HEALTH & WELLNESS
Undo the damage that police
work can do to feet and ankles
Dr. Robert Kayal answers questions about foot-
and-ankle injuries that law enforcement officers
might be experiencing. Consider these steps to
relieve pain and improve mobility.
Why do my feet and ankles ache so much?
Men and women who work in law enforcement
often spend a significant part of their workday on
DR. ROBERT their feet. As a result, they can experience a num-
ber of problems with their feet and ankles. There
KAYAL
are more than 50 bones and joints in your foot,
and each foot includes more than 14,000 nerve
endings. Your foot also contains a complex net-
work of ligaments, muscles and tendons. Your feet and ankles
have the job of keeping you stable and serving as shock ab-
sorbers for your body, so it’s not surprising that police officers
are extremely vulnerable to pain and discomfort in their feet
and ankles.
What are some of the problems that can occur?
Have you ever felt stabbing pain in your heel when getting
out of bed or after resting your feet for a while? You could have
plantar fasciitis, the most common type of heel pain. Other
common problems from standing long or wearing tight shoes
are corns, calluses, bunions, ingrown toenails, hammer toe,
claw toe and Morton’s neuroma.
Foot chases, physical encounters with suspects and other
strenuous activity in which police officers regularly engage
makes them more susceptible to sprains, strains, tears, rup-
tures and fractures of the ankle as well as heel bone fractures.
The risk of arthritis in the foot and ankle is relatively high as
well.
How can these problems be treated?
Many can be managed with rest, medication, stretching ex-
ercises, physical therapy or prosthetic devices. Studies of po-
lice officers and others who spend considerable time on their
feet show that supportive shoe inserts can reduce pain and
boost energy.
An ankle foot orthosis (AFO) is a custom-fit brace that pro-
tects and realigns your ankle or foot. Proper alignment is es-
sential because it helps balance and distribute your body
weight. Injury, degeneration and disease can cause deformi-
ties or muscular weakness that produces pain and unstable
joints. At Kayal Orthopaedic Center, the AFO is tailor fit to
improve your biomechanics or movement. This non-surgical
solution can help patients return to their lives without pain
and limitations. AFOs can eliminate pain, redistribute pres-
sure across the foot, reduce muscle fatigue, realign the ankle
and foot position, control movement, correct deformities and
prevent potential stress fractures.
Custom-molded foot o rthotics can correct a variety of
foot conditions, including flat feet and high arches. They de-
crease foot stress by redistributing body weight effectively.
Kayal Orthopaedic Center uses the TOM-CAT™ Comput-
erized Foot Scanning System for a perfect fit. This system is
convenient because, unlike conventional foot casting and
other scanner types, results are available in seconds and with-
out messy plaster.
Degenerative arthritis occurs when your arthritic joints be-
come worn out and cause severe pain. Ankle fusion is a surgi-
cal procedure designed to alleviate the pain when other treat-
ments have failed. At Kayal Orthopaedic Center, we use two
small incisions to create as little disturbance as possible in the
adjacent tissues and tendons. The procedure is less traumatic
and speeds recovery and rehabilitation.
Another option when arthritis pain is disabling is total ankle
replacement surgery, which gives you a larger range of motion
than ankle fusion. During surgery, damaged portions of the
arthritic ankle joint are removed and replaced with prosthe-
ses. While conventional ankle replacement surgery tends to
restrict movement, Kayal Orthopaedic Center uses state-of-
the-art techniques designed to eliminate pain and maximize
range of motion. d
Robert A. Kayal, MD, FAAOS, is the founder, president and CEO
of Kayal Orthopaedic Center, P.C., which has three state-of-the-
art facilities in Franklin Lakes, Glen Rock and Westwood, N.J.
He is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic
Surgery, a fellow of the Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and
a repeat “New Jersey Top Doctor,” “Castle-Connolly Top Doctor”
and recipient of “Vitals.com Patients’ Choice Award.”
www.njcopsmagazine.com
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