What do socks do? They keep your feet toasty warm, right? That’s what most people would say, especially during these cold winter months. Dr. Kenneth R. Wilhelm, our board-certified podiatrist at Clifton Foot & Ankle Center, absolutely agrees. But we also want you to know that, besides warmth, there are other things to keep in mind when you’re choosing…

What’s the #1 killer of women? Not cancer. Not COVID-19. It’s heart disease. Heart disease and its complications account for about 20% of all female deaths in the United States. To get people thinking and talking about this, the American Heart Association has named February 5 National Wear Red for Women’s Heart Health Day. But it…

Dr. Kenneth R. Wilhelm of Clifton Foot & Ankle Center would like our patients in Fairfax County and northern Virginia to know that January is Thyroid Awareness Month. The thyroid gland is in your neck, but it can have a great deal to do with your feet. The thyroid gland and the pituitary gland (located in the brain) are…

Where’s the thickest, most powerful tendon in your body? Perhaps in your neck, to hold up your head? Good guess but look lower. At the back of your heel, you can feel the Achilles tendon, the largest, strongest tendon in the body. The Achilles tendon connects the muscles in your calf to the calcaneus or heel…

Some plantar warts come and go, disappearing after they’ve had their fill of annoying you for several months. Others think they deserve to irritate you and your foot for what seems like forever. It’s not unusual for a wart on the sole of your foot to resist treatment and stick around for years. Treatments for warts have traditionally included…

When a body part goes numb, how exactly do you describe it? Pins and needles? Sure, sometimes you call it that. Other times you might say you can’t quite feel that part of your body, or when you touch it if you can’t sense the touch. However you express it, numbness that lasts a long…

Imagine having the tools to get through each day with less pain, increased strength and flexibility, decreased anxiety, and a general sense of well-being. Well, studies show those tools exist in the form of exercise – in particular, mind-body exercises like yoga and tai-chi. Mind-body exercises combine slow and controlled body movements with mental focus…

Monday Night Football on December 7th became Monday Nightmare Football for Antonio Gibson. The rookie running back for the Washington Football Team suffered a turf toe injury early in the game against the Steelers. Turf toe is common in football. If you were to open your favorite search bar and type in “turf toe football,” you’d get way more…

Star Trek has always been famous for its futuristic scenarios, including medical treatments that blew our 20th-century minds. Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy might place a probe on a patient’s broken ankle and – poof, instant repair of the bones. Today, ankle surgery isn’t quite as instantaneous as that. However, our real-life podiatrist Dr. Kenneth R. Wilhelm can take what’s broken and…

In case you missed it, Joe Biden suffered a foot injury a few days after Thanksgiving. Here’s what happened: he slipped, fell, and twisted his ankle he went for x-rays out of “an abundance of caution.” doctors diagnosed a sprained ankle, meaning damage to the soft tissues noting his actual symptoms, the doctors decided to confirm the diagnosis…