We all know that quitting smoking reduces your risk of getting lung cancer. But did you know that giving up cigarettes is beneficial for your entire body? From your head to your heart and down to your toes, pretty much every bodily system breathes a sigh of relief when you quit breathing in tar and…

September is Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, something we at Clifton Foot & Ankle Center think you should take pretty seriously. Why should you worry about childhood obesity? There are so many reasons – but perhaps none more important than the overall health of your child or another child you love – a niece, nephew, student, or grandchild….

Toenails have certain characteristics that can tell you about your health, no matter whose foot they adorn. When you come to our office for a foot examination, Dr. Kenneth R. Wilhelm of Clifton Foot & Ankle Center can pick up clues about your overall health by taking a full medical history – and by taking a good look at…

Kids are going back to school and soon there will be tryouts for their favorite teams. Jumping back into soccer, swimming, tennis, cheerleading, or cross-country carries with it some dangers, especially if your child hasn’t been terribly active over the summer. What happens when your kid suddenly leaps from the couch and starts practicing two or more hours…

Different people have different styles of walking. Every person’s body is put together slightly differently and so each person takes on a unique way of moving around. Unique is usually just fine, as long as a person isn’t experiencing any foot pain. When it comes to children, especially very young walkers, they may not be…

August is Psoriasis Awareness Month and all of us here at Clifton Foot & Ankle Center want you to know that psoriasis is a common disease that can affect your feet. Psoriasis crops up when skin cells grow too fast, creating a buildup of thick, red, itchy patches (plaques) on your skin or nails. It’s considered an autoimmune disease,…

August 17 is National I Love My Feet Day, a holiday perfectly suited for podiatrist Kenneth R. Wilhelm, DPM of Clifton Foot & Ankle Center! Dr. Wilhelm has been caring for feet in Northern Virginia for close to 18 years, so he knows a thing or two about all the different ways you can love your feet. There…

Summer’s such an easy time to eat well: there are farmer’s markets all around Fairfax County where you can pick up fresh blueberries, yellow corn, leafy greens, big red bell peppers or small fiery green ones, and beans plucked from their bushes just this morning. These many-colored foods are a big part of the “healthy…

“Ugly! Ugly, giant bags of mostly water.” Those were the words of an alien life force when it got its first glimpse of a human in a 1988 episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Isn’t that just the greatest description of the human body? Well, the “ugly” part is purely in the eye of the…

It can be pretty alarming to look down and see that your feet are puffed up like balloons. Dr. Kenneth R. Wilhelm of Clifton Foot & Ankle Center spells out some of the reasons behind swollen feet and ankles and what you can do about them. Why your feet are swollen When body tissues retain water, they swell up. You might…