Brooke Gifford, DPM

Another holiday office party in the books🥳
So lucky to work with such a fun crew!

Happy Halloween!

Happy birthday Dr. Patel! We had a nice celebration 6 ft apart and with a printed birthday card!

As all my patients know, I love Brooks shoes! They truly are my go-to brand and I love that they are showing their support for healthcare workers. Unfortunately, it looks like they've already fulfilled their donations. But kudos to them putting their gratitude into action!

If you’re part of the healthcare community responding to COVID-19, we want to make your work a little more comfortable with a free pair of shoes. It’s our way of saying thank you for all you do. Follow the link to submit a request: https://brks.co/healthcareworkers_FB

Happy Halloween from Performance Foot & Ankle!

So cute!

Today is National Doctors’ Day. So nice when patients show their appreciation like Dr. Patel’s who sent this super cute bouquet of cookies to say thanks!

Spring has sprung which means it’s time to snack on gummy flip-flops!

Check out our new Instagram page! Let it be known that I did not post a shout out to myself but I do appreciate the recognition:) It’s also a throw back pic from last year of me trying to cover up my baby bump🤰🏼

Don’t waste your money on expensive anti-fungal nail polish! We’ve got the solution for you (pun intended)! One dropperful of this stuff in your own polish and it turns it into fancy anti-fungal polish. Good for about 30 bottles of polish. Will save you tons of money and make your nails pretty again😀

Last week we celebrated our one year anniversary! As they say- time flies when you’re having fun! If you haven’t been to our new office yet, come check it out!

Feeling festive here at Performance Foot & Ankle! 👻🎃💀

Brooke Gifford, DPM updated their business hours.

This article starts off about a hair wrapped around a toddler's toe but goes into the much deeper issue of paying exorbitant prices for an ER visit. I saw an infant recently with the same issue and was able to treat her in my office for the cost of an office copay (which for most plans is anywhere from $20-70... not thousands of dollars!). Please always call the specialist first, it will for sure save you time AND money! Most offices have an after-hours answering service to get you in touch with the on-call physician and he/she can help you decide if an ER visit is warranted. Also, many urgent cares have extended hours beyond 9-5 physician hours so that is hopefully another way to avoid the ER.

Toe ointment, a $937 bill, and a hard truth about American health care "My first reaction was: This is nuts. There is no relationship to the actual cost."

Vionic

Vionic is a shoe brand I recommend on a daily basis. This is a great deal!

zulily.com Anyone who has struggled to find comfort in the midst of trendy shoes will treasure their first pair of Vionics. The supportive technology is specially designed to focus on restoring natural foot function with every step.

A ballerina flexing the foot in slow motion. Crazy mobility in those joints, including the hyperextension of the knee!

i.imgur.com

Fish Chews on 11-Year-Old Girl's Foot, Causes Bone-Deep Cuts

Ugh, this is exactly why I fear lakes and rivers!

www.nbcchicago.com An 11-year-old girl suffered bone-deep lacerations when what was probably a fish chewed on her foot and ankle as she cooled off in a northeastern Minnesota lake. Maren Kesselhon suffered nine deep cuts...

Any guesses which animal the foot on the left belongs to? The similarities are impressive but a weight bearing X-ray for the human foot would better demonstrate the differences. I often use this animal as an example of why weight gain in humans can wreak havoc on our feet- we only have two of them and the overall surface area is relatively small (as opposed to 4 and much more surface area to distribute the load).

I had the privilege of listening to Captain Scott Kelly lecture last night. After spending a year in space, his "dead feet skin fell off" and he had baby soft feet. It's too bad the audience couldn't ask questions because I would really like to know where all the dead feet skin goes in the space station!

A patient pulled these out (of his pocket of all places) and said he still wears them sometimes. They are stainless steel orthotics that he got at a Dr. Scholls store 50 years ago! I've never seen anything like them but they were super heavy and obviously very hard. Can't believe the bolts on the bottom don't bother his feet!

What a pleasant surprise in the mail! Thank you to those patients that wrote such nice reviews!

So true! Cotton socks can trap moisture and cause blisters. I always recommend a poly blend sock which are much better at wicking moisture away from the skin and thus reduce the odds of developing blisters.

Brooke Gifford, DPM's cover photo

The Best Sandals for Your Feet, According to Podiatrists

These are great sandal brands that I, too, recommend to patients but I would also add FitFlop and Abeo.

travelandleisure.com Related: What to Know About the ‘Heat Dome’ Settling Over Much of the U.S.The 50 Most Gorgeous Running Races in America, State by StateThe 50 Best Bike Rides in America, State by State

American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA)

Clearly there's no right answer to when young girls should be allowed to start wearing heels, but I definitely concur with the APMA's stance on the subject which is heels are okay for short amounts of time for special occasions, look for a chunky heel with a forefoot platform (to lessen the overall height) or wedges which heel evenly distribute pressure. As for heels causing cancer due to chronic inflammation... seems like a bit of a stretch...

Today’s podiatrist and Yahoo! Style discuss the right age for your kids to start wearing high heels: http://ow.ly/HtBh3032WP9

The 25 safest cities to live in America

So happy and fortunate to live and practice in Thousand Oaks, the 2nd safest city in the US!

businessinsider.com Here are the safest cities in America to live, according to a study on violent and property crime rates.

I've said this a million times but it's worth repeating: you CAN walk on a broken bone. Saw a patient yesterday who's been walking around on a broke foot for 2 weeks and a patient today who came in with a broken ankle. If you have a known injury and there's swelling in your foot or ankle, go to the podiatrist ASAP!

Unfortunately money is a prominent topic that inevitably arises during patient appointments. Today I was explaining the cost of a treatment to a patient and he said "I'd spend more than that on my car if it needs to be done... these are my feet, it's worth it!" It is worth it, feet are important!

What to Do About Your Child’s Ingrown Toenail

Great article! Except replace the word "pediatrician" with "podiatrist"! I'm not going to my primary care doc for brain surgery... I see kids for ingrowns all the time who have already been treated by their pediatrician and not getting relief. Skip the middleman and see the foot and ankle specialist the first time!

healthcare.utah.edu An ingrown toenail can cause a lot of pain, especially in children. There are different causes for an ingrown toenail, but the most common are tight shoes. Dr. Cindy Gellner tells you how to identify ingrown toenail from other feet infections, prevention and what to do if your child gets one.

Chinese boy born with 31 fingers and toes

Poor lil' guy! The worst part is, no thumbs. Hopefully he gets funding for his surgery and can adapt with what's he got!

cnn.com Hong Hong is nearly 4 months old and has some extra appendages. His parents want to raise enough money for a life-changing surgery.