Blog Archive

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered dramatic changes throughout everyday life — and in the medical community as well. Not only are providers across the country postponing elective procedures, but many are also encouraging people to avoid in-office appointments to reduce their risk of exposure to this highly contagious coronavirus.But what...

Your body goes through tremendous changes during pregnancy to accommodate the development of your baby. From conception to delivery, your hormones will take you on an emotional ride and a physical transformation. Your musculoskeletal system will change in many ways, and some of them might be permanent.  Although most people...

One of the joys of summer is the freedom to give our feet a breath of fresh air. Long walks along the lake, flip flops in the park, and lots of time at the pool come with the season. But along with those summer rituals comes the hazard of unprotected...

Arthritis can attack any of your joints, even in your feet. When your feet are stiff and painful, walking and standing can feel like a chore. To avoid the discomfort, you naturally stay off your feet and may risk slipping into a sedentary lifestyle — which is the worst thing...

Your foot is a complex network of muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, and joints all working together to keep you upright and mobile. When it’s injured or infected, it can literally stop you in your tracks. But the term foot pain covers a lot of ground. Depending on where it’s located,...

We’ve all been there. Running down the field, or perhaps just walking down the street — you hit an uneven patch of ground and turn an ankle. If you’re lucky, you don’t injure yourself and can keep going, but you might also end up with ankle pain that gets in...

Stabbing heel pain when you first step out of bed in the morning or after you’ve been sitting for a long time is a telltale sign of life with plantar fasciitis, a common foot disorder. You may have never even heard of the plantar fascia — the long, thick ligament...

Have you suffered from an ankle injury lately — particularly to your Achilles tendon? Are you afraid of resuming your normal activities, for fear of injuring yourself again? It’s always good to be cautious, but you can learn for sure whether or not you’re ready if you have your injury...

You’ve probably seen shoe inserts for sale at your local pharmacy and they may have even been labeled “orthotics.” However, there are important differences, including the fact that orthotics are custom-designed to help correct your specific issues. Although orthotic devices are frequently used to correct problems with your feet, they...

Have you had a sudden attack of severe pain in your big toe? Or maybe you've woken up in the middle of the night feeling like your toe is on fire? If so, you may be suffering from gout. Here at Kazmer Foot & Ankle Centers in Elgin and Barrington,...

Arthritis happens when one or more joints become swollen, resulting in pain, stiffness and a decrease in movement and motion. Because your foot contains over 30 joints, this part of your body can be severely impacted by arthritis. This condition can affect the way you walk and limit your ability...

Ankle sprains are a common injury, especially among older people and people who are physically active. Sprains occur when one of your ligaments is stretched beyond its normal capacity, leaving you with pain, swelling, and sometimes other symptoms, like bruising or discoloration. Sprains often occur when you step “wrong” and...

When most of us think of sore or aching feet, we think of the foot pain we experience as adults. It’s true, heel pain is a common medical complaint for women and men, but what’s also true is that a surprising number of kids can have foot pain, too —...

Foot pain is a common complaint, and without treatment, chronic and acute symptoms can have a big impact on your regular routine, making it a lot more difficult — and uncomfortable — to do many of your regular activities. Even something as simple as walking or climbing stairs can become...

If you're feeling persistent pain located in the ball of your foot and it feels like you're walking on a marble, you could have Morton's neuroma and could benefit from coming in to see our leading Chicagoland podiatrist, Dr. Gary M. Kazmer, DPM at Kazmer Foot & Ankle Centers. What...

The Achilles tendon, the largest tendon in your body, connects the muscles of your calf to your heel bone. You count on this tendon whenever you walk, run, jump, climb stairs or stand on your tiptoes to reach that top shelf. Achilles tendinitis is a common condition that develops when...

Some 20% of people who see a doctor for foot issues are dealing with an ingrown toenail, according to federal statistics. An ingrown toenail can be annoying, painful and a nuisance you simply want to be rid of, but in most cases it’s a harmless condition that can be treated...

You might have seen platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy making the headlines. That’s because it’s a favorite treatment among elite athletes who need help recovering from an injury. Platelets in your blood contain many proteins that are called growth factors. These growth factors are important in healing injuries. But how can...

If you suffer from foot or heel pain, you’re not alone. According to the APMA (American Podiatric Medical Association) in a study done in 2014, nearly 80% of adults over the age of 18 across the country reported that they had suffered from foot pain at some point. Of these,...

Heel spurs can cause quite a bit of pain, especially when you’re walking or jogging. The pain that you experience comes from the heel spur — a calcium deposit that builds up over time — injuring the soft tissue that surrounds it. Some patients describe the sensation as someone stabbing...

Have the joints on one or both of your big toes started turning outward? Are they swollen and painful to walk on? It could be you’ve developed bunions, which should be seen by a doctor. Dr. Gary M. Kazmer provides services to residents in need of a podiatrist in Chicago, IL as well as...

Pediatric foot problems aren’t uncommon. In fact podiatrists are seeing more and more children for issues ranging from ingrown toenails to more serious conditions, such as those that affect the development and growth of a child’s feet. Foot pain in children should never be ignored. Caught early, many of the...

Foot pain can ruin your day. The constant aching and burning of plantar fasciitis, throbbing leg pain caused by flat feet or fallen arches, diabetic neuropathy, and the inflammation of arthritis are just a few of the reasons people experience foot pain. And many of those with foot pain curtail...

Unless you’re getting a pedicure, you probably don’t give your feet a lot of thought. They’re way over at the opposite end of your body from your brain, and they kind of do their thing without a lot of instruction or worry.But feet are complex structures. Each of your feet...

When you have foot pain, it doesn’t matter if it’s from a stress fracture or arthritis, it still disrupts your life and makes it difficult to get around. Until recently, the only option for chronic foot pain was to suffer through invasive surgeries that may or may not fix the...

Your parents knew your feet would grow as you got taller, which is why they took you back to the shoe store year after year for new shoes, sandals, or sneakers. Once you reached your teens, though, you figured your feet had found their shape and you were locked into...

More than eight million Americans live with gout, the most common form of inflammatory arthritis. While women do get it, men are much more likely to develop the condition. Gout occurs when uric acid, a waste product created from the breakdown of purines in food, builds up in your joints....

A hammertoe is one of the more appropriately named conditions of your feet, given the condition’s ability to turn your straight toe into a crooked, hammer-like appendage. While a hammertoe isn’t medically unsafe, its effects can run deeper than cosmetic concerns, often leading to painful corns and calluses. Not to...

Heel pain also known as plantar fasciitis manifest in the heel and can be extreme at times. The actual cause of the pain is the fibers of the plantar fascia pulling at the insertion on the heel bone. This pulling at the insertion of the heel bone causes inflammation and...

I find in my practice an overuse of oral antibiotics with respect to clearing infections of ingrown toenails.  This is a not needed when a patient has a routine nail infection.  In my 26 years of practice, I can count on 1 hand how many times I have written for...

Morton’s neuromas are a very common problem seen in my office on a daily basis. They can be easily diagnosed with a complete physical exam and a routine in office ultrasound. More extensive diagnostic tools are rarely needed. Surgical intervention is rare in my office.  The multifaceted treatment plan includes 1...

I routinely see patients after continued pain after a simple ankle sprain. They will present usually after 8 weeks of conservative treatment with continued pain.Several areas need to be addressed:Talar dome lesions. This is an injury to the ankle mortise area that can sometimes only be diagnosed with an MRI.Fracture...