Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Insoles And Their Significance In Our Daily Lives

Does it ache when you wear a particular pair of shoes? This is actually quite common when you are wearing new shoes. Hurting feet can eventually lead to a very bad backache which can further lead to complicated problems for our body. How do we stop these frequent pains shooting up your ankle? You might want to stop a second before you throw your shoes out because there might just be a pretty good solution. One particularly effective and easy solution is to get an insole for shoes that tend to hurt your feet.
Insoles are available in any shoe store you may go to. They are made in different shapes and sizes so as to fit any shoe that you might need insoles for. The pain starts when you are on your feet all day, either running around or perhaps standing. Insoles offer you the support that your feet need while you run around or stand for long periods. There are special insoles which have gel backing which give extra support and care for your feet which will keep them from aching. There are some insoles with shock absorption fittings which helps specific people who have to work with or carry heavy equipment.
Insoles are also known as shoe inserts essentially because they are inserted into shoes to give support to the wearers. They are generally made of gel, as mentioned before, or rubber. Insoles can also be removed after use and maintained. Shoes are noticeably more comfortable after you fix insoles inside them. Every individual would benefit more if the insole they wear could be made specifically for their feet. If the insoles do not support your feet as they should be supported, it may cause bigger problems than wearing shoes without insoles. You might want to consider seeing a physician or a "foot-specialist" before you have your insoles put in your shoes.
Shoe inserts can be used for a lot of purposes. One obvious reason is to make a shorter person look taller. These inserts are also referred to as shoe lifts. You can insert a shoe lift in a flat shoe and still look tall. Insoles are great if one of your legs are shorter or taller than the other. By using different sized insoles you can resize your feet to the same size. The right insoles can do wonders for your feet, erasing all the pain that you might be experience in your feet.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Oscar Pistorius: The "Blade Runner"

Oscar Pistorius was born on November 22, 1986, in South Africa. But he wasn't born the perfectly formed, healthy baby we all hope for. He was born with fibular hemimelia, a congenital disorder in which there is a complete or partial absence of the fibula. Sometimes, with fibular hemimelia, other deformities are also present in the ankle and foot, as well as in the femur, knee, and tibia. Pistorius' fibular hemimelia led to a double-amputation of his legs below the knee when he was still an infant, partial amputation being a standard treatment for the disorder.
Pistorius' parents were advised to have the amputations done before he learned to walk, which would make it easier for him to adapt to the change and make it more likely for him to be mobile in the future. Pistorius not only learned to live with his disability, as he grew up, he excelled, becoming a determined athlete and competitor. At the age of 26, he has already become a world champion sprinter and made history. In August 2012, he represented South Africa in the London Olympic games, becoming the first double amputee to compete in track and field.
"I've been very blessed in my life. I've got a lot a to be grateful for," Pistorius said during a press conference. "I've never focused on the disabilities in life, but on the abilities."
Pistorius wears prosthetic legs. He received his first pair soon after his amputations, which allowed him to grow up competing in sports. Now those prosthetics are high-tech carbon-fiber blades, hence the nickname "Blade Runner." Pistorius' success with prosthetics gives hope and encouragement to many who use prosthetic limbs or will have to in the future and to those who suffer from other foot and ankle disorders.
One of the most common diseases we see in our office that leads to amputations is diabetes, and with diabetes being a growing problem in the United States, it is something we see on a regular basis. Our main goal with diabetes is to prevent amputation, and there are many new techniques available to save feet and legs, but when amputation becomes a necessity, it is good for patients to know that with prosthetics available and with the advances in prosthetics, it is still possible to lead a normal life.
Pistorius has obviously done well with his prosthetics and with his recovery from his amputations at an early age, but there is another treatment option besides amputation for fibular hemimelia patients. That option is limb lengthening. Reconstruction techniques or limb lengthening can sometimes be used to replace missing bone and lengthen or straightened segments of deformed bones.
If your child suffers from fibular hemimelia, it may be difficult to decide which treatment option to go with, and you may need to see a foot and ankle specialist to help you with that decision. There is some controversy about which treatment option is best and which treatment the patients best respond to. The decision usually is based on the severity of the fibular hemimelia and whether or not the foot is functional. If it is less severe, limb lengthening may be possible.
However, if amputation is recommended, you can choose that option with the knowledge that your child will still have the chance to lead a fulfilling, successful life, just as Oscar Pistorius has shown us. He fought for a chance to compete in the London Olympics, and he won, maybe not the race, but the real battle to prove that he is on equal ground with non-disabled athletes and can compete with them with no advantages due to his prosthetic legs.
After the prosthetic blades he uses were banned in 2008 from use in able-bodied competition because of fears that people using prosthetics may have an unfair advantage over other competitors, Pistorius fought for four months to have that overturned and won, making him eligible to compete in the Olympic games.
Pistorius' outlook on life and his determination in competition are inspiring to say the least.
"I think there's a lot of people that … if something doesn't go their way in life, then they focus on how they have been short-changed or how they have been done wrong," Pistorius said. "But we've got so much to be grateful for, I think I'd prefer to focus on that."

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Learn The Pros And Cons Of Hair Restoration Medication

If you are interested in taking a pill for hair restoration, you should be aware of some of the advantages and disadvantages of this route. The good news is that medication works for some people, and if it does not work for you, there are other options. If you are still trying to decide the best method for you, it is a good idea to learn the pros and cons of medication to prevent baldness.
The main advantage of pills is that they are often easy to get. Depending on the type, you can usually get them over the counter at your local store. Even if you need a prescription, this is not usually hard to get from your doctor if he or she sees you are struggling with baldness.
In addition, pills are considered inexpensive for many people because you can buy a bottle for less than a few hundred dollars. Surgery, on the other hand, tends to cost thousands. This makes it affordable to try out medication for hair restoration.
However, if you like the results you see, you might find that paying for pills for years can get more expensive than paying for a single surgery. This is especially the case because medications for hair restoration do not provide permanent results; so when you stop taking them, you stop seeing results. Therefore, you should add up the cost of buying pills over a lifetime if you do not want to go bald.
Of course, medications are not effective for everyone. In fact, many people never see a noticeable difference. If they do, they only notice that the hair stops falling out at as fast a rate, but it does not grow back with the help of pills. You would likely need a graft to get the result you are looking for.
In addition, many medications for hair restoration are known for having side effects. These range in severity, but it has been found that many of them do not go away when patients stop taking the medication. For this reason, you need to look at the side effects of the pill you are planning to take, and consider whether you want to risk having them for life.
Thinking about these details should help you make the best decision when you want to get help stopping baldness. You might find a pill works great and you do not need to consider other options like surgery. However, it should be nice to know that if medication does not work for you, there are other choices.