Case Studies

This 29 years old mother have been affected with a sore, on and off, ingrown toenail on her left big toe for years. See the picture BEFORE AND AFTER

Because her calloused nailfolds were pushing up against both nail sides, the nail got finally detached from the toe. This broke away the natural barrier at the distal end of the nail. Then the fungal micro-organisms got right into the open spaces under each side of her discolored and yellowish nail.

An ingrown toe nail procedure had been performed conservatively enough to preserve the natural outline of her left big toenail and the look of her feet. The immune system of this young lady was strong enough to push away the disfiguring fungal nail infection.

Here is the final picture showing how the appearance of her foot, toe and nail had been nicely preserved. At Ottawa Foot Clinic, we take pride in providing you such good looking and fungus-free end-results!

See the picture BEFORE AND AFTER

Our young athlete patient, Peter, 14, has had pain in his Achilles tendon for over two years.  He plays competitive soccer and other sports; the constant pain held him back from performing at his peak.  It has been very frustrating for this active young man. To try and alleviate the pain, his mother tried physiotherapy, massage, ice/rest and stretching prior to all of Peter’s games. To their dismay, there was no improvement whatsoever.

The parents  consulted with Ottawa Foot Clinic to get a second opinion. At that time, Peter was somewhat limping and reported a pain intensity level at 7/10. His Achilles tendons were slightly swollen, red, inflamed and sore on palpation right at their insertion level at the back of both heels. Clinical and radiological foot exams showed signs of overpronation, the presence of calcaneal growth plates and tight calf muscles altogether overloading his Achilles tendons bony insertions along with their underlying growth plates. With such a case history, clinical and X-ray signs, no doubt Peter was suffering from a severe calcaneal apophysitis or Sever’s disease condition. We took impression of his feet to provide him with custom-made orthotic devices designed to reduce the excessive pull in his Achilles during the game. We also treated Peter with a series of 4 weekly laser treatments to alleviate pain and promote faster healing and stronger repair of his inflamed and tender calcaneal tendons and underlying fragilized growth plates.

At the end of his very first laser treatment, Peter was amazed! He noticed a significant pain reduction from 7/10 down to 3/10. And, no more limping! Mother and son were really happy and thankful for the great results obtained so fast!  It’s all about getting our patients out of pain fast so they can get back to their normal lives and all the fun activities they enjoy!

Our young athlete patient, Peter, 14, has had pain in his Achilles tendon for over two years.  He plays competitive soccer and other sports; the constant pain held him back from performing at his peak.  It has been very frustrating for this active young man. To try and alleviate the pain, his mother tried physiotherapy, massage, ice/rest and stretching prior to all of Peter’s games. To their dismay, there was no improvement whatsoever.

The parents  consulted with Ottawa Foot Clinic to get a second opinion. At that time, Peter was somewhat limping and reported a pain intensity level at 7/10. His Achilles tendons were slightly swollen, red, inflamed and sore on palpation right at their insertion level at the back of both heels. Clinical and radiological foot exams showed signs of overpronation, the presence of calcaneal growth plates and tight calf muscles altogether overloading his Achilles tendons bony insertions along with their underlying growth plates. With such a case history, clinical and X-ray signs, no doubt Peter was suffering from a severe calcaneal apophysitis or Sever’s disease condition. We took impression of his feet to provide him with custom-made orthotic devices designed to reduce the excessive pull in his Achilles during the game. We also treated Peter with a series of 4 weekly laser treatments to alleviate pain and promote faster healing and stronger repair of his inflamed and tender calcaneal tendons and underlying fragilized growth plates.

At the end of his very first laser treatment, Peter was amazed! He noticed a significant pain reduction from 7/10 down to 3/10. And, no more limping! Mother and son were really happy and thankful for the great results obtained so fast!  It’s all about getting our patients out of pain fast so they can get back to their normal lives and all the fun activities they enjoy!

Our patient, Jack, had suffered with several serious foot problems for many years by the time he consulted Ottawa Foot Clinic.

Not only were his heavily calloused feet and toenails severely infected with fungus, the thick skin on both heels had deep cracks which had become open wounds now prone to infection. Furthermore, both big toe nails were simply too wide for the toe, which explained why several times a year each side would break off into gigantic, painful hangnails.

More serious was the fact that the prescription orthotics he was using for his extra high arches couldn’t compensate for a bad mechanical load transfer that was shortening the tendons below each toe (causing them to point upwards so the knuckles were getting damaged rubbing the roof of his shoes) and pushing the metatarsal joints outward on his right foot which was now causing all sorts of new pains of late. In summary, his feet were a mess.

Medical Foot Care

With reassurances that everything could be fixed given his commitment, we initiated a series of medical foot care to remove the calluses and fix the broken skin along with a regime of topical anti-fungal cream, anti-fungal nail solution, and laser treatments for the foot and toenail fungus. In two short months the skin of both feet improved dramatically and the fungal toe infection began to grow out. As the healing progressed, continued nail laser treatments  made certain the new, healthy nails did not get re-infected.

For Jack’s extra-wide, big toenails, a nail sides excision procedure had been performed under local anaesthetics where the sides of each nail were removed and a chemical applied at the base to prevent regrowth. This quick and painless procedure healed quickly to provide a permanent solution. No more hangnails!

Taking charge of your own health by partnering with a professional team is very much in your best interests for healthier and happier aging.

Foot care is definitely a family affair!

One of our patients had been fitted for orthotics five times over the years. And still, he was having trouble with his shoes wearing out much faster than they should. We custom and precision fitted him and his wife for brand new custom-made orthotics, and they both couldn’t be happier with how comfortable and supportive their new devices felt at the time of their dispense appointment! Three months after, they were very appreciative of the fact that the soles of the shoes of the husband were holding up much much better since he got his new orthotics. They now ordered a second pair to reduce the number of  devices transfers from shoes to shoes or from shoes to winter boots…

We are more than happy this patient and his wife were so satisfied with their orthotics, and we’ll ensure they continue to receive the Outstanding Patient Care Experience whenever they need it!

Our lovely patient, Sandra, had no idea she had a treatable nail condition after suffering with two painful foot conditions for over three years. She had previously tried orthotics, which didn’t help with her specific condition … which is actually hurting more and more over time.

On and Off Ingrown Toenail Infection Episodes

We found the root cause of her limiting pain condition, and treated it promptly. In fact, we did perform her necessary nail procedure right away!

Sandra was so happy the problem was treated, and that she was given easy, detailed instructions along with a comprehensive home care kit so all she needs to do is to go back home  to care for her feet and big toes for 10 minutes a day for the next five days.  She is very pleased with the comfort and the effectiveness of her treatment, which has allowed her to get back into the activities she has always enjoyed.

We look forward to hearing Sandra’s stories of life on the golf course very soon!

Simon, a very active patient of ours had lived in pain from high arches his entire life.  It would come and go, often worse when the weather was humid.

Pain was a regular part of his life.   He lived each day with soreness in both feet, knees, hips, lower back, and couldn’t walk for long periods of time.  We could not believe this, and resolved to get this man out of his misery as quickly as possible.

Custom-Made Orthotic Devices

We prescribed custom orthotics, as a conservative initial treatment.  Simon’s feet were intricately scanned with our state-of-the-art scanner, and his orthotics perfectly fit his feet.

How happy this make us, and how wonderful to see such excellent and fast results only using a simple, first-line, conservative treatment!

Our new patient Nora attended our clinic recently, to seek treatment for a painful condition she’d had for twenty years. Her condition was a fungal nail infection (onychomychosis) combined with severely incurvated and painful (ingrown) toenails.  Can you imagine all those years of suffering? This was complicated by the fact that she’d had breast cancer, and the harsh treatment suppressed her immune system, providing a fertile ground for severe infection.

Effects of Onychomychosis (fungal nail infection)

These conditions had affected her life in so many negative ways.  Her nails were an ugly yellow, she couldn’t wear polish or feel comfortable in the lovely shoes she enjoyed so much.  Plus, the pain on some days was debilitating.

Prior to visiting us, she had tried various foot creams and medicated creams prescribed by her family doctor, which would offer temporary relief. But the infection would always come back, and in fact the skin began to grow over the infections.   She was also treated for two years by a visiting nurse, who would offer pedicures, creams, and cleaning the toes, which helped to a small extent.

As you can tell by the photo, the post-treatment results are remarkable.

It’s not often we have a Professor of English visiting our clinic!  Our new patient was drawn to the stories of success on our website, and was intrigued by how we have been able to successfully help so many people with their foot pain. She was also so impressed that people are sharing their stories of foot relief, that she readily agreed to share hers!

It was very embarrassing for this lady that she’d suffered with fungal nail infections for over 5 years.  She kept hoping against hope that it would just clear up on its own.  Her toenails were rubbing uncomfortably against her shoes, the nails blackened and coarsened, and the pain was intense.  The only real relief she had was when she stubbed her big toe and the nail fell off!

Walking Free from  Pain

The final thing that pushed her to come see us was a trip she is planning to Scotland.  She wanted to be able to walk her dog free of pain.  What an excellent reason to seek treatment at last.

This patient had been particularly anxious prior to visiting us.  She was so impressed that the calming and comforting atmosphere in our clinic served to completely allay any apprehensions she was feeling.

She also appreciated that her xrays were immediately available, and that she was able to see these images and have them explained to her.

We wish her a lovely holiday, free of pain and worry!

Our patient, a handsome 12-year-old boy named Liam, had suffered from painful and embarrassing plantar warts for over two years.  His mother told us of their struggle with over the counter preparations which had no effect at all.  She made the proactive decision to get rid of this  annoying problem once and for all.  She did not want any more warts to spread and cause Liam more pain.

Frustrating Plantar Warts

Liam’s own frustration was written all over his face; he looked sad and very frustrated that he had to endure this condition for so long.  It’s so unfair when kids have to face problems that other kids don’t, and even more frustrating when they can’t get the immediate help they need.

Liam’s revisit: We saw Liam again to assess the treated feet: wow; what an amazing difference.  Barely a trace of the previous wart lesions while only two remained.  This powerful treatment approach using a laser to shut down the blood vessels nourishing the infected skin cells has made a huge difference in so many lives; we’re very proud to have helped Liam and brought relief andsatisfaction to his mother!

Vittoria’s journey back to beautiful feet

As many people know, warts on the feet may become one of the most painful and unpleasant conditions to have. Vittoria, a beautiful 14-year old girl we treated recently had tried almost everything to get relief.  Repetitive duct tape applications on top of the lesions were useless and over-the-counter products proved to be ineffective as well. She tried salt water soaks as well; to no avail.  This was extremely frustrating to her as she enjoyed playing soccer, but experienced pain while playing and even walking.

Our young athlete had her warts frozen by a few DermoJet needleless local anesthetic injector; our wart laser painlessly eliminated most of  the infected skin cells while coagulating the feeders or newly formed blood vessels nourishing the lesion. A vesicant (blistering) medicine was  applied on the warts and covered with a Leukotape bandage for 24-48 hours. Our new tri-therapy wart protocol allows our patients to get rid of their viral skin infection from numerous strands of stubborn human papillomaviruses FASTER. Our objective is get our patient back to health within 3 to 4 treatment sessions.

If that weren’t bad enough, this young lady also experienced, as a result of repetitive microtrauma during downhill skiing  a bruise under her right big toenail, causing the toenail to become black before it got almost completely detached from the nail bed.

Fungal Treatment

We gently removed her floating nail and cleaned the nail bed from all of the desiccated blood and debris that were infected with fungal micro-organisms so the new nail would have a greater chance to grow healthy. As our young lady was to have her graduation ball, she was pleased to have her nail restored to its natural contour and beauty using our new Keryflex resin material which is releasing an antifungal medicine as a preventive measure.

What a difference these two treatments have made in this young girl’s life. We were able to paint the beautiful, new, smooth toenail with a sparkling shade of red using a natural nail polish specially formulated by doctors of podiatric medicine – this made her want to show off her toes at last!

A 60-year-old female patient had fallen down a flight of stairs resulting in a type three sprain of her the left ankle. This patient also had pain in her right forefoot. After taping and wearing an ankle brace for more than one month, there had been no improvement in the left ankle pain.

She came to Ottawa Foot Clinic in hopes of getting rid of the pain in the left ankle and the right forefoot. This patient was recommended custom orthotics and six pain laser sessions for the most serious pain area, the left ankle. Right after the very first pain laser treatment, this patient had 100% relief. It was decided to spend two more sessions on the left ankle to insure that the pain would not return (as the pain laser works in a cumulative manner) and three sessions on the right forefoot since this patient responded so well to the pain laser. This patient has been very happy with the success so far and looks forward to being 100% pain-free.