How to keep your feet on the nice list!

So it’s the season of hustle and bustle! Busy shopping, busy baking, busy planning, busy celebrating and, for most of us, busy working out trying to fight the holiday bulge! That means a lot of time on your feet! So here are some tips on how to keep your feet off your naughty list this year....

1. Spend some time off your feet….OK seems like an obvious one, but if you're shopping, take a 15 minute break to sit down and have a coffee or a snack. Giving your feet just this short break can often keep you going for hours without aches and pains. At the parties, seek out the sofa instead of standing all night. When you are decorating cookies, sit at the table...don’t stand at the counter.

2. Get an anti fatigue mat...If you love to bake or cook and spend a lot of time in the kitchen I recommend investing in an anti fatigue mat. You can get these at any cook stores and even Kohl’s carries them now. They decrease the stress your feet take while standing on those hard kitchen floors. An investment with a BIG payout!

3. Pick sensible shoes…OK, OK I’m a girl at heart to and if you see me out with the girls or on a date with my husband, you will see my cute black boots that are totally NOT podiatrist approved. So if you’re going to a party put on the cute shoes! But for Pete's sake...don’t shop in them! Grab your gym shoes or comfortable flats for any activity that doesn’t require you to look super chic.

4. Buy a pair of insoles. If you asked me on any given day I would tell you if you have foot problems typically custom made orthotics would serve you best. HOWEVER what I don’t get asked is how to prevent foot problems. I think some over-the-counter insoles can really improve your bio mechanics (or how your foot works). I recommend Powersteps and sometimes Lyncos. Be sure to have them fitted in a Doctors office so you end up with the right ones. These insoles can go a long way to keeping your feet healthy.

5. Take some time for you…OK so this tip doesn’t have as much to do with your soles as it does your SOUL! A few years ago my mom taught us the best lesson...she STOPPED making Christmas dinner. We were shocked. “What do you mean appetizers and sandwiches?” we all wondered. But my family is HUGE and preparing a sit down meal for all of us was not the way she chose to spend her day. Instead, now, she watches cartoons and plays with her grandchildren and sits over a cup of coffee and chats with her daughters. Remember what this season is for, celebrating and appreciating those we love so much. Worry less about the gifts and the dinner being perfect...and more time on what is important.

Many Blessings and Healthy Feet .....Dr Misty McNeill

Al Rokers Feet don't hurt and neither do mine!

So if you have seen our facebook page or website lately (www.elmhurstfootdoc.com), you know myself and my staff along with Dr. Saera Arain headed to NYC for a conference and we had a close encounter with Mr Al Roker!

Yep we are those crazy people who stand out at the Today Show at 5am to get themselves on TV.

We stood around for an hour but got a space right up front and then waited and waited and waited some more. FINALLY about 7:40 the hosts came out.

So we stood for a long time waiting to meet them and ask "Al do your feet hurt?" He said "no, no in fact they don't." We then were caught at 8:43am exactly in a pan shot while NBC played "Superfreak" just our luck right. We were soooo excited to be caught on tape and I have the DVR to show to anyone who even remotely shows interest.

Anyway after standing for so long on cold concrete, you would think my feet would be killing me. Guess what? they weren't...with my Brooks, powersteps over the counter orthotics, and some girlfriends to keep me laughing....I never thought about my feet once.

I did however take some serious interest in Meredith Viera's and Anne Curry's Louboutins!

BUT I will save that for next weeks Blog!

Almost there

When you wish upon a star...that is right I can hear the Disney music playing already as I am less than a week away from the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon! The cool thing about this race...I am the only person doing it (at least in my little running circle). Even cooler....we get to go to Florida in what has turned out to be a very cool October out there on the Prairie Path. The coolest thing....the race starts at 10pm..yep I get to run through 3 theme parks at night. WAY COOL!!

The funny thing...this poses 3 very cool situations...but also creates 3 new aspects to running and training that I haven't encountered yet. (...and am totally freaked out about)

1-I DON"T HAVE ANYONE TO RUN WITH! I always run with a group. Occasionally you will catch me doing a 4 miler or tagging an extra 2 miles onto a run by myself. But start to finish 13.1 miles?! So I have a plan...I am going to get to the expo hoping to find a pace group so I can latch onto someone and probably in 13.1 miles learn a whole lot more than I ever wanted to know! In case that fails, I have loaded my IPOD with 2 hours of my favorite sing a long songs :).

2-YESTERDAY IT WAS 75 degrees and 91% humidity at race time and on race day its projected to rain :( I have been training on beautifully cool days with almost no humidity. So race conditions will be very different. My plan...to go with the flow! The one thing you can't control on race day is the weather. So say a little prayer to mother nature for me!

3-THE RACE IS AT NIGHT! While this will make the race an UBER COOL experience, I have never run later than 4pm and that has been only a handful of times. 90% of my training has practically been before the sun is up! So for me, eating and most drinking will cease around 3pm...7 hours before race time, just like ti would if the race were at 6am. Lets hope there are bathrooms on the course...just in case!

So for now I am just enjoying the taper...3 easy 3-4 mile runs this week to cap off my training.

I'll post next week to let you know how it went..."See Ya Real Soon"

Cinderella procedure??

Ok so I've read and HEARD alot about the hyped "Cinderella procedure". Many people had seen it on TV or read about it on the internet. Let me shed some light on the subject....

ITS THE SAME PROCEDURE WE HAVE BEEN DOING FOR YEARS...

As far as I can see the so called "Cinderella Procedure" is just another way to surgically correct a bunion and a tailors bunion (or bump on the outside of the foot). There is nothing earth shattering and no new technology here. Just a fancy new name.

So if you have a painful bump near the big toe joint, ask yourself this...am I having pain that is worth undergoing surgery, have a tried changing to more comfortable shoes, do I have pain when I exercise or that stops me from doing something I love? If the answer is YES...then find yourself a qualified surgeon...ask friends, ask your primary care doctor for a referral. They will steer you in the right direction. If that gets you no where visit www.apma.org where you can find a whole host of doctors who specialize in treatment of the foot and ankle.

I HATE My Orthotics

I had two new patients in the office yesterday, one with 3 pair, the other with 9 orthotics. Both said "Nice to meet you Dr. McNeill....I HATE my orthotics!". The orthotics came from a variety of sources...the other docs, infomercials, a health fair...one even from a flea market.

After looking at all of them I determined one thing...whoever gave or sold these orthotics never wore them. I have worn orthotics since I was 16 due to a serious ankle injury...so I KNOW HOW THEY FEEL.

Here are some tips that I have learned and have passed on to my patients:

• First and foremost, orthotics aren't for everyone. many people will do just fine with some great over-the-counters that we carry in the office. The key is determining what is right for you.
• An orthotic needs to be controlling, if it doesn't 'cup your heel' and doesn't have a hard shell you are wasting your money.
• The above 'shell' needs to be covered with some cushioning to absorb the forces and so you can tolerate the control that your foot needs.
• It needs to have appropriate modifications! My office staff does not prescribe my orthotics, nor can they guess which one I will pick. Each one is a little different...tailored to each patients foot. They are CUSTOM after all!
• They need to be modified. orthotics aren't an "off the shelf" item, they are more like a wedding dress. Some fit perfect, others need modifications. We work with our patients until they are right!
• They will fit in shoes, just not high heels! With proper consideration, orthotics can be made to fit into many reasonable shoes, not just athletic shoes. We carry a whole line of Aetrex shoes at our office that are cute, fun and most will fit a typical orthotic! For any of you reading this who wear orthotics, this is exciting news.

Hope this dispels some of the myths and confusion about custom made orthotics. What I know best is that orthotics laying on your closet floor do your feet no good! Come on in...let us help you on the road to being pain-free!

Winter Running Tips

Since many of my patients are runners...I thought you might enjoy checking out this blog on Winter Running Tips ....
www.runningfootinjuries.blogspot.com

Happy Winter Running!