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

In terms of podiatry, NYC is a strange population. Some citizens of the Big Apple, like Lady GaGa, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Eli Manning are extraordinarily contentious about caring for their feet, and others wouldn’t know a podiatrist if they tripped over one. In order to promote general foot health in the concrete jungle, our podiatrists put together these helpful tips to keep city-bound feet at their best:

• Get professional help determining your shoe size once a year. Contrary to what people believe, your feet do continue changing shape as you age, even once you reach adulthood, and having shoes that don’t actually fit your feet is horrible for your posture and future foot health.
• Cut your toenails. Don’t try to round them at the corners — that’s begging for an ingrown toenail. Cut them straight across, even if it’s less cute.
• Keep your feet dry and clean. Pay particular attention to drying between your toes, a common place for fungus to take hold.
• Use a powerful moisturizer on your feet on a regular basis. Our podiatrists at Midtown Podiatry NYC office can recommend a good one for you. Make applying moisturizer a part of your nightly bedtime routine.
• Look at your feet. Too often, at Midtown Podiatry, with locations in Gramercy Park, Midtown, Union Square and Wall Street, NY, we see many people who focus on things only above their deskline and ignore everything below — but the foot can offer significant early warning signs of disease. Check for abnormal discolorations, numbness, ulcers, peeling between the toes, and temperature sensitivity, all of which can be indicators of severe underlying problems.
• Change your socks! It sounds disgusting, but old socks rapidly become breeding grounds for swarms of bacteria and fungus. Put them up. As in, relax and put your feet up. Nothing to do with the doctor here, just some good all-around advice: de-stress to keep your feet healthy — and the rest of you, too.

Of course, if anything even slightly out of the ordinary is causing you any concern, come see a podiatrist at Midtown Podiatry, with locations in Gramercy Park, Midtown, Union Square and Wall Street, NY,immediately. Attempting to self diagnose a health problem in your feet is a recipe for disaster; the foot is so small and complex that almost any symptom can have multiple potential causes, and treating yourself for the wrong cause can mean the right cause goes untreated and wreaks havoc on your body.

By:  Paul J Betschart, DPM, MS, FACFAS