Happy Holidays!

My mom likes it when I mention her on the blog so here's another shout out: She's one of the nicest people you'll ever meet and her heart is filled with nothing but kindness and generosity. Case in point- she does her Christmas shopping throughout the year. You see, between teaching her elementary students, tutoring kids after school, and spending time with her family,her time to holiday shop is pretty limited. She can't afford to spend it standing in long lines at the mall, when everything's picked over, which is why she'll pick stuff up for her family when she sees something good. The point of this blog isn't to brag about how awesome my momma is, but to say to you guys "hey, think of us, when you're Christmas shopping!".

Here's a few last minute gift ideas for the people you love (or just tolerate because you're related to them):

Off-The-Shelf Insoles: Life is really hard on your feet. It's even harder if you're running, skiing, bowling, ice skating, or hiking on the weekends. Your shoes look great, but they're killing your feet. Time to pull out the 5-cent "insole" they came with and replace them with something much better. Like some Superfeet or SOLEs :-)

Underwrap: This is a great little stocking stuff because it's cheap, active girls love it for putting up their hair, and you can never have enough of it.

Stretch Out Strap: Increased range of motion (ROM) should be on everybody's list!

Biofreeze: Another good stocking stuffer for anyone with arthritis, sore muscles, or just addicted to the scent of menthol.

Thera-Therm Moist Heat Pack: Take the cheap heating pad you bought at Wally-world/Tar-jay add a digital temperature/duration guage and a healthy dose of moisture and this is what you get. Clinical-grade means you holiday cheer throughout the year.

With so many options this season, why not get them something they'll actually use/need? This season, give the gift of health!

Let's talk turf toe...

What's turf toe?:
The formal definition of this painful ailment is "a hyperextension injury resulting in a sprain of the metatarsophalangeal joint of the great toe, either from a single trauma or from repetitive overuse." For those of us who don't do medical-speak, you sprained your big-toe joint.

How do I know if I have turf toe?:
Common signs and symptoms for turf toe include swelling and pain around the big toe joint. It also hurts more when you're pushing off to walk, run, jump, and skip.

What can I do about my turf toe?:
The most effective treatment method is simply amputation the big toe. (kidding!)
On a serious note, though you need to treat this like any other sprain- Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate (RICE) it. That is the key to a speedy recovery (and diminished pain) is to rest/immobilize the area that has been injured. Since the foot is complex and most people hate taking time off, this can be easier said than done. Athletic trainers turn to two things (which can be used separately or in conjunction with one another).
The first is to use a "turf toe insole" which is a thin piece of "spring steel" attached to a felt insole to help stiffen the shoe. Doing so lessens the flexibility of the shoe itself, which in turn, lessens the amount of stretch on the big to, which allows for the toe to heal...
The second is by taping the toe in such a way to lessen the amount of extension the big toe is allowed to have. A quick YouTube search will walk you through it.

Outside of the athletic trainer's circle, a post-operative shoe (sometimes referred to as a Reese shoe) will also do a great job immobilizing that joint, allowing for it to heal.

Disclaimer stuff: I would also like to point out (rather, our lawyers) that this blog entry, like any other information included on this website is not a substitute for actual medical care. Only an allied health care professional, not a silly website will be able to rule out other conditions, like a fractured toe, sesamoiditis, metarsalgia, or even an infected joint capsule.