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Podiatry - What You Need to Know
Having healthy feet benefits your entire body. Dr. George Abboud, podiatrist at Foundation Foot & Ankle Medicine and Surgery at the Bone & Joint Center, discusses common foot issues.
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Learn more about George Abboud, DPM
George Abboud, DPM-Foundation Foot & Ankle Medicine/Surgery at the Bone & Joint Center, Southern New Hampshire Health
Dr. Abboud joined Foot & Ankle Care at the Bone and Joint Center in 2005 and has been practicing as a podiatrist for the past 10 years. After receiving his bachelor of science degree in clinical exercise physiology from Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts, Dr. Abboud went on to obtain his medical degree from Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida. From there, he completed a podiatric residency at the VA Boston Health Care Systems in Boston, Massachusetts.Learn more about George Abboud, DPM
Transcription:
Bill Klaproth (Host): Our feet take a pounding every day, but it seem we, me included, take our feet for granted, but having healthy feet is really important. So, what do we need to know about keeping our feed healthy and what is podiatry and what does a podiatrist do? Let’s find out with Dr. George Abboud, a podiatrist at Southern New Hampshire Health’s Foundation Foot and Ankle Center. Dr. Abboud, first off what is podiatry?
George Abboud, DPM, FACFAS (Guest): Podiatry is the medical and surgical treatment of foot ailments. And that includes anything from nonsurgical to surgical, medicines, prescriptions and upwards to surgery.
Host: So, all things pertaining to the feet and foot health?
Dr. Abboud: Correct. Everything pertaining to the feet.
Host: Yeah, so what are some of the common foot ailments or conditions podiatrists treat?
Dr. Abboud: So, lately, a lot of it has been plantar fasciitis, hammer toes, bunions, neuromas, some athlete’s foot as well, but anything that has to do with either bony deformity upwards to skin and even neurological.
Host: So, what is the main reason people have these foot problems?
Dr. Abboud: Great question. So, there’s multiple reasons. Some people can have diabetes, or things like rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis and other people are just unlucky genetically such as bunions and hammer toes which really are more hereditary than anything. But also some people just pound their feet so much with exercise, which is a good thing, and sometimes they are just wearing the wrong shoes that can create a problem with their feet.
Host: I was just going to ask you can certain shoes be harmful to a person’s feet? So what should we know about that?
Dr. Abboud: So another good question. So, shoes can be harmful if the wrong shoe is worn by the wrong person. So, the trick to feet is knowing what type of foot you have. Because some people have what’s called flat feet, some people have neutral feet, some people have high arches and if say somebody who had high arches is wearing shoes that are meant for flat footed people; they might not find them so comfortable. And vice versa. People with flat feet, if they are wearing shoes that are meant for people with high arches; might not find them so comfortable. So, the trick though is for people to know what type of foot they have and sometimes, the primary care doctor can kind of fill them in on that real quick if they can tell pretty straightforward, but a lot of the times, it’s a good idea to go see a podiatrist and kind of get your feet evaluated if you have concerns regarding shoes or if you find that shoes are bothering your feet.
Host: Yeah, that makes sense. So, I like how you put that. Problems happen when the wrong shoe is worn by the wrong person and then you said know your feet and what type of foot you have. So, important. And then you were talking about shoe selection. So, let’s talk about this a little bit more in depth. What should a person look for in a shoe or sandal, you know in the summer or hiking boots in the fall, etc. to keep their feet healthy?
Dr. Abboud: Another good question. So, again it goes back to the type of foot that you have. What I’ll do is I will try to simplify it. so, for people that have more of a high arch or more of neutral to a high arch foot, like a neutral shoe or a neutral sandal would make a lot of sense for them. Versus people with flat feet, something like a stability shoe that has some more build up in the arch basically things like New Balance or Brooks, A6 or Saucony, those are some of may favorites that really – and they make both a neutral and a stability shoe and just knowing which shoe is a neutral, which shoe is a stability shoe also goes back to going to a good shoe store where you can – a trusted shoes store that has been in the community for a long time that can really help guide these people and patients towards what type of shoe that they need.
As far as sandals are concerned, usually I try to stay away from just a plain old flat sandal but there’s a lot of good ones that have come out in the last few years. things like Birkenstocks, and Mephistos, Oofos and Vionics. They’ve come out with some really good orthopedic sandals that a lot of people find them to be very comfortable.
Now the big thing with sandals is that a lot of people think they can just wear them and go out for long walks. They are nice to get around a little bit, but if you are really planning in the summertime to really get out there and do a lot of walking around the beach or wherever you might be; it’s always a good idea to make sure that you are wearing a good stable shoe. If you are going to be doing a lot of walking, I would not recommend doing a lot of walks or long distance walks with sandals.
Host: So, for our flip flop wearers who want o wear them all day; not a good idea then.
Dr. Abboud: Not a good idea. Unless you are just – all you are doing is sitting in front of the pool putting your feet up an really not doing – not planning on doing much regarding walks.
Host: Right so really good thoughts there Dr. Abboud. So, if you have a high arch, look for a neutral shoe. If you have a flat foot look for a high arch and again, good idea, know what type of feet you have. So, can people do long term damage to their feet by wearing the wrong shoe?
Dr. Abboud: They can. Yes. And I tend to see that a lot more with typically people with high arches that don’t wear the proper shoe and typically they will show up when they are in their 50s or 60s because they typically are not having so much symptoms when they are in their 20s or 30s and typically at that point, they have already developed arthritis in their foot and so then we try to just manage and try to take care of that arthritis. But if in your younger life if you are able to figure out what type of foot you have and wear the right type of shoe or even inserts; that can really help prevent future problems with feet.
There are a lot of patients that I see that wish that they had known what type of foot they had 20-30 years earlier.
Host: Yeah, so good to know this early. Okay, if you could wrap it up for us Dr. Abboud, what can we do then to prevent, avoid, help these conditions from happening? What can we do ultimately to keep out feet healthy?
Dr. Abboud: The younger you start the better. So I always like it when I see these younger people come in or their parents bring them in to have their feet checked out, know what type of foot they have and obviously head them in the right direction at a young age. But it not too late for older people either. If you can figure out what type of foot you have, that way you find out what type of shoe you can get and help avoid future problems with your feet.
Host: Know your feet. Great advice Dr. Abboud. And thank you for your time and for more information, please visit www.snhhealth.org, that’s www.snhhealth.org. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels. Let’s keep those feet healthy and be sure to check the entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. This is Simply Healthy, a podcast by Southern New Hampshire Health. I’m Bill Klaproth. Thanks for listening.
Bill Klaproth (Host): Our feet take a pounding every day, but it seem we, me included, take our feet for granted, but having healthy feet is really important. So, what do we need to know about keeping our feed healthy and what is podiatry and what does a podiatrist do? Let’s find out with Dr. George Abboud, a podiatrist at Southern New Hampshire Health’s Foundation Foot and Ankle Center. Dr. Abboud, first off what is podiatry?
George Abboud, DPM, FACFAS (Guest): Podiatry is the medical and surgical treatment of foot ailments. And that includes anything from nonsurgical to surgical, medicines, prescriptions and upwards to surgery.
Host: So, all things pertaining to the feet and foot health?
Dr. Abboud: Correct. Everything pertaining to the feet.
Host: Yeah, so what are some of the common foot ailments or conditions podiatrists treat?
Dr. Abboud: So, lately, a lot of it has been plantar fasciitis, hammer toes, bunions, neuromas, some athlete’s foot as well, but anything that has to do with either bony deformity upwards to skin and even neurological.
Host: So, what is the main reason people have these foot problems?
Dr. Abboud: Great question. So, there’s multiple reasons. Some people can have diabetes, or things like rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis and other people are just unlucky genetically such as bunions and hammer toes which really are more hereditary than anything. But also some people just pound their feet so much with exercise, which is a good thing, and sometimes they are just wearing the wrong shoes that can create a problem with their feet.
Host: I was just going to ask you can certain shoes be harmful to a person’s feet? So what should we know about that?
Dr. Abboud: So another good question. So, shoes can be harmful if the wrong shoe is worn by the wrong person. So, the trick to feet is knowing what type of foot you have. Because some people have what’s called flat feet, some people have neutral feet, some people have high arches and if say somebody who had high arches is wearing shoes that are meant for flat footed people; they might not find them so comfortable. And vice versa. People with flat feet, if they are wearing shoes that are meant for people with high arches; might not find them so comfortable. So, the trick though is for people to know what type of foot they have and sometimes, the primary care doctor can kind of fill them in on that real quick if they can tell pretty straightforward, but a lot of the times, it’s a good idea to go see a podiatrist and kind of get your feet evaluated if you have concerns regarding shoes or if you find that shoes are bothering your feet.
Host: Yeah, that makes sense. So, I like how you put that. Problems happen when the wrong shoe is worn by the wrong person and then you said know your feet and what type of foot you have. So, important. And then you were talking about shoe selection. So, let’s talk about this a little bit more in depth. What should a person look for in a shoe or sandal, you know in the summer or hiking boots in the fall, etc. to keep their feet healthy?
Dr. Abboud: Another good question. So, again it goes back to the type of foot that you have. What I’ll do is I will try to simplify it. so, for people that have more of a high arch or more of neutral to a high arch foot, like a neutral shoe or a neutral sandal would make a lot of sense for them. Versus people with flat feet, something like a stability shoe that has some more build up in the arch basically things like New Balance or Brooks, A6 or Saucony, those are some of may favorites that really – and they make both a neutral and a stability shoe and just knowing which shoe is a neutral, which shoe is a stability shoe also goes back to going to a good shoe store where you can – a trusted shoes store that has been in the community for a long time that can really help guide these people and patients towards what type of shoe that they need.
As far as sandals are concerned, usually I try to stay away from just a plain old flat sandal but there’s a lot of good ones that have come out in the last few years. things like Birkenstocks, and Mephistos, Oofos and Vionics. They’ve come out with some really good orthopedic sandals that a lot of people find them to be very comfortable.
Now the big thing with sandals is that a lot of people think they can just wear them and go out for long walks. They are nice to get around a little bit, but if you are really planning in the summertime to really get out there and do a lot of walking around the beach or wherever you might be; it’s always a good idea to make sure that you are wearing a good stable shoe. If you are going to be doing a lot of walking, I would not recommend doing a lot of walks or long distance walks with sandals.
Host: So, for our flip flop wearers who want o wear them all day; not a good idea then.
Dr. Abboud: Not a good idea. Unless you are just – all you are doing is sitting in front of the pool putting your feet up an really not doing – not planning on doing much regarding walks.
Host: Right so really good thoughts there Dr. Abboud. So, if you have a high arch, look for a neutral shoe. If you have a flat foot look for a high arch and again, good idea, know what type of feet you have. So, can people do long term damage to their feet by wearing the wrong shoe?
Dr. Abboud: They can. Yes. And I tend to see that a lot more with typically people with high arches that don’t wear the proper shoe and typically they will show up when they are in their 50s or 60s because they typically are not having so much symptoms when they are in their 20s or 30s and typically at that point, they have already developed arthritis in their foot and so then we try to just manage and try to take care of that arthritis. But if in your younger life if you are able to figure out what type of foot you have and wear the right type of shoe or even inserts; that can really help prevent future problems with feet.
There are a lot of patients that I see that wish that they had known what type of foot they had 20-30 years earlier.
Host: Yeah, so good to know this early. Okay, if you could wrap it up for us Dr. Abboud, what can we do then to prevent, avoid, help these conditions from happening? What can we do ultimately to keep out feet healthy?
Dr. Abboud: The younger you start the better. So I always like it when I see these younger people come in or their parents bring them in to have their feet checked out, know what type of foot they have and obviously head them in the right direction at a young age. But it not too late for older people either. If you can figure out what type of foot you have, that way you find out what type of shoe you can get and help avoid future problems with your feet.
Host: Know your feet. Great advice Dr. Abboud. And thank you for your time and for more information, please visit www.snhhealth.org, that’s www.snhhealth.org. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels. Let’s keep those feet healthy and be sure to check the entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. This is Simply Healthy, a podcast by Southern New Hampshire Health. I’m Bill Klaproth. Thanks for listening.