As a foot care specialist, I tend to relate almost all things to podiatry- ask my husband, he can vouch as to how I somehow bring ‘feet’ into our everyday conversations.  Thanksgiving is no exception to my ‘obsession’.  Those who do not deal with feet all day every day may not realize what Thanksgiving has to do with your feet.  No worries, I have done this for you!

Busiest Travel Season- Even movies have illustrated how Thanksgiving is one of the, if the THE busiest travel times of the year.  If you suffer from heel pain, remember this tip when traveling: take frequent breaks to walk and stretch your toes up to your nose.  This prevents the plantar fascia from tightening up, which causes pain.  Night splints also work to stretch out the plantar fascia, even while traveling.  You can also bring your foot roller in the car, or on the plane or train to massage away that foot pain!

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade- On November 27, 1924, the first Macy’s Christmas Parade (now called the Thanksgiving Day Parade) stepped off from Convent Avenue and 145th Street in New York City.  Besides hosting the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, New York is also one of the 8 states that homes one of the 9 podiatry colleges in the U.S.- the New York College of Podiatric Medicine. 

Black Friday- I can’t talk about Thanksgiving without mentioning one of my favorite holidays: Black Friday! Black Friday, possibly the largest shopping day of the year, hosts multiple injuries, especially to the feet.  Just last year HFAA had 1 emergency come in after a Black Friday shopping accident, and multiple foot pain complaints on Saturday after everyone’s shopping extravaganza the day before.  My Black Friday crew mans up by wearing Aetrex copper sole socks to keep our feet warm, and PowerStep inserts or custom orthotics to outlast, out run, and out shop our competitor shoppers. 

Football- Football is an all American sport, and families across the country watch this sport while enjoying a feast on Thanksgiving Day.  If you just glance at our blog you will see that football is FILLED with foot and ankle injuries! 

Turkey- The ‘icon’ of Thanksgiving is the turkey.  Children learn how to draw a turkey from the outline of their hand.  Well did you know that a turkey only has 4 ‘toes’ while we humans usually have 5?  If a person has extra digits that condition is called ‘polydactyly’.  Each toe bone, or digit, has 3 separate bones, the phalanges.  The one exception is the hallux, or big toe, which only has 2 phalanges.  

Give thanks to no foot pain!- Anyone who has been a patient in this office knows how painful foot aches can be!  When your foot hurts, everything hurts.  So this Thanksgiving make sure you give thanks to no foot pain!

I’ll admit it- I enjoy fashion and keeping up with the latest trends (what girl doesn’t?!). My newest “obsession” is painting my fingernails. I have always polished my toenails in the spring and summer, but recently I have taken to keeping my fingernails pretty also. I like that polished fingernails can be seen year round, unlike your tootsies which are packed away in closed toed shoes in the winter. This past summer my “go to” nail color was electric pink, but in the fall I like to do more neutral and darker shades. Last winter my favorite color was a charcoal gray.

A few weeks ago I was watching a fashion segment on the Today show and was informed by Ann Curry that the hot polish color for this fall was navy blue.  Besides being pleased that I was aware of a hip new trend before all my friends knew about it, I was SUPER excited because Dr.’s Remedy enriched nail polish just came out with Noble Navy- a sea-at-dusk shade that reflects light and brings dimension to tips and toes alike- a.k.a. NAVY BLUE, this fall’s hot color!

As the self-acclaimed fashionista that I am, I didn’t want to sport just 1 polish shade all winter.  I love my old faithful charcoal grey, but it was NOT a Dr.’s Remedy polish, so it contained a bunch of  nasty chemicals that could harm my skin, nails, and even my health.  Lucky for me, Dr.’s Remedy had my NEW favorite shade- Healing Heather Grey. This seductive pewter shade has even more dimension and shine than my old charcoal grey, so I was more than happy with the change. 

I have begun transitioning ALL of my favorite colors to Dr.’s Remedy polish.  I’m excited to announce that along with my old favorites like Purity Pink, Blissful Bronze, and Peaceful Pink Coral, Dr.’s Remedy has a new holiday line filled with seasonal shades to enchant, inspire, and ignite.  They have managed to bottle up holiday cheer with 5 shades that are rich, riveting, and radiant.   

The JOLLY & JOY collection of Enriched Nail Polish includes:
REVIVE Ruby Red: A shimmer-infused, Wizard of Oz-inspired shade of crimson.
SERENE Silver Glitter: A seasonal sizzler like no other; shine, chic, totally unique in
the metallic scene.
RESOLUTION Red Glitter: A red-meets-copper spin that's sequin-look-alike laden
with high-shine and sparkle.
ESSENTIAL Emerald: A take on the classic tree-and-plant-inspired gem of a shade,
with delicate glimmer and unparalleled amounts of glamour.
PASSION Purple: A bombshell-boysenberry with subtle silver meshed throughout.

So Dr.’s Remedy Enriched Nail polish now has me covered for every season throughout the year!  Stop by Heartland Foot and Ankle today to pick up some holiday cheer that is GOOD for you!

During the time I spend chatting with patients I have found that many people don't realize that podiatry schooling is a completely separate college compared to an allopathic or osteopathic (MD or DO) medical school program. Podiatry school is similar to dentistry or optometry in the sense that your education starts almost immediately in your specialty field rather than getting a general medical education and specializing later in your education.

When I started podiatry school at Des Moines University one of my first classes was Introduction to podiatric medicine where I learned the history and basic terminology of podiatry. That first year I also took basic science and medical classes such as gross anatomy, human physiology, microbiology and physical diagnosis. During my 2nd year I took classes such as clinical podiatric medicine, trauma and biomechanics and surgery. I also started shadowing clinicians in our podiatry clinic on campus. The 3rd year was busy as I saw patients in the DMU Foot and Ankle clinic and at some local clinics.  Also during 3rd year I had extensive problem based learning sessions to work through typical patient and surgical scenarios that I would likely encounter in my career.

The fourth and final year of school, I was really able to spread my wings and get out into the podiatry world. I did clinical rotations at hospitals all across the country. During this year I spent 4 weeks at a time at different programs working with many doctors, learning how and how not to run a practice, manage patients, and work with other specialties. During this time I also was able to participate in many podiatric surgeries. In addition to the heavy workload of classes and clinic work, I also prepared to take the American Podiatric Medical Licensing Exams.

This is a 3 part exam that one must pass in order to get licensed to practice podiatry. Part I is typically taken after your 2nd year in school, part II during your 4th year, and part III during your first year of residency. After graduation from podiatry school, graduates continue onto a podiatric surgical residency in an accredited hospital. This experience entails 3 years of extensive surgical training and hospital patient management.

Prior to entering residency some new graduates will do a private practice ‘preceptorship’.  This is where they spend a year learning the ‘ins and outs’ of all that takes place in podiatry practice- like I’m doing now!  After the preceptorship they will then enter a surgical residency. Once finished with residency we have completed our podiatric education and are prepared to go out on our own into whatever aspect of podiatry we choose-  multispecialty, hospital group, an associate, or open our own private practice. 

If you have any questions about the podiatric field or D.P.M. credentials please feel free to contact me at drpyle@heartlandfootandankle.com.