Obesity leads to ankle and foot problems

Vijayawada: Obesity and standing for prolonged period lead to problems in heel, ankle and foot, says noted physiotherapist Dr Olos Gora while addressing the health education programme at Vasavya Nursing Home with Dr G Samaram in the chair. Dr Olos said that with the advent of latest technology, physiotherapy introduced several new methods to give relief to patients for various ailments.

He said the problems to ankle and foot may occur while playing certain games. "Physio is the best solution to such problems," he said. When there is sprain in the ankle, apart from taking medicine, it is better to go for physio to get good results. Some people experience pain on soles immediately stepping out of bed. In such cases, in addition to using soft soled footwear, they should go for ultrasound therapy, he suggested.

For chronic ankle pains, they should opt for extra corporeal radial pressure shockwave therapy for relief, he said. Physiotherapy is the best solution to get relief from swollen feet after injury or fracture, he said. Dr Olos said that the diabetics lose sensation on their feet and it could be restored with physiotherapy.

Problems like plantar fusion and growth of bone in the heel could be contained with the modern physiotherapy methods, he said and added the foot would collapse in case of nerve damage and the working of nerve could be restored with electrical stimulation and EMG.

The congenital crooked foot could be rectified with the help of physiotherapy, he remarked.

Some people experience severe pain in heels which could be treated with soft tissue laser therapy and exercise therapy, he said and added the toe of foot would become crooked over period for some people which could be rectified with the help of foot splints along with physiotherapy.

The physiotherapist said that for problems like osteoarthritis, rheumatic arthritis and even gout, physiotherapy is the best solution. Referring to the precautions to be taken to take care of foot, he said that people should discard worn out footwear, keep body weight under control, use right size footwear, to prevent pain to heel and ankle. Footwear for children should be changed every three months, he suggested. Dr Maru proposed a vote of thanks.