Does Your Dermatologist Check Your Feet?

Cancerous skin lesions can develop anywhere that there is skin. Sounds obvious, right? Many well trained dermatologists concentrate their examinations of the skin on areas that get the most sun exposure. You don't have to have alot of sun exposure to develop basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, or malignant melanoma. There is no way to know for sure that a skin lesion is or is not cancer. A clinical exam can give a high degree of probability one way or another, but the pathologist that looks at the lesion under a microscope is the one that decides what it truly is. We perform biopsies and excisions of skin lesions or masses on a regular basis. The great majority of the time this can be done in the office under simple local anesthesia. The specimen is then sent to a lab where the dermatopathologists(pathologists that concentrate on skin lesions) give the final diagnosis. Some times a deeper or wider excision is needed in order to get a border that is free of cancer cells, but most of the time the lesion is removed and the localized condition resolved. We give peace of mind to many people concerned about these lesions. Call our office for an evaluation and exam if you or a loved one may have a questionable skin lesion on your lower extremities.

Training for the Mini?

Training for the Mini?
Many people have aspirations of running the Indy 500 Mini-Marathon in May. They either began their training in the fall or sometime around the first of the year depending on their previous running experience. I see a lot of patients that are concerned about heel pain, arch pain, or ball-of-foot pain because it is interfering with their training. Often times the reason for this pain is that they have been sedentary until now or have tried starting the training too vigorously, thus causing an overuse type syndrome to some aspect of their feet. Orthotics work very well at easing the stresses on the feet that are caused from this type of training. The prescription-custom orthotics are a fine-tuned version that takes individual differences in feet into account. Whether flat-footed, high-arched, or even with a particular “deformity” such as a bunion or an arthritic joint these devices place the foot in a more balanced position which aids in decreased stress to not only bones and joints in the foot, but the ankle, leg, knee, hip, and back. Most of the time the custom orthotics are a covered item by local insurance plans. If you or a loved one are having any foot, heel, or ankle issues call our office today at 896-6655 or visit www.westfieldfoot.com. If your insurance does not cover custom orthotics then mention this article for 20% off in the months of January and February. Happy Training!