Dr. Michael Kowalski, DPM

When ankle surgery is performed you will most likely be in some type of a short leg cast or cam-walker boot immediately after surgery.  the time in that boot depends on the procedure performed, and once the boot is removed some type of ankle brace or support is often used to further your healing during your period of physical therapy or recovery.  My patients have found that wearing a soft brace for the initial period after the immobilization of a boot or cast gives them added confidence to start back into activity.

Local anesthesia can be used for some ankle procedures. It depends on the procedure being performed. Sometimes local anesthesia is used in combination with sedation, that way you are asleep, and your ankle is anesthetized.

This can be several different issues. It can be something like the gout, to a case of tendonitis. I would recommend that he see a podiatrist for further evaluation.

That is a very broad question. The simplest answer is that it depends on who you are, and why you might need the surgery. If you are a high level competitive athlete you may go into surgery much sooner than a casual athlete or someone who is only somewhat on their feet. The rule of thumb for non professional athletes is to do surgery when conservative care has been exhausted, and the issue holds you back from your normal everyday activities.

Orthopedic surgeons do treat ankle sprains, as do podiatrists.

Your pain can be caused by several reasons and with out seeing your foot it is hard to be very accurate, but a good ballpark estimation is that you may have a bit of equinus, often caused by a tight calf muscle. If this combines with a high arch the sharp pain that you are experiencing is very likely. For starts I'd look up some calf and hamstring stretches on the internet, often stretching your muscles will help your foot to function more efficiently. Your weight plays a part here for sure, every pound you loose will be a pound less that your feet have to carry, so any exercise and weight loss will help your situation. If you are walking for exercise, you can slow your pace a little until you get those muscles stretched and see how that helps.

I hope this information is a good start for you,

Dr. Michael Kowalski

Chances are that the odor you are experiencing is more from excessive sweating rather than an infection. Typical fungal infections, Athlete's Foot, do not usually present with odor.

The greatest factor in removing odor is to create a dry enviornment, the bacteria that typically create odor come from a moist enviornment, and our shoes are just that.

I have had great success with patients using an antiperspitant, such as Certain Dry (available over the counter) on their feet daily, combined with some powder in your shoes and the use of cotton or silk socks, and if necessary changing your socks half way through your day to reduce moisture to help. If you try these steps and it doesnt change things then I recommend an visit to your doctor for a prescription for a topical antibiotic solution, such as gentamyacin to be added to your regimen. More times than not the antiperspirant and measures to dry the enviornment do the trick.

Another thing to help is to run your sneakers through a cycle in the washing machine and to leave other non washable shoes outside your closet and in a well ventilated room for 24 hours after wearing.

This should be a good stepping off point for you, give it a week or two and you should see improvement.

Take care,

Dr. Michael Kowalski