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Honest advice, a little humor, and what to expect when you’re under my care. One of the best parts of being a direct care podiatrist is the time I get to spend actually talking with my patients—no insurance checkboxes, just real conversations. Over the years, I’ve found myself repeating certain phrases that sum up my…

When we think about weight loss, we often picture nutritionists, personal trainers, and family doctors as part of the team. But did you know that a podiatrist can be a key partner in helping you succeed? As a podiatrist specializing in functional and lifestyle medicine, I work with patients not just to treat foot and…

If you’re undergoing treatment for fungal toenails (onychomycosis), it’s essential to take daily home care measures to support healing and prevent reinfection. While oral medications, prescription topicals, and laser therapy help eliminate the infection, your foot hygiene and environment play a huge role in ensuring successful treatment and long-term prevention. In this post, we’ll cover…

If you’re living with lymphedema, you likely already know how it can impact your legs and feet. But did you know it can also affect the health of your toenails? Lymphedema, which causes chronic swelling due to poor lymphatic drainage, can have several negative effects on nail growth and appearance. Here’s what you should know….

How Custom Orthotics Work with Other Treatments Custom orthotics play a critical role in supporting and correcting foot mechanics. But they are even more effective when used alongside other treatment options. Here’s how they complement different therapies to relieve pain and improve function. Shockwave Therapy and Custom Orthotics Shockwave therapy helps stimulate healing in damaged…

How to Know if Plantar Fasciitis is Healing Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain. If you’re dealing with it, you know how stubborn and frustrating recovery can be. One question we hear often is, “How do I know if my plantar fasciitis is improving?” The good news: With the…

Fungal toenail infections (onychomycosis) are one of the most common foot conditions, affecting millions of people each year. While it may start as a small white or yellow spot under the nail, if left untreated, it can worsen and become difficult to treat. Many people ignore early signs of a fungal infection, thinking it will…

Heel pain is one of the most common complaints we see in the clinic, and often, the culprit is plantar fasciitis. However, a more severe but less common condition—plantar fascial rupture—can also cause significant pain and dysfunction. While both conditions affect the plantar fascia, the thick band of tissue that runs along the bottom of…

A hammertoe is a deformity in one or more of the smaller toes. You may notice that the toe is bending up at the middle joint, making it resemble a hammer. Hammertoes are caused by a ligament and muscle imbalance in the affected toe joint.  Wearing shoes that are too short resulting in the toe…

We’ve got a great idea for a New Year’s resolution that is good for you and easy to keep. This year, keep your lowly feet in mind and resolve to take good care of them! Your feet work hard – in fact, if you walk about 7,000 steps each day, that can add up to…

Although winter is here in southern Maine, it’s still very possible to catch a toenail fungus. Wearing cold-weather shoes and boots creates the perfect environment for this type of fungus. They love warm, dark,and moist places like the inside of your shoes! Toenail fungus is also very contagious. You can pick it up at public…

For December gift-giving or any other time of the year, why not treat a family member or friend to the gift of foot health? Foot care gifts keep on giving as the New Year passes into 2020.  Pamper Friends and Family with These Foot Care Gifts  Tuck some extravagant foot creams, lotions and scrubs along…

Neuropathy, or nerve damage, is a very common and damaging complication from diabetes and other diseases and conditions. The affected nerves can cause numbness, pain, burning, and cramping. Neuropathy is especially risky for the feet, as the loss of sensation that often accompanies this condition can make it hard to detect dangerous foot ulcers. If…

If the change in weather to colder temperatures has you itching to dig out your skis, skates, and snowshoes, be sure to prepare before heading outside. Preparation is essential for safety when enjoying winter sports. Poorly-fitting equipment or inadequate physical preparation can turn a winter outing into a long recovery period after an injury. Tips…

Diabetes can hit your feet pretty hard. When blood flow is reduced due to excess glucose in the bloodstream, the ability of your body to heal any damage in the feet may be impaired. Also, neuropathy or nerve damage can cause diminished sensation in the feet. The result? A small nick, scrape, bruise or puncture…

We recently explored how important it is that a podiatrist is on your diabetes management team because of the link between diabetes and serious foot problems. There is a link between diabetes and heart disease too. The theme of this year’s National Diabetes Month in November is “Take Diabetes to Heart” to focus on the…

Diabetes is a serious disease that can affect your whole body – including your feet. It’s important to understand diabetes and its complications, so we are writing a series of blogs to learn more about this disease for National Diabetes Month in November. Individuals with diabetes have too much blood sugar, called glucose, in their…

 If you have pain in the ball of your foot – kind of like when you have a pebble in your shoe, or when you sock is bunched up under your toes – then you may have Morton’s neuroma. This painful condition causes pain, but you won’t notice any lump or other outward sign. Symptoms…

Switching back to closed-toe shoes when you have been wearing sandals all summer may not be easy, but if you notice toe pain in your new routine, then you may have an ingrown toenail. The cause of an ingrown toenail is when the nail cuts into the tender skin and tissue at its side. By…

With Halloween right around the corner, little children are nestled all snug in their beds thinking of candy and jack-o’-lanterns! What are parents thinking of, besides do they have all the costume pieces that their child wanted? Safety on Halloween night. Incredibly, more than 3,800 children are injured in the U.S. on Halloween night. The…

Heel pain can be sharp and hit you when you first get up in the morning or can be a throbbing discomfort. The pain can be chronic or can flare up with activities like running or walking. A heel spur can be the cause of your heel pain. A heel spur is a calcium deposit…

Viola Davis, actor, and producer, wowed the audience at the recent Emmy award show when she revealed her trendy platform sneakers while presenting the Best Supporting Actor Award. Davis, who is the first black actress to win the “Triple Crown” of an Academy Award, an Emmy and two Tonys, had changed out of her red…

After a foot injury, or if you have had foot, toe or heel pain for a while but you haven’t done anything about it, you may be hesitant to seek the help of a podiatrist. Well, we are here to help!  It’s much better to come in for an evaluation by our expert doctors than…

September is Fruits and Veggies – More Matters Month to remind us to boost our nutrition by incorporating these delicious foods in our diet. But September is also a great time for another important health reminder – Fall Prevention Month. Did you know that one out of every four Americans falls each year? An older…

Each time you purchase shoes, it’s a good idea to have your feet professionally measured. Our feet grow as we age, and too narrow or too tight shoes can cause many foot problems such as ingrown toenails, Morton’s neuroma, hammertoe and bunions. When you choose shoes, it’s important to consider your arch type too. Our…

We all know that we should eat plenty of fruits and vegetables every day, but sometimes this seems like a tall task. September is a great time here in Maine to talk about healthy fruits and vegetables. First of all, it’s Fruits and Veggies – More Matters Month when healthy eating, especially with fresh produce…

One of the most effective treatments for toe ulcers is a tenotomy. When an individual has neuropathy, or nerve damage, due to diabetes or another problem such as cellulitis, there is a loss of feeling in the extremities, often in the feet. At our practice, we often hear questions from our patients as to what…

It still feels like summer here in Cumberland County, but soon those yellow school buses will once again announce another school year. So it’s time to put away the sandals and worn-out sneakers and go back-to-school shoe shopping. Parents, it’s up to you to be firm! Don’t give in to your child begging for the…

Foot and ankle troubles affect both amateur and professional tennis players alike.  Despite good self-care, properly hydrating, stretching and wearing appropriate shoes, injuries can still happen.  Running, cutting, jumping, quick stops and starts on hard surfaces set the stage for foot and ankle trauma.  6 Common Foot and Ankle Tennis Injuries 1.      Subungual hematoma –…

Orthotics and inserts each are effective in treating foot and ankle conditions such as neuroma, and plantar fasciitis. While the two terms are used interchangeably, they are different! What makes an orthotic different than an insert?  A lot of inserts are marketed as orthotics. They may look like an orthotic; have a plastic shell, deep…

Calluses can often be confused with plantar warts. Both lesions are benign, on the bottom of the foot and occasionally painful. So how do we tell difference? Calluses • Dense, hard skin, uniform in color and thickness • Caused be friction due to tight shoes or faulty biomechanics. • Do not spread and are not…

When you come in for an appointment…tell us about your shoes! We get a lot of information about a patient’s condition from their shoes.    No other article of clothing has an impact on health like shoes!   Shoes can be stylish, functional yet cause or fix foot pain.   We want to know…. 1.       What are…

Have you ever felt like you have a balled-up sock under your foot or a pebble under your foot, take off your shoe to find there is nothing there?  Chances are you have a Morton’s neuroma, or inflammation of a nerve between your toes.  Other symptoms can include a burning pain in the ball of…

The first question I ask patients when they come to me with diabetic peripheral neuropathy is “Do you have trouble falling asleep due to your feet?”  Often people with diabetic neuropathy have trouble falling asleep due to tingling and burning pain.  The zingers may not be noticeable during the distractions of the day, but once settled into bed, the burning pain is obvious.  Some patients struggle for hours to fall asleep, rubbing…

Dear Valued Patient, Here at Lighthouse Foot and Ankle Center, our goal is to keep high-risk patients out of the Emergency Room and Urgent Care and stay infection and ulcer free. High-risk patients include those with diabetes with neuropathy and poor circulation, history of amputation, infection or ulceration. Ways we can help: Triage with Telehealth – a…

Lighthouse Foot and Ankle Center is here for you. At this unprecedented time in history, we want to stay in touch with you to keep you informed as we all deal with this crisis together. This is the first in a series of weekly communications we will be sending you to stay connected. Our office will…

All of us at Lighthouse Foot and Ankle Center are wishing the Scarborough community, and the world at large, health and safety at this time. We thought it would be nice to share an uplifting new foot-related trend to brighten your day! In the past couple of weeks, life has turned upside down for most…

Here in Scarborough, temperatures have been warming up a little—it’s hard to believe spring is officially here! You may be ready to shed your winter layers and get out in the sunshine, but how about your feet? Most of us in winter probably have our feet wrapped up in warm socks and boots, hardly even…

What is it? FDA-approved, non-surgical, non-invasive, and non-narcotic, Neurogenx is a state-of-the-art electro-medical treatment tool. It provides major results by relieving neuropathy symptoms and pain with high-frequency electronic waves that safely and gently reach deep into muscle and tissue to promote healing. What does it do? Treatment with the device helps make changes at the…

March is National Nutrition Month, but what’s that got to do with feet? When it comes to diet, most people think of weight loss or heart health first. While those might be the top reasons to clean up your diet, eating well is important for the health of your entire body. Quite a few common…

In Greek mythology, Achilles was one of the greatest heroes and warriors. When he was young, his mother wanted to protect him from harm. She took him to the River Styx in the underworld. Holding him by the ankle, she dipped him in the river, which had magical powers. From then on, Achilles was invincible,…

People with diabetes are more prone to developing many types of foot problems. Neuropathy is the most common, and it can make it harder to identify other diabetic foot complications like: ulcers calluses, corns ingrown toenails dry, cracked skin infections injuries or fractures poor circulation Neuropathy causes loss of sensation in the feet, making it…

Have you heard of Lego-walking? If you have ever inadvertently stepped on one of these little plastic building blocks while barefoot, you know how painful it can be. Well, individuals compete in distance barefoot Lego-walking – they choose to experience all that pain!  The current record-holder is Salacnib “Sonny” Molina, who last year set up…

You may wonder why we are discussing February’s American Heart Month in connection with your feet and lower legs. Peripheral artery disease or PAD is a common circulatory problem where the arteries are narrowed, restricting blood flow to your limbs. If you have PAD, your legs will not receive enough blood flow to keep up…

A foot ulcer is a serious injury that requires medical attention right away. Foot ulcers are deep sores or a break in the skin. The danger is that they can easily become infected and worsen. Left untreated, a foot ulcer can affect deeper layers of the skin and even the bone. Foot ulcers are caused…

If you are a senior citizen, or if one of your family members is elderly, it is vitally important to do everything you can to avoid falls. For seniors, falls are the leading cause of injuries – fatal and non-fatal – and every 11 seconds an elderly person must go to an emergency room after…

Just think of the great forces at work on your feet when you walk. Nearly one-and-a-half times your body weight impacts the bottom of your feet with each step. The force is greatly increased when running, jogging and jumping. The ball of your foot at the base of the big toe is significantly impacted by…

Sweaty, smelly feet don’t just happen in summer. In fact, wearing closed shoes in cold weather creates the perfect environment for foot odor. Our feet have the most sweat glands of any part of our body – 250,000 to be exact! But sweat by itself doesn’t mean a bad odor. Instead, bacteria cause foot odor…

What is the Plantar Fascia? The plantar fascia is a thick band of tissue that extends from your heel to the base of your toes, on the bottom of your foot. The fibrous band provides stability and supports your arch. A common cause of heel pain known as plantar fasciitis can occur when the fascia becomes inflamed…

Lighthouse Foot and Ankle Center is excited to be the first podiatry practice in Maine, giving patients direct care for foot and ankle pain without insurance regulations. Patients can make an appointment without a referral from their doctor or insurance company. Our wait time for a new patient appointment is much less, and same-day appointments…