurements, and will help put your child back on the path of an active and healthy life.

More severe problems like bone spurs, arthritis and other degenerative joint disease, heel pain from heel spurs or plantar fasciitis, sesamoiditis (pain in the ball of the foot caused by bones being embedded into a tendon), hammertoes, gout, or foot and ankle fractures can be overwhelming. Dr. Mechanik will evaluate your foot health and work with you to create a solution that is tailored to the severity of your condition and get you back to pain-free living as quickly as possible.