Dr. John O'Hanlon DPM - Armonk Podiatry & Somers Podiatry

06/07/2025

05/26/2025

🇺🇲 This weekend we honor the men and women who bravely served our nation and paid the ultimate price, giving their lives for our freedom. Have a Grateful Memorial Day.🇺🇸

03/17/2025

🍀☘️ Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona daoibh ☘️🍀
🍀☘️ Happy St. Patrick's Day ☘️🍀

🍀May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand🍀

01/01/2025

Happy and Healthy New Year 2025 to all!

12/25/2024

Wishing our patients, friends and those who celebrate Hanukkah peace and light this holiday season.

❄ John O'Hanlon, Kate, Grace, Claire & Keira
❄ Linda & Debbie

12/25/2024

Wishing our patients, friends and family a day filled with love, happiness and making new memories! Merry Christmas to all!

❄ John O'Hanlon, Kate, Grace, Claire & Keira
❄ Linda & Debbie

11/29/2024

You make sure that your children’s teeth, ears, skin, and other body parts are healthy and clean. But what about their feet?

Keeping your kids feet healthy!! Here's some tips that can help ensure successful development and optimal foot health for kids:

-Look carefully at your newborn’s feet. Be on the lookout for anything unusual. Problems you notice at birth may not disappear by themselves. Early treatment can often correct abnormalities, such as club foot, a congenital condition that occurs in about one in 1,000 births.

-Lightly cover your baby’s feet. Tight covers can keep your baby from moving freely and could even re**rd normal development, according to the APMA. Kicking and moving the legs and feet around helps strengthen the muscles in preparation to walk. Activity gyms for babies can also help strengthen little feet.

-Let your toddler go shoeless. When kids first start to walk, going without shoes indoors is good for normal development. Walking barefoot or wearing just socks strengthens the muscles in the feet and helps develop the grasping action of the toes. Plus, your little walker will enjoy the sensation of various surfaces — like lush carpet or cool tile — beneath his feet.

-Watch for lingering toe-walking. Walking on the toes is usually normal when kids first start to walk, but if a child walks exclusively on the toes after age 2, tell your pediatrician. Persistent toe walking could be linked to cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, or other nervous system problems.

-Cut toenails straight across. This will help prevent painful ingrown toenails. Signs of an ingrown toenail include pain, redness, and swelling. If an ingrown toenail does occur, head for your podiatrist, a simple in-office procedure can safely fix the problem.

-Keep feet clean and dry. Preventing bacterial and fungal infections starts with good hygiene. Thoroughly wash your kids’ feet at bath time. Afterward, dry them well between the toes to prevent athlete’s foot, a fungal infection that thrives in moisture.

-Buy well-fitting shoes. Always take your child with you when purchasing shoes. Kids’ feet need to be measured every single time, since they grow so rapidly. Too-tight shoes can cause blisters, corns, calluses, or ingrown toenails that can become infected. If your child is constantly taking her shoes off, that’s a red flag that they may be uncomfortable.

-Prevent foot injuries. Walking barefoot outdoors on dirty pavement exposes kids’ feet to splinters, cuts, and severe injuries. Another potential problem is plantar warts, a condition caused by a virus which invades the sole of the foot through cuts or breaks in the skin. Wearing shoes when playing on pavement or hazardous environments can prevent this problem. Cover cuts. Wash minor cuts, scrapes, and scratches on the feet with soap and water and keep them covered with a bandage until they have healed.

-Show and tell. Kids learn by imitating. Clean and properly dry your feet and have your child copy. Also demonstrate how to cut toenails to prevent painful problems. Many adult foot problems start in childhood.

If your child needs podiatric care, give the office of Dr. John O'Hanlon a call to schedule an appointment. 914-273-3100 or 914-276-3718

11/28/2024

Happy Thanksgiving to our patients, friends and family.

Our offices will be closed today and tomorrow so the Doctor and staff can enjoy their families. However emergency calls are welcome. We will be back to our normal office hours next week.

11/25/2024

What Is Gout? Gout is a kind of arthritis caused by a buildup of uric acid crystals in the joints. Uric acid is a breakdown product of purines that are part of many foods we eat. An abnormality in handling uric acid and crystallization of these compounds in joints can cause attacks of painful arthritis, kidney stones, and blockage of the kidney filtering tubules with uric acid crystals, leading to kidney failure. Gout has the unique distinction of being one of the most frequently recorded medical illnesses throughout history.

Symptoms of Gout: Acute gout attacks are characterized by a rapid onset of pain in the affected joint followed by warmth, swelling, reddish discoloration, and marked tenderness. The small joint at the base of the big toe is the most common site for an attack. Other joints that can be affected include the ankles, knees, wrists, fingers, and elbows. In some people, the acute pain is so intense that even a bed sheet touching the toe causes severe pain. These painful attacks usually subside in hours to days, with or without medication. In rare instances, an attack can last for weeks. Most people with gout will experience repeated bouts over the years.

Who's Affected by Gout? The prevalence of gout in the U.S. has risen over the last twenty years and now affects 8.3 million (4%) Americans. Gout is more common in men than in women. The chances of having gout rises with age, with a peak age of 75. In women, gout attacks usually occur after menopause. Among the U.S. population, about 21% have elevated blood uric acid levels, a condition known as hyperuricemia. However, only a small portion of those with hyperuricemia will actually develop gout. If your parents have gout, then you have a 20% chance of developing it.

Risk Factors for Gout: Obesity, excessive weight gain, especially in youth, moderate to heavy alcohol intake, high blood pressure, and abnormal kidney function are among the risk factors for developing gout. Certain drugs and diseases can also cause elevated levels of uric acid. Also, there is an increased prevalence of abnormally low thyroid hormone levels (hypothyroidism) in patients with gout.

What Gout Looks Like: The Big Toe; The joint at the base of the big toe is the most common site of an acute gout attack. These attacks can recur unless gout is treated. See your doctor even if the pain from gout is gone. Over time, they can harm joints, tendons, and other tissues. People may experience gout attacks with deposits of uric acid crystals in their finger joints, elbows and knees. To ease the pain during a gout attack, rest the joint that hurts.

Diagnosing Gouty Arthritis: Gout is considered when a patient reports a history of repeated attacks of painful arthritis, especially at the base of the toes or in the ankles and knees. The most reliable test for gout is detecting uric acid crystals in the joint fluid obtained by joint aspiration. This common office procedure is performed with topical local anesthesia. Using sterile technique, fluid is withdrawn (aspirated) from the inflamed joint with a syringe and needle.

Diagnosing Gout: Joint Fluid Analysis; Once joint fluid is obtained, it is analyzed for uric acid crystals and infection. Your doctor may also do a blood test to measure the amount of uric acid in your blood.

How Are Gout Attacks Prevented? Maintaining adequate fluid intake helps prevent acute gout attacks and decreases the risk of kidney stone formation in people with gout. Alcohol is known to have diuretic effects that can contribute to dehydration and precipitate acute gout attacks. Alcohol can also affect uric acid metabolism and cause hyperuricemia. It causes gout by slowing down the excretion of uric acid from the kidneys as well as by causing dehydration, which precipitates the crystals in the joints.

More Prevention Techniques: Dietary changes can help reduce uric acid levels in the blood. Since purine chemicals are converted by the body into uric acid, purine-rich foods should be avoided. Foods rich in purines include shellfish and organ meats, such as liver, brains, and kidneys. Researchers have reported that meat or seafood consumption increases the risk of gout attacks, while dairy consumption seemed to reduce this risk. Weight reduction can be helpful in lowering the risk of recurrent attacks of gout.

Call the office of Dr. John M O'Hanlon if you think you might be experiencing gout. He can discuss what your options are. 914-273-3100 or 914-276-3718.

11/21/2024

Raynaud's disease causes some areas of the body — such as fingers and toes — to feel numb and cold in response to cold temperatures or stress. In Raynaud's disease, smaller arteries that supply blood to the skin narrow. This limits blood flow to affected areas, which is called vasospasm.

Other names for this condition are:
- Raynaud's phenomenon.
- Raynaud syndrome.

Women are more likely than men to have Raynaud's disease. It seems to be more common in people who live in colder climates.

Treatment of Raynaud's disease depends on its severity and whether you have other health conditions. For most people, Raynaud's disease isn't disabling, but it can affect your quality of life.

Symptoms of Raynaud's disease include:
- Cold fingers or toes.
- Areas of skin that turn white then blue. Depending on your skin color, these color changes may be harder or easier to see.
- Numb, prickly feeling or stinging pain upon warming or stress relief.

During an attack of Raynaud's, affected areas of the skin usually first turn pale. Next, they often change color and feel cold and numb. When the skin warms and blood flow improves, the affected areas may change color again, throb, tingle or swell.

Raynaud's most commonly affects fingers and toes. But it also can affect other areas of the body, such as nose, lips and ears. After warming up, the return of blood flow to the area can take 15 minutes.

See your health care provider right away if you have a history of severe Raynaud's and get a sore or infection in one of your affected fingers or toes.

11/19/2024

Hammertoe and mallet toe have been linked to:
- Certain shoes. High-heeled shoes or footwear that's too tight in the toe box can crowd your toes into a space in which they can't lie flat. This curled toe position might eventually persist even when you're barefoot.
- Trauma. An injury in which you stub, jam or break a toe can make it more likely for that digit to develop hammertoe or mallet toe.
- Abnormal balance of the toe muscles. The imbalance leads to instability, which can cause the toe to contract.

Risk factors that can increase your risk of hammertoe and mallet toe include:
- Age. The risk of hammertoe and mallet toe increases with age.
- S*x. Women are much more likely to develop hammertoe or mallet toe than are men.
- Toe length. If your second toe is longer than your big toe, it's at higher risk of hammertoe or mallet toe.
- Certain diseases. Arthritis and diabetes might make you more prone to developing foot deformities. Heredity might also play a role.

Complications: At first, a hammertoe or mallet toe might maintain its flexibility. But eventually, the tendons of the toe can contract and tighten, causing your toe to become permanently bent. Your shoes can rub against the raised portion of the toe or toes, causing painful corns or calluses.

Prevention: You can avoid many foot, heel and ankle problems with shoes that fit properly.

Here's what to look for when buying shoes:
- Adequate toe room. Avoid shoes with pointed toes.
- Low heels. Avoiding high heels will help you avoid back problems.
- Adjustability. Laced or strapped shoes are roomier and adjustable.

These additional tips can help you buy the right shoes:
- Buy shoes at the end of the day. Your feet swell throughout the day.
- Check your size. As you age, your shoe size might change — especially the width. Measure both feet and buy for the larger foot.
- Buy shoes that fit. Be sure shoes are comfortable before you buy them. If necessary, a shoe repair store might be able to stretch shoes in tight spots, but it's better to buy them to fit.

11/16/2024

What Can Your Feet Tell You About Your Health?
Our feet are crucial to our overall health but unfortunately, many of us don’t give them the attention that they deserve. The feet can tell us quite a lot about our overall health if you stop to take a close look. In many cases, the feet are one of the first parts of the body to experience symptoms when something is wrong. Let’s take a closer look at what our feet can tell you about your overall health and well-being.

Experiencing Cold Feet Or Toes.
If you have cold feet or toes, it can often be a sign of diabetes, poor blood circulation, vascular issues, or peripheral artery disorder (PAD). Of course, sometimes, it can simply be a case of needing to put on an extra cozy pair of socks, but other times it can be a sign of something more serious. If your feet are often cold, it could mean that you have restricted blood flow because of PAD. Diabetes, smoking, and genetic factors can also cause poor circulation which cold feet are also an indicator of.

Burning Feeling In Your Feet.
Sometimes a burning sensation can be felt in the soles of the feet, which can be a sign of our feet trying to tell us that something might be wrong. Typically this is due to neuropathy, peripheral neuropathy due to diabetes or other factors, or peripheral artery disorder (PAD). While most of the time a burning sensation in the soles of the feet is attributed to nerve damage, known as neuropathy, there can be other reasons too. For example, common conditions such as Athlete’s foot can cause inflammation, and individuals with PAD may also experience burning pain in the feet.

Swollen Toes Or Feet.
Seeing that one or both of your feet or toes have suddenly become largely swollen can be alarming. However, this is usually due to another issue that might not be so obvious. Swelling can be caused by or be an indicator of gout, cellulitis infection, neuropathic arthropathy, possible deep vein thrombosis, or arthritis. Identifying the cause for swollen toes and feet allows patients to get the medical attention they need before any of these issues become more serious.

Deformed Or Discolored Toe Nails.
Deformed or discolored toenails are nobody’s favorite thing to have to deal with. However, while these issues may not be the most pleasant thing to have to look at, they are often a great indicator of an underlying issue with your health. Some of the most common causes for your toenails to take on a new appearance are nail fungus, overuse from repetitive trauma such as running, hiking, dancing, kicking, and other physical activities. If your nails have changed color or become deformed it could be an indicator of nail fungus or overuse. However, it can also be an indicator of psoriasis, anemia, or even melanoma, a type of skin cancer.

Slow Healing Ulcer Or Sore.
If you have a sore or an ulcer on your foot that will not heal, it could be because of poor blood circulation due to diabetes or peripheral neuropathy. Should you discover a sore or an ulcer on your foot, or have one that does not heal in a reasonable amount of time, it could be a sign that there is a more serious issue underlying that will need to be assessed by a medical professional as soon as possible.

Keep An Eye On Your Feet And Look Out For Any Changes Or Issues.
Your feet are often one of the first places for symptoms to present for a range of different conditions. Keeping an eye on your feet and recognizing any changes will help you to identify symptoms quickly so you can take action as quickly as possible. Keeping your feet healthy is key to your overall health and well-being. Be kind to your feet and you can be sure that they will look after you.