The Agony of Da Feet - Assessing Foot and Ankle Pain and Injury

Guest: Daniel B. Ryssman, M.D.

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D. (@ChutkaMD)

Generally, we take our feet for granted. It’s not unusual for a person to take 8- to 10-thousand steps per day. That translates to over 115,000 miles in a lifetime. By the time we reach 70 years old, the average person will have walked the equivalent of 4 times around the globe. Yet, we stop taking our feet for granted when they hurt, and it’s estimated that 75% of Americans will experience foot problems of varying degrees of severity during their lifetime. In this podcast, we’ll discuss foot and ankle pain with Daniel Ryssman, M.D., an orthopedist and sports medicine physician from Mayo Clinic. We’ll review some of the common injuries to the ankle such as sprains and fractures as well as common chronic conditions of the foot such as plantar fasciitis and bunions. Dr. Ryssman delves into the best ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat these conditions as well as what, if any, imaging to order.

Specific topics discussed:

• Ankle sprains
• Ankle fractures
• Achilles’ tendon rupture
• Plantar fasciitis
• Bunions
• Metatarsalgia

Connect with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Continuous Professional Development online at https://ce.mayo.edu/ or on Twitter @MayoMedEd.