We Answer Your Top Questions About Podiatry and Physical Therapy

There are many different knee exercises you can do to strengthen the joints and the muscles and connectors that control and support them. Make sure you stretch your quads and calves regularly to keep them from getting too tight. Walk up stairs and build quad muscle strength.

Activities like the hamstring curls with an exercise ball build the backs of your legs—prop your feet up on an exercise ball, lift your hips off the ground, and pull the ball toward yourself using just your legs. You can also do this while standing. Hold onto a chair or counter to balance, and then bend your leg at the knee so your foot rises straight behind you.

Balance exercises strengthen your knee joints as well. Stand on one leg and gently swing the other leg side-to-side. Balancing on one leg and gently bending your supporting knee is another option. The best way to build up your knee joints, of course, is to use a plan tailored for your needs. Our teams at Castle Pines Physical Therapy and Cherry Creek Physical Therapy are happy to help you get the joint care you need. Make an appointment online, or by calling our Colorado offices at (303) 805-5156.

Treating swelling feet involves both addressing the symptoms and the underlying cause. Mild edema usually goes away on its own, or with simple treatment, like elevation or compression. Elevation means keeping your feet at least parallel to the ground. Compression involves wearing special stockings or a wrap bandage around your lower limb. Exercising and adjusting positions can help with swelling as well. Try to exercise regularly, and avoid sitting or standing without change for extended periods of time. Massaging the swollen tissues may also improve the problem.

Serious edema that results from diseases, allergic reactions, or other conditions may need medications and more intensive treatments to address the problem. Underlying health problems like heart conditions or circulatory problems will need to be managed to truly eliminate the edema. If you’re struggling at all with swelling feet or ankles, let our team at Podiatry Associates, P.C. help you identify the source and alleviate the discomfort. Make an appointment at our Castle Pines, Parker, or Cherry Creek, CO offices online. You can also call (303) 805-5156.

Many things can cause swelling feet. Some culprits are harmless, while others are serious health concerns. Spending too much time sitting or standing can both cause fluid to pool in your lower limbs. Being overweight or obese increases your odds for swollen feet as well. Pregnancy is another common culprit. Normally this is simply because of the extra pressure on your feet and ankles, but occasionally it can be a sign of preeclampsia, which is a pregnancy complication. Swelling often follows a lower limb injury, too, like a sprain or a fracture.

There are more serious reasons feet sometimes swell. Weakened veins in your lower limbs leave you prone to it. An ineffective lymphatic system, which pumps away excess fluids in your tissues, may be an underlying problem as well. In rarer cases, it could be a dangerous issue with organs. Cirrhosis of the liver, kidney disease or damage, and congestive heart failure can all cause lower limb swelling—though they are generally accompanied by other symptoms. Let Podiatry Associates, P.C. help you identify the cause of your swollen feet. Call (303) 805-5156 or use our website to make an appointment at our Cherry Creek, Parker, or Castle Pines offices.

Basketball shoes should actually be replaced fairly frequently. Like for runners, shoes should be replaced every 350-500 miles or so—which takes a little under 70 total hours of running. The hard pounding from sprinting, jumping, and twisting back and forth in basketball quickly breaks down the supports in your court shoes and compromises the overall stability of the footwear. This can contribute to overuse injuries in your feet and ankles, which can cause additional problems in your knees, hips, and back. That’s why replacing worn shoes before they have a chance to contribute to injuries is so important.

Practically speaking, how often you replace shoes will depend on how much basketball you play. Professional players typically replace their footwear after a few games. College and highs school players usually only need to replace their shoes every couple of months, depending on how many hours they practice and play in game. One thing is for sure: if you’re noticing aches and pains during or after playing, it’s time to replace your shoes.

Let our team at Podiatry Associates, P.C. know if you experience foot pain from worn out shoes. You can reach our Castle Pines, Parker, or Cherry Creek, CO, offices online or by calling (303) 805-5156.

Basketball shoes are nearly as important to the sport as the ball and the hoops. That’s why finding basketball shoes that fit and support you correctly is so necessary. Make sure the rubber sole has a tread pattern that’s helpful for rapid direction changes, particularly on court surfaces. Consider whether you want the ankle support from high tops, or you’d rather have the lighter low top styles. Make sure the arches meet your support needs. Check out the shock absorption, too. Some models have special liners and other interior features to help absorb and distribute hard impacts when you land jumps.

It’s typically best to get your basketball shoes fitted by a professional who understand sports footwear and can help you find the best pair for your style of play. The general rules for fitting footwear still apply—have your feet measured, try on shoes late in the day when your feet are at their largest, and only pick comfortable pairs. If you’re having any trouble finding basketball shoes, let our team at Podiatry Associates, P.C. help you. Make an appointment at one of our locations in Parker, Castle Pines, or Cherry Creek, CO, through our website or by calling (303) 805-5156.

An ankle wrap with a compression bandage is a common way of stabilizing a joint and discouraging swelling without entirely restricting movement, but it needs to be done correctly. A wrap that’s too loose won’t help at all, while one that’s too tight can cut off the blood flow to the rest of your foot. When you wrap your ankle correctly, the joint should be stable but still able to move somewhat. The bandage should cover your foot and several inches above your ankle joint. You should still be able to slide a finger under the wrap.

If it’s done incorrectly, a number of problems might develop. A bandage that’s too loose won’t alleviate swelling. One that’s too tight may cause numbness, tingling, or coldness in your foot. You may notice your skin turning blue or redness that wasn’t there when you put the bandage on. If this is the case, your wrap is too tight and needs to be re-adjusted immediately. Let our team at Podiatry Associates, P.C. know if you’re having trouble with ankle wraps. We’ll be happy to help you. Contact us online, or call our Parker, Cherry Creek, or Castle Pines, CO, offices at (303) 805-5156.

RICE treatment is a common and effective first aid therapy for soft tissue injuries, like sprains. It’s actually an acronym, standing for “Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate.” It explains the basic steps you follow to decrease swelling and inflammation and encourage healing immediately after you injure yourself.

Rest involves stopping the activity that caused the problem, and taking a break from everything that causes discomfort in your injured limb. Ice involves applying a cold pack to the damage as soon as possible. Cold decreases and discourages swelling around an injury. A compression bandage stabilizes your lower limb while making it harder for fluid to leak into other tissues. Elevating your foot prevents gravity from pooling fluid in your foot while you heal.

RICE treatment is meant to be a temporary first aid method for handling an injury, but it is effective. After the initial pain is gone, you’ll need to move on to rehabilitation and reconditioning. Our team at Podiatry Associates, P.C. in Castle Pines, Cherry Creek, and Parker, CO, can help you through the whole process. If you’re not sure how to use RICE, or you need more treatment for an injury, call for an appointment at (303) 805-5156.

The best exercises for diabetes involve aerobics and strength training without increasing your risk for foot problems, like ulcers. Aerobic activities like walking, riding your bike, swimming, water aerobics, stair climbing, low-impact aerobics, rowing, and moderate to heavy gardening are all excellent activities without hard impacts on feet. If you can safely protect your lower limbs, running, hiking, tennis, skating, skiing, and dancing are also fun alternatives. They do, however, involve harder impacts on your feet. Strength training builds up your muscles and your physical stability. Weight lifting, resistance band training, and exercises that use your own body weight—push-ups, sit-ups, wall sits, and more—work your muscles without stressing your lower limbs, either.

For any kind of exercise with diabetes, you simply have to remember to start slow and work your way to more intense activities. Be extra careful with your footwear. Don’t take warm ups or cool downs for granted, either, and invest in your daily foot care. If you’re struggling to get started exercising when you have diabetes, let our team at Podiatry Associates, P.C. help you. Call (303) 805-5156 to make an appointment at our Cherry Creek, Parker, or Castle Pines, CO, offices.

Not only is it safe to exercise with diabetes as long as you’re cautious, it’s extremely important to do so. Physical activities are healthy for your body in general. When you have diabetes, exercise can improve your overall health and help you limit the effects of the disease. This is because exercise improves your metabolism, circulation, strength, and weight loss, among other things. All of this helps control your blood sugar levels and slow down effects like neuropathy.

The key to exercising safely is to be aware of your limits, take it slow, and accommodate your needs. You may need to eat snacks at certain times to prevent your blood sugar from dropping too sharply. Warm up carefully before you start an activity, and cool down afterwards. Stay hydrated throughout your exercise time. Wear appropriate footwear to protect your lower limbs. Stop if you’re experiencing pain. Start slowly and work your way up in intensity and endurance.

Our teams at Castle Pines Physical Therapy and Cherry Creek Physical Therapy can help you make a plan to exercise safely with diabetes. Just call our Castle Pines and Cherry Creek, CO, locations at (303) 805-5156 for more information or an appointment.

Walking boots or walking casts are used to treat and accommodate many different types of injuries, from small to serious. Because they are lighter than traditional casts and allow you to continue partially using your limb as you heal, they are an increasingly popular option. Typically, small foot fractures or even shin fractures require these boots. A foot that needs to be immobilized after surgery may be kept still in this type of brace, too. Severe sprains, Achilles tendon injuries, and torn muscles are all often treated with this style of cast.

However, whether or not you require a traditional hard cast or a walking boot for your injury depends on your unique needs and individual discomfort. A full examination and diagnosis by experts like our team at Podiatry Associates, P.C. can determine what you need to best treat your injury. If you’re concerned about foot pain or wonder if your injury needs a walking cast, contact our Cherry Creek, Castle Pines, or Parker, CO, offices right away. You can reach us by calling (303) 805-5156 or through our online request forms.