It's your day off from Disney and you want to get a pedicure, DON'T!!!! The many hidden secrets of the salon can hurt you!!!!!

This is a topic we beat to death, but for good reason, even the most sensible and smart people I know continue to take the risk of  pedicures even though they know there is a chance they could walk out with an infection.  So this makes me think they really don't realize the risks, and how great the risks are. If today is your day off from working at Walt Disney World, read this before you decide on your next shade of polish!

 I can tell you anecdotes over the last 14 years of patients that have come into the office after a  pedicure with an infection that is bacterial or fungal.  I see at least 20 plus patients a week that present to the office with a fungal infection that is a direct result of a pedicure.(and we see a lot of Disney employees in our Clermont office)  I try to make the patient feel better knowing that at least they didn't get a bacterial infection that could have led to limb loss, but somehow this is not comforting to those who just want a pretty nail!  Our need to be beautiful sometimes precedes good common sense and judgement.   The picture to the right is of a fungal nail infection that was a direct result of a pedicure. This is what you put yourself at risk for if you are not asking the right questions at your nail salon. But this is not the worst case scenario of how bad your pedicure can affect your limb.  There are accounts that have been published where nail salon clients walk out unknowingly infected with a bacteria that eventually would lead to amputation or death! (Death By Pedicure, by Dr. Robert Spalding  Chattanooga Fu Fu Factory; 1st edition (August 19, 2006))

Getting a pedicure is sometimes considered a relaxing treat that helps us beautify ourselves at a fraction of the cost of what we spend on our hair.  But the reality is that most of us feel uneasy once we sit in that chair and contemplate the water in the tub below our feet. In a recent episode of Dr. Oz (who by the way gives my patients many terrible ideas for treating their problems, but in this case I agreed with him)he had a certified medical nail tech explain many of the dangers you can encounter in your standard nail salon. People choose the cheap nail salon for a pedicure but may be picking up a problem that could cost them thousands plus dollars to treat and may never get rid of it!

Below is a link to the Dr. Oz episode , where Dr. Oz and the certified medical nail technician go over the importance of sterilizing instruments that are used for a pedicures. They go over what you should be looking for in your pedicure salon. I recommend watching this clip when you are done with this blog. (warning you have to sit through a 15 second commercial you can't skip but after that it gets good)

http://www.doctoroz.com/article/what-you-need-know-about-your-nail-salon

From Michele McGowan on clipix.com (via doctoroz.com)

It always seems like a shameless plug when I mention that we have a technician that performs pedicures in our podiatry office for our patients. But the reality is, the only reason we have this service is because we are in the business of keeping feet healthy! So we developed services in our office that are for those who care about their feet as much as they care about their hair.  It is sad to to think that some people spend over $150 every 8 weeks for highlights and style for hair but then turn around and cheap out on their feet, which they need to walk on! It is totally true that the cheapest pedicure you can get in our office is an express $50 and our most expensive pedicure is our Therapeutic Spa Pedicure for $65. You are see by the doctor first and then have this service performed. What you get is the following The Safe Pedicure Experience:

1.  A sanitation protocol that is above and beyond our surrounding market.  All instruments are autoclaved. No dirty instruments are ever used on a client. Our nail technician uses universal precautions using disposable gloves for each client and she understands that the gloves are to protect not only her but also you!

2.  All buffers and files in our spa are disposable.  These items are single use and then hit the trash can!

3. Nail polish is not used from client to client.  In our spa, you pick your color and it goes home with you after the pedicure. Our nail polishes are specially formulated and are 3-free.  They do not contain harmful chemicals that can contribute to unnecessary damage to the nail.  There are many great colors to choose from!

 4. My favorite part is that it is private.  It is just you, in an environment that is safe and luxurious.  Our spa is pretty and relaxing.

Brooke understands that our spa is different then others and takes great pride in being part of something special.

5.  We also offer other services like the KeryFlex Nail restoration for deformed nails.  KeryFlex a is cosmetic treatment that can give you beautiful nails for up to 8 weeks. This procedure cost $150  and this is not a treatment for nail fungus, but for those who struggle with thick nails and just want to wear sandals for the summer this is an awesome treatment.

If you would like to make an appointment at our Clermont office, just outside of Disney World call us at 352-242-2502! Visit our website to learn more about our practice and all the other ways we can keep your feet happy while working at Disney! http://centeranklefootcare.com/

Also, if you have not listened to our podcast "Is your Pedicure Killing You?" I included the link for you below, it is informational and entertaining.

Remember to take care of your feet, you are only given two so treat them right! Standing all day at Disney day in and day out, treat your feet to something special!

Michele McGowan, DPM
Center for Ankle and Foot Care
Clermont, FL

centeranklefootcare.com

Working at Disney can be hard on your feet! Here's some suggestions for heel pain or plantar fasciitis!!

Plantar fasciitis or heel pain is a real bugger to have for anyone, but when you work at Disney standing on your feet all day it's 1000
times worse.  I speak from experience, not as a Disney Employee, but as an avid Disney Park goer, though I can relate because I worked at an amusement park in New Jersey when I was younger and my dogs ached daily!

After working and standing on your feet for months or years, it can happen, you get out of bed one morning and felt the very familiar stabbing pain on the bottom of your foot, known as plantar fasciitis. You can't believe that pain! The good news there are very simple ways to help you get relief quick, but you have to be able to follow instruction! Below I have wrote my steps down for heel pain sufferers who may be experiencing the same problem and would like some simple advice.  My one disclaimer is, if you do not know if you have plantar fasciitis, I would recommend seeing a foot doctor before you start a treatment program. There is a small possibility of a stress fracture in the heel bone.  At our office, The Center for Ankle and Foot Care we have same day appointments and take the Disney Employee health insurance, so don't be afraid to call us at
352-242-2502! Dr. Henne and Dr. McGowan are huge Disney fans and love helping our Disney Employees!


Step 1: Stretch
Your calf muscle is a big powerful muscle group of the lower extremity.  This is also a muscle group that does the majority of work when you are running or walking below the knee.  This muscle group plays a huge role in pro pulsing you forward with each step while you are running or walking.  These muscles need extra attention or they will let you know they are not happy with you.  I have included the perfectly illustrated stretching exercises you should be doing before and after running and maybe two other times a day.  Also, purchasing a night splint is a nice way to get  static extended stretch while you are resting, watching TV or sleeping.   Another great tool for a deeper stretch is using a Pro-stretch.

Step 2: Ice
Icing is really important to help calm down plantar fasciitis, especially when you are continuing to run.  I always say get a 20oz bottle of water and freeze it.  Roll it under your foot for 10 minutes 2 or three times a day.  Giving you a deep stretch and ice it a great natural anti-inflammatory. This is quick, easy & very worth it for the plantar fascia. Other devices are sold kit that can help you get a deep stretch and freeze a foam roller in a Thera-band kit.      

Step 3: No Barefoot and Good shoes
Going barefoot when you have plantar fasciitis is a killer.  I always tell patient they have to have something on your feet while you are walking around even in the house.  A great alternative is a spenco flip flop.  They have a little bit of a built in support in the arch.  Sneakers really are the gold standard to help you get better, as long as they are in good condition.  Sometimes you have to ditch your dress shoes for 4-6 weeks to give good supportive care. Many sneaker have built in support in the arch too. Asics are one of my favorite running shoes for support in the arch.  Just remember that the more miles you put on  a week the quicker you will need to replace your shoe, no matter how great they are, probably every 3-5 months.  Running 3-5 miles 4 times a week I replaced my sneakers after 2 months.  If you have new shoes and just feel like you need more support I would recommend superfeet, spenco or power step over the counter inserts. If you were to go see a podiatrist, they would most likely recommend one of these over the counter inserts.


If you are a runner and have plantar fasciitis, running is usually fine to continue but remember to STRETCH, ICE, & GOOD SUPPORT are the keys to keep you running and help you get better!

If you are a Disney Employee don't wear bad shoes like the guests do:)

So as a foot doctor, whenever I see someone walking around in terrible shoes at Disney World, the first thing I think is "I hope they live locally" followed by the thought that this is job security for a foot doctor!  The problem is that a bad pair of shoes can make the "Happiest Place on Earth"..... miserable!

Living just 23 miles from one of the biggest family tourist destinations in the world, we often frequent Disney ourselves.  Our little family of five have annual passes and having 3 children 10 and under, it is one of our favorite places to visit.  But being 2 married foot doctors, we can't help but notice the terrible foot gear that walks by while we are just sitting shoveling in the funnel cake!  So we decided to share with you pictures we took on the down low yesterday at EPCOT while enjoying the International Food & Wine Festival. 

It was not hard to see bad shoes and capture them on the camera phone while sitting eating Chinese Tacos, Patagonia Empanadas, Polish Kielbasa & Pierogies, popcorn and many more treats but I am still in denial about how much we actually ate yesterday! I only wish we would have thought about doing this the night before when we went to the Magic Kingdom and Mickey's not So Scary Halloween Party, because I remember seeing some people in high heels!

I think it is amazing, in general, when people go on vacation with the mentality that they are invincible and that bad things can not happen to them.  I mean we all do it, we go on a cruise sign up for an excursion to whale watch on a ship cruising right next to huge whale but the ship is 1/2 the size of the whale.  Maybe that seems like a bigger risk than wearing bad shoes to Disney but the amount of times people are hurt by the whales swimming next to their tiny whale watching ship is really, really small.  The amount of people that have foot pain after wearing bad shoes walking around Disney all day is most likely close to 100%. 

Hopefully, you can use our "Do's and Don'ts" for appropriate shoe gear while visiting the many tourist attractions in the Central Florida location.  You can even write down our office phone number so if you have foot pain while visiting Disney you can come see us in our Clermont Florida office:) I try to remind people all the time that foot pain is not normal, so if your feet hurt, you are most likely doing something wrong!

Gladiator Lady

First shoe, "No, No" at Disney walking around has to be the ladies who think they should be in that Gladiator movie 300, I think it was called.  I can guarantee you that this lady will have the sorest feet the next day after walking around.  There is just too much wrong with this shoe for her not to have foot pain.  Let's work from the back to forward.  The awkwardly high material hugging her Achilles' tendon area in an unnatural way that will only result in her getting a nice blister due to the very unforgiving nature of the material of this shoe.  Then the straps in front of the ankle will definitely be causing her some irritation in the front of the ankle and this material extends on the top of the foot and the toes! NO GOOD can come from this type of shoe!  But I left the best for last, the arch, much like her gladiator ancestors the material on the bottom of this shoe looks like a thick leaf meant to try to protect her foot from ants.

Two bad shoes in one picture! (Bonus)

Two of my least favorite shoe types that are unavoidable living in Florida to see out and about is the flip flop and the ballerina slipper shoe.  Now each of these shoes are fine to slip on and run into CVS for some cough drops, but come on! Wearing shoes like this in a place like Disney World is just asking for trouble and here is why.  Both of these types of shoes are so flat and offer absolutely no support.  If you are walking around on concrete all day, this is not a great choice in either of these shoes.  The distance around the World Showcase from China to Canada alone is 1.25 miles, that does not include the distance to get into the park from the parking lot or the walk from your car to the front gate!  I think if you were to really stop and think about walking probably about 3 miles you would not grab these types of shoes. You would think sneakers!! The ballerina shoes also have the added bonus of getting very, very, very stinky in the hot Florida sun. You basically are incubating something in this type of shoe in Florida!

And The Top Three Worst Shoes at Disney are........

To the left you will see the picture my 8 year old made me take while we stopped and had Kakigori in Japan at EPCOT. (Kakigori is shaved flavored ice that is awesome by the way!) She said, "Mommy this lady's feet are perfect for your blog. Check out how her toe is just hanging off the shoe. I bet she is sitting down because her pinky toe hurts!"  Again, she is 8 and states she would never wear those shoes, pointing out the obvious flaws and downfalls of the shoe, particularly for this lady's foot type! I concur with the 8 year old.

1. 
   

I call this one, "lady wearing super uncomfortable shoes at Disney."  It works, right! So as we were enjoying our Chinese Tacos(that is also a real thing and also the most delicious food ever) we saw this nice lady.  Her shoes must have been so comfortable that she felt the need to try to escape them. People again, COME ON, do not wear shoes like this to an amusement park. Your feet are going to hurt! This women is literally trying to escape her shoes.  Don't be like this lady, this is a major Disney Foul!

 But there can be only one winner! Here is the ultimate winner according to our 3, 8 and 10 year old female children.  The lady with the, "my shoes are so bad I had to start to take them off because they are killing my feet".  I will say that Dr. Henne and I missed several opportunities to take pictures of the people with band aides on all toes wearing their terrible shoes(we were eating like monsters), but this lady was my favorite. She was near Germany in EPCOT which means she was at the midway point of the World Show Case before she gave up on these shoes! Don't be this lady, WEAR SNEAKERS!!!!!

So the take home message here is listen to 3, 8 and 10 year old girls: WEAR SNEAKERS WHEN GOING TO DISNEY!!!!!!! Think about how much you spend when you go to Disney, that in itself is painful enough.  If you want to have an amazing Disney Day, then good sneakers are a must. Sandals, flip flops, ballerina slippers, boat shoes....the list goes on and on for bad shoes, but sneakers are a home run.

We hope you enjoy your next trip to Disney World, but if you experience any problems with your feet, remember our Clermont office is only 23 miles from Disney.  Feel free to check out our website and explore all the different type of problems your shoes can cause at: http://centeranklefootcare.com/