Month: March 2020

Protect Your Feet During Home Workouts

Posted by drjills on in Achilles Tendonitis, Bunion, Hammer Toe, Heel, Toe0 Comment

At Dr. Jill’s Foot Pads, we know that across the country people are self-isolating in their homes due to the Coronavirus. Many people, however, are determined to continue with some form of regular exercise and this is a good idea. The benefits of exercise to your feet and the rest of your body are multiple:

  • Improving circulation
  • Maintaining flexibility and range of motion
  • Lower your risk of heart disease and hypertension
  • Reducing stress
  • Help maintain a healthy weight
  • Lowering cholesterol and blood sugar

Not Your Usual Exercise Routine

Without being able to visit the gym, play a team sport or even go to the store to buy new exercise equipment, staying fit requires some creativity. Fortunately, there are ways to continue to work out indoors. Consider some of these possibilities:

  • Just dance! Energetic dancing burns lots of calories and it releases feel-good endorphins as well. Dig out your old Dance Party game DVDs or just put on a favorite CD or station and get moving. This is a good activity to do with children as well. Mix it up with some freeze dancing and different family members taking turns at being DJ.
  • Use your media. There are an endless number of apps, YouTube videos and even TV exercise shows through which you can find a wide variety of different exercise programs. Whether you want to strength train, burn calories and lose weight or work on specific muscle groups, it’s all there. You may actually discover a new routine or two that you’ll want to continue even after isolation is over.
  • Set up an indoor exercise circuit. Use several rooms if necessary but set up stations for crunches, push-ups, etc. Use the hallway for lunges and the stairs for stepping. Need weights? Try soup cans or various size water bottles or milk jugs.

Keep Feet Safe

Indoors or out, follow appropriate precautions for your feet:

Remember with any new fitness activity, if your feet hurt, stop and contact your Podiatrist for directions. We offer products for all type of foot problems. To see our complete selection, view our online catalog. All products can be easily ordered online or contact us at (866) FOOT-PAD (366-8723).

Taking Care of Deformed Toes Before Summer Shoe Season

Posted by drjills on in Bunion, Callus, Corns, Hammer Toe, Toe0 Comment

At Dr. Jill’s Foot Pads, we know that it can be easy to ignore unsightly toe deformities such as bunions, hammertoes or crooked toes during the winter months when feet are pretty much kept out of sight. As summer approaches, however, and open-toe shoe styles start to hit the stores, many patients begin to consider how to correct a deformed toe. Fashion shouldn’t be your top concern, however. In many cases toe deformities can become painfully disabling, making it difficult to stand, walk and perform other daily tasks.

The first step toward correcting unsightly toes is by making an appointment with the Podiatrist. A foot doctor will perform a complete examination of your toes and feet, get a medical history, perform any necessary testing and then diagnose the cause of your deformity. A wide range of treatment options are available both conservative and surgical and the Podiatrist will determine the best course of action based on your individual case.

At Dr. Jill’s Foot Pads, we offer a number of products that can help with a variety of toe deformities. For toes that are crooked or overlapping try our Gel Buddy Splint. Choose small, medium or large, depending on which toes are affected. Our Bunion Night Splint will properly align the big toe and reduce bunion pressure while stretching muscles and tendons. If your Podiatrist performs a surgical correction of your bunion, the splint may be recommended for use after the surgical dressing is removed. Hammertoes can cause multiple difficulties. The downward bend of the toe or toes affected can make walking quite painful. A hammertoe can also result in excessive pressure and friction from footwear to the top or tip of the bent toe leading to corns and calluses. Our Gel Hammer Toe Cushions with Adjustable Crest Pad help with all aspects of this deformity. Relieving pressure and pain on the tips of the toes it also helps lift and straighten bent toes.

Now is the time to deal with toe deformities. To see our full line of podiatric products for toe deformities and other foot problems, go to on our online catalog. All items are easily ordered online, and we offer free shipping on orders of $25 or more. Contact us by calling: (866) FOOT-PAD (366-8723).

Virus Protection Important for Your Feet

Posted by drjills on in toenail0 Comment

Seems like everywhere you turn there’s more information about the Corona Virus. At Dr. Jill’s Foot Pads, we hope everyone is staying healthy but think this is a good opportunity to stress the importance of virus protection for your feet. Many common foot problems such as warts, athlete’s foot and fungal toenails are transmitted by a virus or fungi. There are some simple steps you can take to help prevent infections in your feet. These include:

  • Keep feet covered. This is particularly important in public places such as town pools, nail salons and gyms where people tend to be barefoot. Foot infections are passed on by direct contact. Wearing shower shoes or flip flops will protect your feet.
  • Don’t share. Do not use someone else’s emery board, nail clippers, socks, shoes, towel or any other item that touches their feet.
  • Stay dry. Many infections tend to develop and thrive in damp conditions. If you notice your socks feel damp, change them. Be sure to completely dry your feet after showering—particularly between your toes. Use a foot powder if your feet tend to sweat excessively.

Fungal Toenails

Symptoms of a fungal toenail are discoloration, thickening of the nail and chipping or crumbling at the edges. Don’t ignore these signs. Left untreated, a fungal toenail can become painful. If you have reached this stage, we can offer relief from the pain while you get treatment. If your toe is hurting, we recommend our All Gel Toe Cap and our Gel and Fabric Toe Cap. Both of these products can ease the discomfort of toe pain and also protect your sore toe from impact and friction. These products are also useful if you have an ingrown toenail.

In addition to helping with painful toe conditions, we also offer products for crooked toes and hammer toes. To see our full line of podiatric products, go to on our online catalog. All items are easily ordered online, and we offer free shipping on orders of $25 or more. Contact us by calling: (866) FOOT-PAD (366-8723).

Spring Fever Can Lead to Achilles Injuries

Posted by drjills on in Achilles Tendonitis, arch, Heel0 Comment

At Dr. Jill’s Foot Pads, we know that when Spring arrives many people find new motivation to get outside and exercise. This is particularly true if you live in a part of the country where cold weather and icy, slippery conditions have kept you confined to home for the winter months. While increasing physical activity is a good thing, it can be harmful to your lower extremities if you don’t undertake a new exercise regimen properly. One area that Podiatrists frequently treat for injuries in relation to sports and fitness activities is the Achilles tendon.

Your Achilles tendon is a long, strong band of tissue that runs along the back of your lower leg, connecting the calf muscle to the heel bone. It is also known as the heel cord. It helps raise your heel off the ground. A sudden increase in physical activity, however, can result in inflammation and injury to the Achilles tendon. Too much stress applied too quickly to the tendon results in micro tears and pain. In addition, patients with excessive pronation or flat feet are at a higher risk for Achilles issues.

Tips to Alleviating Achilles Pain

We offer several products that can help with Achilles problems. Our Achilles Heel Sleeve is designed to relieve sore, fatigued or injured Achilles tendons. Soft gel pads protect the Achilles tendon area at the back of the heel from friction while simultaneously compressing and reducing pressure around sore areas. Our Adjustable Heel Lifts can also help. These consist of three layers of resilient rubber that are tapered for comfort. One or two layers can be peeled off to adjust to perfect heel height. If flat feet are the source of your Achilles discomfort you may want to try our Arch Steppers. Other ways to decrease the likelihood of Achilles problems include:

  • Starting up a new workout routine slowly and gradually increasing intensity and duration
  • Working out consistently–“weekend warriors” who are inactive Monday to Friday tend to have a higher risk for Achilles injuries
  • Always warm up properly before exercise and be sure to stretch your calf muscles

We have many products that can help you exercise safely and effectively. You can see all of our products on our online catalog. All items are easily ordered online, and we offer free shipping on orders of $25 or more. Contact us by calling: (866) FOOT-PAD (366-8723).

March Madness Highlights Basketball Injuries

Posted by drjills on in plantar fasciitis, Turf Toe0 Comment

It’s almost time for March Madness and at Dr. Jill’s Foot Pads we know many people are looking forward to this exciting basketball event. Viewers may also see a wide variety of foot and ankle injuries occurring on the court. Basketball, like all sports, makes unique demands on your feet and can result in several different kinds of foot and ankle trouble.

Cushion the Blow

When you think of basketball you think of players pounding up and down the court. This repetitive impact puts a lot of pressure on the ball of your foot and heels.

Plantar fasciitis—an inflammation of the plantar fascia which runs along the bottom of your foot—is a common and chronic problem for many players that causes heel and arch pain. Correcting technique and wearing basketball sneakers with better arch support can help. So can using our Plantar Fasciitis Arch Sleeve or our Moleskin Plantar Fascial Straps.

Metatarsalgia and Sesamoiditis—these are conditions that are brought about by excess pounding on the ball of the foot and the metatarsals. Stress fractures are also not uncommon. Protecting the vulnerable areas are key. Our Gel Dancer’s Pad allows you to shift weight away from sore metatarsals and cushions the ball of the foot. Superior protection can also be provided by our Flat Gel Metatarsal Strap Cushion.

Twists and Turns and Sudden Stops

In addition to constant pounding, your feet have to make a lot of sudden stops and starts and changes of direction as well as pushing off to shoot and score consistently. This increases the risk of turf toe, a sprain of the big toe. Our Carbon Stabilizer Plates can reduce the risk for this disorder. Another helpful product is our Turf Toe/Bunion Strap.

Ankle sprains and Achilles tendon problems are also common among basketball players. Injuries to these areas requires proper rest, exercises and full rehabilitation in order to prevent them from sidelining a player. We recommend our Achilles Heel Sleeve and our Gel Malleolar Sleeve to help in these areas.

No matter what your favorite sport is, we have products that can protect your feet. You can see all of our products on our online catalog. All items are easily ordered online, and we offer free shipping on orders of $25 or more. Contact us by calling: (866) FOOT-PAD (366-8723).