With school sports seasons in full swing, it’s important to remember athletes should never “play through the pain” in their feet. Left untreated, heel pain can lead to difficulty in walking that may require complicated therapy or treatment.

Our Podiatrists at Midtown Podiatry have been seeing an increase in pediatric patients reporting heel pain with sports such as football, soccer and basketball. Obesity is also emerging as another prominent cause of heel pain even with students in physical education class activities. The good news is that kids generally heal very quickly and treatment may be simple if it is taken care of promptly.

Kids undergoing growth spurts are especially susceptible to heel pain starting at age 8 until around age 13 for girls and 15 for boys. The source of the pain is usually the growth plate of the heel bone, a strip of soft tissue where new bone is forming to accommodate adolescents’ lengthening feet. Overuse, repeated pounding or excessive force on the Achilles tendon can cause inflammation and pain.

For many teenagers, the growth plate has completely closed, and heel pain is caused by other conditions such as plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, bursitis, bone bruises or fractures. The only way to know for sure what your child is suffering from is to have them examined.

People have a tendency to give it time and see if the pain goes away on its own, and sometimes that can happen. But if symptoms persist, it’s best to make an appointment at Midtown Podiatry with locations in Midtown, Gramercy Park, Union Square, Wall Street  and Glen Cove to make an accurate diagnosis and to avoid complications.

By: Paul J. Betschart, DPM

The first time I had ever heard of them was about 20 years ago (I may be showing my age here). I was no Kobe Bryant, Lebron James or the next New York Knicks star, but I was playing basketball in college and one of my teammates was out of practice for an extended period of time.

He complained that he couldn’t run because of these painful "things" on the bottom of his feet. He claimed that he was going to the doctor once a week and having them "scraped down", and that the only way for him to run was to get this procedure done. After I asked him what the problem was he said he had "plantar warts". Of course at that time I was unfamiliar with what these agonizing warts were, and what caused them; all I knew is that according to my teammate he couldn’t get rid of them till 9 months later.

Little did I know at the time how familiar I would become with plantar warts.  Plantar warts are viral infections in our skin manifesting themselves mostly on the bottom of the foot. Conventional treatment has included:

• Weekly scrapings and medicine in the office and at home on a daily basis to try to get rid of the wart.

                 -This usually takes months and months and doesn’t always work as a permanent solution.

• Surgical excision

                - This tends to leave a painful open sore that needs to heal on its own over a 6 week period.

• Laser Treatment

Midtown Podiatry is excited to have the Cutera Genesis 2 Laser in our office. This laser, through a heating method, cauterizes the wart immediately with only one treatment in the office and takes less than 1 minute. After the treatment the patient leaves the office and 85% of the time, within a 6 week period, the wart falls off the foot. This advancement in treatment through laser technology has made the treatment of warts quicker, less painful, and more effective.

If you are experiencing discomfort due to a plantar wart, it is time you called Midtown Podiatry in New York City. You can meet with our physicians in one of our offices in Midtown, Gramercy Park, Union Square, Wall Street or Glen Cove.

By:  Joseph Larsen, DPM