Denton County Living Well Magazine March/April 2019 | Page 23

FIVE MYTHS ABOUT FOOT CARE
By Lesley Richey-Smith DPM
F
rom bunions to broken toes,
foot and ankle surgeon, Lesley
Richey-Smith, DPM, FACFAS,
has heard it all. She shares five
myths about foot care and the
realities behind them.
Myth: Cutting a notch (a “V”) in a toenail
will relieve the pain of ingrown toenails.
Reality: When a toenail is ingrown,
the nail curves downward and grows
into the skin. Cutting a “V” in the toe-
nail does not affect its growth. New
nail growth will continue to curve
downward. Cutting a “V” may actual-
ly cause more problems and is painful
in many cases. A quick in-office pro-
cedure can get rid of the problem in
a permanent fashion, allowing you to
never have to deal with the ingrown
nails again.
Myth: My foot or ankle can’t be bro-
ken if I can walk on it.
Reality: It’s entirely possible to walk
on a foot or ankle with a broken bone.
It depends on your threshold for pain,
as well as the severity of the injury. But
it’s not a smart idea. Walking with a
broken bone can cause further dam-
age. It’s important if you have had any
type of injury and are continuing to
have pain beyond one day, that you
see your local foot and ankle surgeon
for x-rays and an evaluation. If there
is a broken bone, you will need to be
immobilized in a boot in order for the
fracture to heal. It is crucial to stay off
an injured foot until diagnosis by a
foot and ankle surgeon. Until then, ap-
ply ice and elevate the foot to reduce
pain.
Myth: Shoes cause bunions.
Reality: Bunions are most often
caused by an inherited faulty me-
chanical structure of the foot. It’s not
the bunion itself that is inherited, but
certain foot types. Those foot types
make a person prone to developing
a bunion. Bunions are a progressive
deformity and certain shoes can cause
the bunion to become more severe
faster than those that do not crowd the
toes. Wearing shoes that crowd the
toes together can make bunions more
painful, shoes themselves don’t cause
bunions.
alignment or stability of the fracture, it
may go on not to heal. This can lead
to chronic pain.
Myth: Corns have roots.
Reality: A corn is a small build-up of
skin caused by friction. Many corns result
from a hammertoe deformity, where the
toe knuckle rubs against the shoe. Or the
toes rub together, especially in shoes with
a small toe box. The only way to elimi-
nate these corns is to surgically correct
Although some
treatments can
ease the pain
of bunions, only
surgery can cor-
rect the deformi-
ty. Once the de-
formity has been
corrected there
is a low risk of
the bunion re-
turning and it
will stop the pro-
gression of the
deformity.
Myth: A doctor
can’t fix a broken toe.
Reality: Nineteen of the 26 bones in
the foot are toe bones.
There are things we can do to make
a broken toe heal better and prevent
problems later on, like arthritis or toe
deformities. the hammertoe condition. Hammertoes
are a progressive deformity as well, until
surgically corrected they will continue to
get worse. The corn can create an ulcer
or an open sore, this can lead to an infec-
tion and possibly an amputation. Diabet-
ic patients are at a higher risk.
Broken toes that aren’t treated correct-
ly can also make walking and wearing
shoes difficult. A foot and ankle sur-
geon will x-ray the toe to learn more
about the fracture. If the broken toe
is out of alignment, the surgeon may
have to insert a pin, screw or plate to
reposition the bone. Without proper Unlike a callus, a corn has a central core
of hard material. Corns do not have
roots. Attempting to cut off a corn or ap-
plying medicated corn pads can lead to
serious infection or even amputation. A
foot and ankle surgeon can safely eval-
uate and treat corns and the conditions
contributing to them.
To make an appointment with Dr. Lesley Richey-Smith contact her at Complete Foot
and Ankle Care at 940-300-3054 or visit www.completefootandanklecare.com. For
additional foot care myths, visit the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons’ site,
www.FootHealthFacts.org.
DENTON COUNTY Living Well Magazine | MARCH/APRIL 2019
21