Upperline Health-Dr Stephen Offutt DPM

Heel pain can stem from various causes. Understanding how heel pain is classified and knowing what steps to take when you experience discomfort is crucial. Begin by consulting with ! Learn more about managing heel pain at https://www.apma.org/heelpain

We want everyone to experience pain relief and comfort when dealing with Ankle and Hindfoot Injuries. Our technology and mission all come from our desire to give people the opportunity to do more of what they love.

Share your story with us and online to help inspire others to experience better outcomes for recover.

Remember, foot pain is never normal, especially for those with diabetes. Your feet could be trying to warn you. Don't ignore it! Schedule an appointment with your podiatrist at the first sign of pain. www.apma.org/diabetes

Did you know that not all nerve pain in the foot is due to diabetes? It can be caused by other problems like a herniated disc, or even a vitamin deficiency. Get the right diagnosis and referral from a foot and ankle expert—a podiatrist! www.apma.org/diabetes

November is Hyperhidrosis Awareness Month. Let's talk about excessive sweat and how to find relief! If you or someone you know is dealing with this condition, visit www.sweathelp.org to learn about the resources and support available.

Medications like gabapentin aren’t a treatment for neuropathy. They treat the pain. Come talk to us to explore treatments to lessen or even eliminate your neuropathy.

Diabetic nerve pain varies —from numbness, to burning, to pins and needles. The common factor: it's essential to seek treatment from a podiatrist as soon as you notice symptoms in your feet. Early treatment can help avoid complications, including amputation and death. www.apma.org/diabetes

MLS Laser Therapy is a versatile treatment modality that offers a wide range of therapeutic capabilities. Here are some of the versatile clinical uses of MLS Laser Therapy:

We now have a class IV laser in the Richmond office.

Are you a medical professional looking to enhance your treatment options for sports injuries? MLS Laser Therapy might be the game-changer you've been seeking. This innovative and non-invasive approach is revolutionizing how we treat sports-related ailments, providing athletes with faster recovery times and improved outcomes.

This Halloween, help your patients stay ahead of the curve with from Forward Motion Medical. Our orthotics are custom-molded to each individual's foot, providing the and they need to trick-or-treat all night long without pain or discomfort.

Order your patients' custom orthotics today and help them have a spooktacular Halloween!

Do you have pain in the ball of your foot?

There are a handful of reasons that you might have pain in the ball of your foot. The two most common involve inflammation of joints (capsulitis) and nerves being pinched between the bones behind your toes (neuroma). Both are easily treatable and rarely require surgery. Feel free to comment below with any questions about ball of foot pain.

We are proud to serve our troops, and grateful to the United States Department of Defense for this article in DVIDS.

Staff Sgt. Kelsey Martinez writes: "Military personnel face significant musculoskeletal injuries, particularly ankle injuries, which can lead to training disruptions, costly medical attrition, and affect military readiness. To address this, the Air Force initiated the Versatile Injury Prevention and Embedded Reconditioning program (VIPER) and partnered with TayCo Brace to develop the XAB (eXternal Ankle Brace). This innovative brace offers better range of motion and comfort, reduces recovery time, and can be worn over combat boots or athletic shoes. It is expected to significantly improve return-to-duty rates, reduce disruptions, and enhance overall outcomes for service members with ankle injuries."

We believe in supporting our military personnel to help get them back in the fight with fewer disruptions and better outcomes. Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/3rXYy8p

You don’t have to fall…

Do you look down at your feet when transitioning from a sidewalk to the yard? Do you need to push the cart through the store in order to complete the task at hand? Would you feel confident walking backwards? Issues with balance and falls are a debilitating problem that affects the senior population. Falling or even the fear of falling can cause one to abstain from activities from which they once found enjoyment. A fall can severely alter one’s life in a negative manner. Falls are a top reason for ER visits, hospitalizations, and nursing home admissions in the senior population.

Many factors can contribute to a person’s risk of falling. Many of these factors are modifiable and can be changed. Yes, you read that right! We can lessen your chance of falling! We can improve and restore the confidence in your walking and preserve your mobility and independence. Come in to Upperline Richmond for a comprehensive Fall Risk Assessment and allow us to help you walk confidently into your future.

https://upperlinehealth.com/blog/dr-offutt-returns-to-his-richmond-office/

Dr. Offutt Returns to his Richmond Office | Upperline Health In 2013, Dr. Stephen Offutt left his private practice in Richmond to work with patients in long-term care facilities. He returns to that same office as an Upperline Health podiatrist with a new outlook on treatment and patient care. We are so excited to re-introduce him to the Richmond community. Wh...

Come see us! Plantar Fasciitis is easy to diagnose and easy to treat!

Heel pain bothering you? Plantar fasciitis is a common culprit. It occurs when the fibrous tissue along your foot's underside stretches or tears, leading to intense pain and inflammation. Skip at-home remedies; consult your podiatrist! https://www.apma.org/heelpain

Experiencing discomfort such as pain, tingling, or swelling between your toes? It could signal a neuroma. Seek the expertise of a podiatrist for diagnosis and treatment of this nerve tissue growth. Don't hesitate, consult : https://www.apma.org/neuromas

Come see Dr. Offutt at the Meridian Health Flu-A-Palooza Health Fair. It goes until 6:00, but he will only be there until 3:00. 😊

Got a Hammertoe??

Hammertoe, claw toe, mallet toe and whatever else you might call it. These are all contractures of one, two, or all three is the joints in your toes. Hammertoes are caused by an uneven tug-o-war between the tendons that pull the toe up and the tendons that flex the toe down. In a straight toe these tendons are in an even tug-o-war. So what causes the tug-o-war to be uneven?

Flexor Stabilization - most common cause. The tendons that flex the toes overpower the extensors in an attempt to stabilize the unstable pronating (flattening) foot.

Extensor Substitution - associated with a high arch foot. The extensor tendon fire longer than normal during each step in an attempt to make sure the toes clear the ground when the foot is swinging through the step. As they fire longer than normal in the step they overpower the flexor tendons.

Flexor Substitution - least common. Occurs when the calf muscles are weak and the flexor muscles in the leg are recruited to assist the weak calf. This over recruitment causes the flexor tendons to overpower the extensor tendons.

Effective treatment of hammertoes is dependent on recognizing the cause and employing the correct strategy.

Have any questions? Feel free to throw them down into the comments below.

What Causes Diabetic Neuropathy

It seems like an obvious answer, but what is diabetic neuropathy? How many of you know the answer? I will take a few minutes here and explain in the plainest way I can. I will avoid the pretentious medical talk as much as possible.

Being diabetic you have a more difficult time breaking down sugar than a non diabetic, therefore you’ll tend to have a higher level of sugar in your body. Well, nerve cells love sugar and readily accept sugar to flow inside the nerve cell. If you recall the idea of diffusion, if the concentration of sugar inside the nerve cell is greater than outside the nerve cell, then water will flow in to attempt to equal out the concentrations. As the nerve takes on “water” it swells.

A nerve is like an insulated wire. When the swelling reaches out to the layer of insulation it is met with an inflexible barrier. Therefore the swelling starts to push back down on the nerve. Each nerve has a super tiny artery and vein to supply blood to the nerve. The pressure exerted on the nerve from the swelling pinched off the delicate blood vessels and the nerve loses its blood supply. This results in the nerve going to sleep and that is what happens in diabetic neuropathy!

Fortunately, we have ways we can decrease this swelling in the nerve which can restore blood flow to the nerve. If this occurs, the nerve can ultimately repair itself and the neuropathy potentially can be reversed!

Please comment below with any questions.

Plantar Fasciitis

Do you have a sore heel? It might be a condition called plantar fasciitis. This is an extremely common foot issue that is relatively simple and easy to treat. Sometimes it is referred to as a “heel spur.” For the record, heel spurs do not cause pain. That can be explained in a later post.

So what is plantar fasciitis? So we all understand that our foot is an arch and with every step the arch flattens a bit then reforms when our foot leaves the ground. Well the plantar fascia is a ligament that connects the heel to the ball of the foot and therefore, must stretch and accommodate the foot mechanics with every step.

When we have plantar fasciitis, the foot is functioning in a way that the planter fascia cannot accommodate. This causes it to pull tremendously on its attachment to the heel. That in turn causes inflammation and you have plantar fasciitis!

Feel free to ask any questions below or come on in if you want to overcome and once and for all get past plantar fasciitis!

Fall is officially here! 🍂—and we want to make sure it remains a season only! Each year, three million older people are treated in emergency departments for fall injuries. Check out our guide for selecting the right balance-boosting shoe to improve mobility and balance: https://www.apma.org/balanceboosting

Dr. Offutt is at the LifeStream Fall Festival. Come visit and get some free foot advice & merch! He will be there until 2:00 p.m.

Address:
3801 W. Dunlapsville Dr
Liberty, IN

Diabetic neuropathy afflicts many diabetics. It can cause an array of unpleasant sensations such as tingling, burning and stabbing pain. It also can cause profound numbness which then puts a person in increased danger of developing a diabetic foot ulcer. The bread and butter treatment in the United States are the medicines gabapentin and pregabalin. These medications have their place, but they function a lot like eyeglasses. You could devotedly wear your glasses for a decade, but the day you decide to stop wearing your glasses, your eye sight is just as bad as it was in the beginning. Gabapentin and pregabalin do nothing to treat your neuropathy. They simply treat the pain caused by your neuropathy.

These medications are the epitome of the “tip of the iceberg”. A multitude of other treatments are out there that relieve the pain without medications and some that have shown to even REVERSE your neuropathy. Please comment below with any questions or any other topic you would like covered.

Welcome to Upperline Health Richmond (ULR). We intend to use this platform to provide education, information and provoke discussion on topics of the lower extremity. I want to take this opportunity to detail the mission of Upperline Richmond. Helping you walk confidently into the future without pain. ULR wants to positively impact, prevent and prolong the negative life-altering events of amputation, chronic pain and dangerous falls. With this said, however, ULR will happily and comprehensively address any foot and ankle concern you might have.
Starting today ULR will make twice weekly posts on various topics. If you have a topic of interest that you would like addressed please share it. Let’s put our best foot forward!

-Dr. Offutt

Achilles tendonitis is one of the most common causes of foot and ankle pain. If you're experiencing discomfort that lasts for more than a week, it's time to see your DPM! www.apma.org/tendinitis

Dr. Stephen Offutt, podiatrist, is back in town & located at his old office on 11th & S. A St. Richmond.

“I am looking at this opportunity as an encore performance at an office-based practice. Through my 19 years of practice I have evolved significantly as a physician.” Upperline Richmond is excited to welcome you to our new practice. We are open every weekday to better accommodate your busy schedule. Our focus is to help you walk without pain and living life the way you want. Although we comprehensively treat any and all problems involving the foot and ankle, we have four clinical focuses.
1. Fall Prevention
Full scope program that examines visual, auditory, balance, foot/ankle stability and medication interactions that could increase your chance of falling.
2. Peripheral neuropathy.
Comprehensive look at your neuropathy cause and multimodal approach to help you manage and hopefully reverse your neuropathy
3. Diabetic foot care
Holistic approach including diabetic shoes and remote patient monitoring to prevent potentially catastrophic ulceration.
4. Surgical Complication Remediation
Non healed bones, misaligned joints, intractable nerve pain, infections - we have the expertise and more importantly, the willingness to get you past your problem while at all time attempting to avoid surgery.

Please click on the link below to schedule an appointment. All major insurance plans, Medicare and Medicaid are accepted.

https://consumer.scheduling.athena.io/?locationId=4399-176

Online Scheduling