The “mirror of health”, is a term that the human foot has been often referred to. Foot doctors, or doctors of podiatric medicine (DPMs), are physicians who specialize in diagnosing and treating foot and ankle problems, both by means of conservative/ non-surgical or surgical treatments. They are often the first doctors to see conditions such as bunions, hammertoes, neuromas, skin and nail problems, or signs of such systemic diseases as diabetes, arthritis, and circulatory disease in the foot.
For reasons that are hard to imagine, many of us, including a lot of older people, think that it is normal for the feet to hurt, and simply resign themselves to enduring foot problems that could be treated.
There are more than 300 different foot ailments. Some can be traced to family history and the way your bones and joints are made.
But for an aging population, most of these ailments stem from the cumulative effect of years of neglect or abuse. However, even among people in their retirement years, many foot problems can be treated successfully, and the pain of foot ailments relieved.
Whether due to abuse or family history, the wear and tear of the years cause changes in feet. As people age, their feet tend to spread, and lose the fatty pads that cushion the bottom of the feet. Additional weight can affect the bone and ligament structure. Older individuals, consequently, should have their feet measured for shoe sizes more frequently, rather than presuming that their shoe sizes remain constant. Dry skin and brittle nails are other conditions older people commonly face. Finally, it’s a fact that women, young and old, have four times as many foot problems as men, and high heels are often the culprits.
Observing preventive foot health care has many benefits. Chief among them are that it can increase comfort, limit the possibility of additional medical problems, reduce the chances of hospitalization because of infection, and lessen requirements for other institutional care.
Dr. Keano Karimi is delighted to announce the opening of his Foot & Ankle clinic in Valencia, California. He is attending staff of USC General Hospital and a board certified foot surgeon.
Dr. Karimi has joined the team of Physicians at the prestigious Top Surgeons, Inc. the premier provider of surgical and medical services on the west coast.
The Foot & Ankle clinic at Top Surgeons, Inc. provides care in the following areas:
• Corrective & cosmetic foot surgery (i.e. bunions, hammertoes, plantar fasciitis/ heel pain, neuroma, etc)
• Sports medicine and injuries
• Collagen injections for painful ball of foot
• Children’s foot or gait problems
• Nail and skin conditions
• Custom made orthotics
Please feel free to contact us for any foot or ankle problem and our staff will schedule you for an immediate consolation at one of our many locations in southern California: Valencia, Beverly Hills, West Hills, Palmdale, Apple Valley and Bakersfield. For more information, please call 1-800-953-5000.