Good Foot Book: A Guide for Men, Women, Children, Athletes, Seniors - Everyone [Paperback]

Following is a sketch of the information presented:

THEMES:

-prevention

-excess damage caused by running/exercising "through the pain."

-injury from improperly fitting shoes, including higher heels.

-diagnosis/misdiagnosis.

-special precautions for diabetics.

-thorough explanation of malfunctions - often it's biomechanical faults

-effectiveness/ineffectiveness vs. risk, for treatments, drugs.

-orthotics helping with ~51 foot problems.

-running shoes (meeting ~10 criteria) best for walking.

-hazards of cutting one's own feet - "bathroom surgery."

-surgery as last resort.

ANATOMY...19 illustrations of bones, joints, veins, pronation, bunion, corn, callus, heel, knee...

Forefoot: from the tips of the toes to the base of the long metatarsal bones, ball of foot.

Midfoot: cuneiform, cuboid and navicular bones, arch.

Rearfoot, talus (ankle) and the calcaneus (heel) bones.

BIOMECHANICS...:

In biomechanical fault, an abnormal amount of weight is supported by a smaller part of foot instead of distributed across the foot. Foot naturally pronates (rolls from the outside of the heel forward, then toward the inside of the foot) when the foot is taking and bearing weight...abnormal pronation may cause most foot problems. Foot naturally supinates (rolls toward the outside of the foot) as the weight is being transferred to the other foot.

BUNIONS...:

A bunion is a turning inward of the great toe joint resulting from abnormal forces from a biomechanical foot fault. There will be wear and tear in the cartilage of the big toe joint.

HAMMER TOES AND CORNS:

A corn is a protrusion on the top or side of a toe, which has developed because of the formation of a hammertoe (toe pointing downward) condition which was caused by a biomechanical fault. Improperly fitting shoes cause/aggravate the corn.

CALLUSES AND WARTS:

Calluses are...a buildup of thick skin to protect a part of the body that is subject to undue stress.

Warts have blackish pin dots (papillae) and are caused by a papilloma or verruca virus. There are no roots.

PLANTAR FASCIITIS:

The plantar fasciae are attached to the heel bone and to the five metatarsal bones in the forefoot. They support the longitudinal arch, and they also help prevent overpronation which can overstretch the fasciae so that they commence pulling the lining from the bone - periostitis. Cortisone and anti-inflammatories bring side effects and limited relief. Ultrasound and icing help a little. Prescription orthotics in running shoes comprise best treatment. PainTheory1-Bone lining partially reattaches overnight, then tears away again upon rising. PainTheory2-Fasciae contract overnight, then cause pain upon rising, until they're stretched.

HEEL SPURS:

HS are ridges, not spurs (as appearing on x-ray), and, being bone, they are not painful, but constitute a response to periostitis pain. When the plantar fasciae pull hard ... where they are attached to the heel bone, the bone eventually begins to grow in the direction of the pull, in an effort to keep the lining on the bone.

ACHILLES TENDONITIS:

AT is an inflammation caused by overstretching and twisting of the Achilles tendon, which then tends to pull the lining away from the back of the heel bone or to overstress the place where the tendon becomes the lower end of the two calf muscles. May be caused by overuse, or being born with short AT's, or long-term high heel use followed by athleticism. Friction rubs, stretching exercises and prescription orthotics help. Cortisone can fray the tendon, leading to rupture. Oral anti-inflammatories rarely help because of poor circulation to the area. Cast and physiotherapy for extreme cases.

PUMP BUMP:

PB is caused by irritation of the Achilles tendon area of the foot, usually by the pump, the shoe with 2-4" heel that is low-cut and has no straps or ties. A protrusion may form at the back of the heel to compensate for stress on a short Achilles tendon. Bursitis may occur. Ice, ultrasound, donut pad, change of footwear, or orthotics may help. Also, bump can be filed down, perhaps in conjunction with surgery.

TARSAL TUNNEL SYNDROME:

TT, enclosing a couple of nerves, runs under the deltoid ligament and down the back part of the lower leg into the foot. With a biomechanical fault the deltoid ligament presses the tunnel and compresses a nerve.

Or, compression may result from a swollen ankle caused by water retention, poor circulation, pregnancy,

CHILDREN'S FEET (PODOPEDIATRICS):

abnormalities at birth; club foot; using a cast; feet turned-out/in; overlapping/curled toes; supernumerary toes; webbed feet; unequal leg lengths; late walking; toe-walking; bunions; broken bones; noninfectious breakdown of growth plate...; Freiberg's Disease; Sever's Disease; Kohler's Disease; Young Maid's Knees.

GERIATRIC FEET:

precautions; shoes and socks; osteoarthritis prevention and care; knees; toenails; dry skin; less fat under ball of foot.

SYSTEMIC DISORDERS:

atherosclerosis; intermittent claudication; diabetes; alcoholism; gout; rheumatoid arthritis;

neuromuscular diseases (polio; ALS, MS etc); pregnancy; varicose veins; swelling when stationary; vaso-dilation/constriction and effects of drugs, chemicals and heat; tobacco; alcohol; other substances; immersion foot (chilblain); poor circulation; frostbite; Raynaud's Syndrome/Disease.

ATHLETES' FEET - RUNNING AND SPORTS:

Running, aerobics, racket sports, dancing, basketball, volleyball, football, gymnastics, skating, hockey, skiing, soccer, baseball, cycling, hiking. Preventions and fixes for: ankle joint synovitis; anterior compartment syndrome; blisters; bow-leggedness; calluses; corns; hammer toes; iliotibial band friction syndrome; knock-kneedness; metatarsal stress fractures; neuromas and other nerve entrapments; piriformis syndrome; plantar fasciitis; proprioceptors injury; runner's knee; sciatica; sesamoid bone fracture; shin splints; sprained ankle; stress fracture; tarsal tunnel syndrome; toenails-black; turf toe.

DERMATOLOGICAL FOOT PROBLEMS:

warts, athlete's foot, dermatitis, moles, psoriasis, foot odor, dry feet.

NAIL PROBLEMS:

ingrown, fungal, psoriatic, thick-and-distorted.

IN SEARCH OF A SHOE THAT FITS:

-for children, adolescents, women, seniors.

-for walking, running, racket sports, aerobics, tennis, dancercise, hiking.

-characteristics: cushioning, stability, flexibility, shape, material, "breathability"

THE LATEST IN NONINVASIVE CARE, AND (GOOD,BAD) FOOT SURGERY

cosmetic foot surgery; joint replacement; hip/knee/ankle replacement; shockwave/light/sound therapies.

Why read the book? Since we are not walking and running barefoot on softer, non-flat surfaces as we were designed to do, we need special knowledge, and especially needing this are the persons responsible for the young/old/disabled/sick. Here one finds huge information, expertly presented. Don't miss this read!

Thanks,

Bill Norwood

Great book for those of us that have feet that need pampering. Thanks to this book, I have learned to walk all over again and do massage therapy on my feet to help them recover from the normal abuse.

Highly recommend it

I quote from page 22: "Abnormal supination will receive short shrift in this book, as it accounts for only a small percentage of all the foot problems I have seen in my years as a podiatrist."
As a larger framed supinator who started actively running last year, getting the proper shoes and orthotics for my feet have been quite a chore. I tend to callus heavily on my fifth metatarsal, and have to use a callus shaver twice a week on them or else they become so thick and painful that I have difficulty even walking. I am using neutral plus running shoes, Dr. Scholls orthotics along with memory foam, with partial-at-best results. I have seen two local podiatrists who were completely useless at helping me. One of them advised me to stop running and switch to yoga. Glenn Copeland seems cut from the same useful cloth, as he then devotes one or two paragraphs to the idea that I would need custom orthotics, which I have been unable to obtain. And, the ones that are available by mail order, he says, are only partially useful, at best. I already knew that. There was a small amount of helpful info in the book, but nothing I didn't know already. I knew I had a problem being a supinator and that my 5th metatarsal calluses, and that I need something in my shoe to prevent it, but not how to find it (especially when the only doctors my insurance pays for turn out to be completely useless). I read this book, and now know exactly what I did before reading. I don't know anything about how to improve my current situation. If you are a supinator, or have a problem that would require orthotics for your 5th metatarsal, you will not find any information in this book to help you. The author says so himself, on page 22.