June 18, 2024 • 10 mins
Ever wondered how to find the perfect shoes for your foot type? Our latest episode has got you covered! Join Dr. Lauren DaBakaroff and Jeremy Wolf as they unravel the secrets to choosing the right shoes and why those online buys might not be doing your feet any favors. We'll walk you through the importance of measuring both the width and length of your foot while standing, ensuring that your feet stay comfortable and supported. Plus, Dr. Lauren sheds light on how custom orthotics can revolutionize your walking experience by addressing various foot shapes.
Flat feet got you worried? You're not alone. In a candid conversation, Jeremy shares his own struggles with flat feet, while Dr. Lauren dives into the genetic roots and the role of ligamentous laxity. Learn why neglecting proper foot support can lead to progressive worsening and pain over time. With practical advice on managing and preventing flat feet deterioration, this episode is your guide to maintaining healthy, pain-free feet as you age. Tune in and take the first step towards better foot health!
To learn more, visit: LMDpodiatry.com or contact (954) 680-7133
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
Welcome to the LMD Podiatry Podcast.
Trust us to get back on yourfeet.
Here's your host, Dr LaurenDeBakeroff.
Jeremy Wolf (00:14):
Hello, hello everyone, and welcome back to
another episode of the LMDPodiatry Podcast.
I'm your co-host, Jeremy Wolf,joined by your host, Dr Lauren
DeBakeroff.
Dr Lauren, always a pleasure.
Hello, Ooh, you went with anice little.
You're doing a littlebackground shift there.
I like that.
Lauren Dabakaroff (00:31):
Yeah, it's a mess back here.
Jeremy Wolf (00:34):
Nah, you're good, you're good, you're good.
So I thought today we'd knockoff a few frequently asked
questions, and there's somethings that have been on my mind
, some topics that I wanted toget some clarity on.
I'd assume that some of ourlisteners out there probably
experienced some of these, someof these things, in the past.
So let's, let's kick this off.
How should I determine theright shoes to wear for my foot?
Lauren Dabakaroff (00:58):
So it you know the thing about shoes in
general that most shoes todayare made for foot size and not
foot type.
So there's all different typesof foot types.
People have high arches, lowarches, wide feet, narrow feet,
long toes.
You know they're running likethat, misshapen feet.
(01:21):
So a lot of times you know thethe shoe is just generic, like
it's okay, size 11 men's.
You know, it's just, it's justfor the length.
The size is just for the length.
But the number one thing Ishould I always recommend is
stop buying all your shoesonline.
Give yourself a chance.
Go to a shoe store, have yourfoot measured width and length
(01:45):
to make sure you're wearing theright size, and make sure, when
you are checked, that you'refully weight bearing, meaning
you're not sitting and puttingyour foot down, you're standing
upright so that and then you'llsee your foot kind of shifts
forward and you realize yourfoot's actually longer or wider
than you think.
So that's, you know, fitting itto your foot.
That's the number one thing umthat you start with and that's,
you know, fitting it to yourfoot.
That's the number one thingthat you start with and that's,
(02:07):
you know, any shoe store has allthe different shoe sizes and
widths for you.
Now for foot type.
You know if you have your flathigh arched, you know it's
really hard to kind ofaccommodate that with shoes,
because all the shoes today areagain they're not custom,
because all the shoes today areagain they're not custom.
(02:28):
Which is how you know what I dois I do a lot of custom
orthotics and what that does isit helps, you know, realign your
foot and, you know, control thebiomechanics of your foot,
helps you walk better with theright shoe and the orthotic you
should have a great fit.
Jeremy Wolf (02:46):
You mentioned orthotics.
I've had orthotics in the past.
I do not wear them now, but Iknow that I do have flat feet.
So somebody that has flat feetthat's not currently wearing
orthotics or doing something tomake the situation better, are
my feet prone to get worse, likecan flat feet get worse over
time?
How does that work for somebody?
Lauren Dabakaroff (03:09):
So first of all, flat feet are genetic.
So if you have flat feet, yourmom, your grandma, your dad,
someone in your family had it,your grandma, your dad, someone
in your family had it.
And most of the time flat feetis sourced out of, you know,
partially genetics, mostlyligamentous laxity.
It means, like all yourligaments in your foot and your
body are just a little bit morestretchy.
(03:29):
So without enough control andsupport in your foot, the flat
foot will progressively getworse as you age.
So right now you're fine.
But if you keep walking the wayyou're walking with flat foot
will progressively get worse asyou age.
So right now you're fine.
But if you keep walking the wayyou're walking, with flat foot,
without any support orstructural support or
strengthening of the foot, itwill progressively get worse and
(03:50):
then some patients have verysymptomatic, painful flat feet
over the years.
Jeremy Wolf (03:58):
Okay, so is there any anything that I should look
for?
So I'm speaking for myselfpersonally, because I have flat
feet over the years.
Okay, so is there any anythingthat I should look for?
So I'm speaking for myselfpersonally, cause I have flat
feet.
I don't.
I guess I haven't had any majorissues other than what we
discussed when I came in.
Is there anything that I shouldlook for, though?
Any specific pain in any areaof my foot that that that might
(04:18):
tell me it's time to go get somesolution?
Lauren Dabakaroff (04:22):
done for this .
So arch pain.
So if you have any arch pain orany pain on the inside of your
ankle, then that's a sign thatyou're definitely wearing the
wrong shoes, or you know, andyour orthotics or insert inserts
are not for you anymore.
So arch pain and, like medialankle, meaning the inside of
(04:42):
your ankle, that's usually thetwo triggers for knowing you're
wearing the wrong shoes andyou're not, or you're not
wearing orthotics, especially ifyou have flat feet.
Jeremy Wolf (04:53):
Got it.
Next question, dr Lauren whatis a bunion?
Everybody's heard bunion before, but I guess if I was pressed
to explain exactly what it is,I'd probably be clueless.
So tell us what exactly is abunion?
Lauren Dabakaroff (05:07):
All right.
So a bunion is a deformity ofyour joint.
Basically it's more visual.
This is a podcast, so we'rejust going to listen.
Basically it's more visual.
I don't, you know, this is apodcast, so we're just going to
listen.
Basically, it's when your bigtoe starts facing the outside of
your body and then the jointbehind it starts facing the
inside of your body.
(05:28):
So basically, you start gettinga bump on the inside of your
foot and then it gets bigger andbigger and bigger over the
years if you don't do anythingabout it, and then the bump can
get red.
You need to wear wider shoes,things like that.
It's a deformity, essentiallyAlso genetic.
(05:50):
Best way to prevent it isbunion splints at night, you
could easily purchase those onAmazon or you know online
splints at night.
You could easily purchase thoseon Amazon or you know online.
Basically, it trains the jointto stay in place when you go to
sleep.
And then the other thing that'sthe kicker is obviously the
custom orthotics or non-custombecause it aligns your foot with
(06:10):
your ankle and your leg andthat actually controls the
motion of your foot, preventsthe bunion from getting worse.
So that's what it is, but it isjust, it's a strictly, it's an
ugly deformity.
It's basically when your footand your toes are not aligned
and then you get this whole bonesticking out on the inside of
your foot.
Interesting, it's hard, it'shard to you need to visualize it
(06:34):
.
It's great, you can see it Like.
If I had an x-ray you'd be likeoh yeah, that is not a straight
foot.
Jeremy Wolf (06:42):
So I get these all the time.
Next question Ingrown toenails.
Right, and I find that normallythe way I fix it for me is I'll
end up getting a pedicure andthey'll put my feet and soak
them in water and they'll get inthere and do their thing and
fix it up, but I know that a lotof people don't go get
pedicures.
What are some good ways or somethings they can do to prevent
(07:06):
pedicures, ingrown toenails,from occurring in the first
place?
Lauren Dabakaroff (07:10):
So, first of all, don't go to the nail salon
to fix your ingrown toenail.
They actually make it worse.
(07:17):
And I'll tell you why?
Lauren Dabakaroff (07:19):
So what they're cleaning in the nail
salon is the dead skin that'sforming around the ingrown
toenail.
So they're not fixing theingrown toenail, they're just
relieving some pressure from theside.
Why are they making it worse?
Because when you clean it andclean it and clean it over and
over and over again, it actuallytrains the root of your nail to
(07:42):
grow more into that direction,creating a more ingrown toenail
over time.
It's just like when you I don'tknow when you shave your hair
grows into the direction thatyou cut it in.
So the root of the nail but I'mgoing to show you I don't know
if anyone can see, but if thisis my thumb right so the root of
the nail is back here, okay,and then that's where the nail
(08:03):
grows out of when they cut fromthe sides.
Basically it's just relieving alittle bit of pressure.
The root is still there andit's gonna just keep growing
into the corner and it's not funand it's painful.
And nail salons they can get itinfected.
If you don't have someone who'susing sterile equipment, you're
(08:23):
not being careful, but it'sonly going to give you temporary
relief and it's actually makingyour ingrown toenail worse.
So the best way to prevent themis to just let your nail grow
out and cut them straight across, and then that, over time, will
help train your nail to growstraight and if it doesn't get
better, there are both invasiveand non-invasive ways that I
(08:46):
have available in my office tofix your ingrown toenail.
That basically, you know,basically helps the nail grow
out straight and flat as a board.
Jeremy Wolf (08:56):
It's interesting See that you learn something new
every day.
Here I am thinking that I'mgoing to get my ingrown toenails
fixed when I get pedicures andI'm actually making it worse in
many cases.
So look at that, the more youknow.
Lauren Dabakaroff (09:11):
Yes, I'm a plethora of information today.
Yes.
Jeremy Wolf (09:15):
Q and a.
Indeed, so awesome, that wasgood.
Let's go ahead and wrap thisone up, unless there's anything
else that you wanted to sharebefore we bring this to a close.
Lauren Dabakaroff (09:28):
If you have any foot issues, you know where
to find me.
Jeremy Wolf (09:33):
Yeah, go, go, go check out Dr Dr Lauren she's.
She's doing great work overthere.
Like I said you, you've helpedme personally with some issues
I've had as I run a lot.
I started experiencing somepain in my feet and I went in
and you fixed me up real quick.
My stepmother came in.
You helped her tremendously.
So keep up all the good workyou're doing over there and
(09:55):
we'll catch everyone next timeon the next episode.
Everyone take care.
Have a great day, you too.
Bye.
(10:04):
Thank you for listening to the LMD Podiatry Podcast.
For more information, visitlmdpodiatrycom.
That's lmdpodiatrycom, or call954-680-7133.
Welcome to the LMD Podiatry Podcast.
Trust us to get back on yourfeet.
Here's your host, Dr LaurenDeBakeroff.
Jeremy Wolf (00:14):
Hello, hello everyone, and welcome back to
another episode of the LMDPodiatry Podcast.
I'm your co-host, Jeremy Wolf,joined by your host, Dr Lauren
DeBakeroff.
Dr Lauren, always a pleasure.
Hello, Ooh, you went with anice little.
You're doing a littlebackground shift there.
I like that.
Lauren Dabakaroff (00:31):
Yeah, it's a mess back here.
Jeremy Wolf (00:34):
Nah, you're good, you're good, you're good.
So I thought today we'd knockoff a few frequently asked
questions, and there's somethings that have been on my mind
, some topics that I wanted toget some clarity on.
I'd assume that some of ourlisteners out there probably
experienced some of these, someof these things, in the past.
So let's, let's kick this off.
How should I determine theright shoes to wear for my foot?
Lauren Dabakaroff (00:58):
So it you know the thing about shoes in
general that most shoes todayare made for foot size and not
foot type.
So there's all different typesof foot types.
People have high arches, lowarches, wide feet, narrow feet,
long toes.
You know they're running likethat, misshapen feet.
(01:21):
So a lot of times you know thethe shoe is just generic, like
it's okay, size 11 men's.
You know, it's just, it's justfor the length.
The size is just for the length.
But the number one thing Ishould I always recommend is
stop buying all your shoesonline.
Give yourself a chance.
Go to a shoe store, have yourfoot measured width and length
(01:45):
to make sure you're wearing theright size, and make sure, when
you are checked, that you'refully weight bearing, meaning
you're not sitting and puttingyour foot down, you're standing
upright so that and then you'llsee your foot kind of shifts
forward and you realize yourfoot's actually longer or wider
than you think.
So that's, you know, fitting itto your foot.
That's the number one thing umthat you start with and that's,
you know, fitting it to yourfoot.
That's the number one thingthat you start with and that's,
(02:07):
you know, any shoe store has allthe different shoe sizes and
widths for you.
Now for foot type.
You know if you have your flathigh arched, you know it's
really hard to kind ofaccommodate that with shoes,
because all the shoes today areagain they're not custom,
because all the shoes today areagain they're not custom.
(02:28):
Which is how you know what I dois I do a lot of custom
orthotics and what that does isit helps, you know, realign your
foot and, you know, control thebiomechanics of your foot,
helps you walk better with theright shoe and the orthotic you
should have a great fit.
Jeremy Wolf (02:46):
You mentioned orthotics.
I've had orthotics in the past.
I do not wear them now, but Iknow that I do have flat feet.
So somebody that has flat feetthat's not currently wearing
orthotics or doing something tomake the situation better, are
my feet prone to get worse, likecan flat feet get worse over
time?
How does that work for somebody?
Lauren Dabakaroff (03:09):
So first of all, flat feet are genetic.
So if you have flat feet, yourmom, your grandma, your dad,
someone in your family had it,your grandma, your dad, someone
in your family had it.
And most of the time flat feetis sourced out of, you know,
partially genetics, mostlyligamentous laxity.
It means, like all yourligaments in your foot and your
body are just a little bit morestretchy.
(03:29):
So without enough control andsupport in your foot, the flat
foot will progressively getworse as you age.
So right now you're fine.
But if you keep walking the wayyou're walking with flat foot
will progressively get worse asyou age.
So right now you're fine.
But if you keep walking the wayyou're walking, with flat foot,
without any support orstructural support or
strengthening of the foot, itwill progressively get worse and
(03:50):
then some patients have verysymptomatic, painful flat feet
over the years.
Jeremy Wolf (03:58):
Okay, so is there any anything that I should look
for?
So I'm speaking for myselfpersonally, because I have flat
feet over the years.
Okay, so is there any anythingthat I should look for?
So I'm speaking for myselfpersonally, cause I have flat
feet.
I don't.
I guess I haven't had any majorissues other than what we
discussed when I came in.
Is there anything that I shouldlook for, though?
Any specific pain in any areaof my foot that that that might
(04:18):
tell me it's time to go get somesolution?
Lauren Dabakaroff (04:22):
done for this .
So arch pain.
So if you have any arch pain orany pain on the inside of your
ankle, then that's a sign thatyou're definitely wearing the
wrong shoes, or you know, andyour orthotics or insert inserts
are not for you anymore.
So arch pain and, like medialankle, meaning the inside of
(04:42):
your ankle, that's usually thetwo triggers for knowing you're
wearing the wrong shoes andyou're not, or you're not
wearing orthotics, especially ifyou have flat feet.
Jeremy Wolf (04:53):
Got it.
Next question, dr Lauren whatis a bunion?
Everybody's heard bunion before, but I guess if I was pressed
to explain exactly what it is,I'd probably be clueless.
So tell us what exactly is abunion?
Lauren Dabakaroff (05:07):
All right.
So a bunion is a deformity ofyour joint.
Basically it's more visual.
This is a podcast, so we'rejust going to listen.
Basically it's more visual.
I don't, you know, this is apodcast, so we're just going to
listen.
Basically, it's when your bigtoe starts facing the outside of
your body and then the jointbehind it starts facing the
inside of your body.
(05:28):
So basically, you start gettinga bump on the inside of your
foot and then it gets bigger andbigger and bigger over the
years if you don't do anythingabout it, and then the bump can
get red.
You need to wear wider shoes,things like that.
It's a deformity, essentiallyAlso genetic.
(05:50):
Best way to prevent it isbunion splints at night, you
could easily purchase those onAmazon or you know online
splints at night.
You could easily purchase thoseon Amazon or you know online.
Basically, it trains the jointto stay in place when you go to
sleep.
And then the other thing that'sthe kicker is obviously the
custom orthotics or non-custombecause it aligns your foot with
(06:10):
your ankle and your leg andthat actually controls the
motion of your foot, preventsthe bunion from getting worse.
So that's what it is, but it isjust, it's a strictly, it's an
ugly deformity.
It's basically when your footand your toes are not aligned
and then you get this whole bonesticking out on the inside of
your foot.
Interesting, it's hard, it'shard to you need to visualize it
(06:34):
.
It's great, you can see it Like.
If I had an x-ray you'd be likeoh yeah, that is not a straight
foot.
Jeremy Wolf (06:42):
So I get these all the time.
Next question Ingrown toenails.
Right, and I find that normallythe way I fix it for me is I'll
end up getting a pedicure andthey'll put my feet and soak
them in water and they'll get inthere and do their thing and
fix it up, but I know that a lotof people don't go get
pedicures.
What are some good ways or somethings they can do to prevent
(07:06):
pedicures, ingrown toenails,from occurring in the first
place?
Lauren Dabakaroff (07:10):
So, first of all, don't go to the nail salon
to fix your ingrown toenail.
They actually make it worse.
(07:17):
And I'll tell you why?
Lauren Dabakaroff (07:19):
So what they're cleaning in the nail
salon is the dead skin that'sforming around the ingrown
toenail.
So they're not fixing theingrown toenail, they're just
relieving some pressure from theside.
Why are they making it worse?
Because when you clean it andclean it and clean it over and
over and over again, it actuallytrains the root of your nail to
(07:42):
grow more into that direction,creating a more ingrown toenail
over time.
It's just like when you I don'tknow when you shave your hair
grows into the direction thatyou cut it in.
So the root of the nail but I'mgoing to show you I don't know
if anyone can see, but if thisis my thumb right so the root of
the nail is back here, okay,and then that's where the nail
(08:03):
grows out of when they cut fromthe sides.
Basically it's just relieving alittle bit of pressure.
The root is still there andit's gonna just keep growing
into the corner and it's not funand it's painful.
And nail salons they can get itinfected.
If you don't have someone who'susing sterile equipment, you're
(08:23):
not being careful, but it'sonly going to give you temporary
relief and it's actually makingyour ingrown toenail worse.
So the best way to prevent themis to just let your nail grow
out and cut them straight across, and then that, over time, will
help train your nail to growstraight and if it doesn't get
better, there are both invasiveand non-invasive ways that I
(08:46):
have available in my office tofix your ingrown toenail.
That basically, you know,basically helps the nail grow
out straight and flat as a board.
Jeremy Wolf (08:56):
It's interesting See that you learn something new
every day.
Here I am thinking that I'mgoing to get my ingrown toenails
fixed when I get pedicures andI'm actually making it worse in
many cases.
So look at that, the more youknow.
Lauren Dabakaroff (09:11):
Yes, I'm a plethora of information today.
Yes.
Jeremy Wolf (09:15):
Q and a.
Indeed, so awesome, that wasgood.
Let's go ahead and wrap thisone up, unless there's anything
else that you wanted to sharebefore we bring this to a close.
Lauren Dabakaroff (09:28):
If you have any foot issues, you know where
to find me.
Jeremy Wolf (09:33):
Yeah, go, go, go check out Dr Dr Lauren she's.
She's doing great work overthere.
Like I said you, you've helpedme personally with some issues
I've had as I run a lot.
I started experiencing somepain in my feet and I went in
and you fixed me up real quick.
My stepmother came in.
You helped her tremendously.
So keep up all the good workyou're doing over there and
(09:55):
we'll catch everyone next timeon the next episode.
Everyone take care.
Have a great day, you too.
Bye.
(10:04):
Thank you for listening to the LMD Podiatry Podcast.
For more information, visitlmdpodiatrycom.
That's lmdpodiatrycom, or call954-680-7133.
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