The safety and efficacy of Pain Checker socks in the treatment of mild-to-moderate foot pain: a clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Heel pain, bunion pain, and other forms of foot pain syndromes are one of the more common reasons a patient visits a podiatrist. Numerous methods are currently available to attempt to achieve pain relief, including pharmaceuticals, magnets, heat, and electrical stimulation. A textile company developed Pain Checker socks (Pain Checker Health Wear, Cresskill, New Jersey), which contains a material that may counter the circuit of pain and oppose the effect, thereby stopping the conduction of pain. METHODS: The purpose of this placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Pain Checker socks in the treatment of mild-to-moderate foot pain. Fifty patients were enrolled, half on active and half on placebo socks. The subjects were evaluated at baseline, 2, 4, and 6 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in disability, pain, or activity scales between treatment groups, although only 5% of the treatment group received no pain relief on visual analog scale during the trial, while 38% of the placebo group received no pain relief. CONCLUSION: Although there was no difference in pain relief, the Pain Checker socks were found to be safe and scored high in patient satisfaction. The unique fiber content and construction of the socks may have contributed to the placebo analgesia.

A double-blind clinical trial comparing the efficacy and safety of pure lanolin versus ammonium lactate 12% cream for the treatment of moderate to severe foot xerosis.

Xerotic skin is a pattern of reaction to a variety of disorders (eg, winter xerosis, hereditary ichthyosis) with abnormalities of desquamation in common. The trial described in this article was a double-blind randomized-comparison clinical trial investigating the effect of pure lanolin versus ammonium lactate 12% cream in treating moderate to severe foot xerosis. Xerosis was clinically assessed at baseline visit, and designated sites were reevaluated after 1, 2, and 4 weeks of therapy. Ninety-two patients were enrolled; 41 of these were excluded from analysis (25 were lost to follow-up, 8 were noncompliant, 1 was discharged from study because of an adverse event after visit 1, and 7 were noncompliant after visit 2). Although there was significant improvement in xerosis scores for both treatment groups after 2 and 4 weeks of treatment, no differences were statistically significant. Used twice daily for 4 weeks, pure lanolin and ammonium lactate cream were both effective in treating moderate to severe xerosis.

Study of clinically suspected onychomycosis in a podiatric population.

Onychomycosis, by definition, is a mycotic infection of the keratinized tissue of the nail plate. Although it is commonly considered to be caused by one of the dermatotropic fungi, a variety of other organisms have been implicated as etiologic agents in the disease, including some bacteria and yeasts. When it is caused by a fungus, any or all of three types of organisms can be involved: dermatophytes, yeasts, and nondermatophyte organisms. The purpose of this study was to identify the microorganisms found in fungal cultures of clinically suspected onychomycosis in the patient population of the Foot Clinics of New York in New York City, the largest foot clinic in the world. Of the 1,800 medical charts reviewed, 214 had culture results, of which 120 were positive. Trichophyton rubrum was the most prevalent pathogen, found in 67% of positive cultures. The most remarkable risk factor was age, with 80% of affected individuals older than 35 years. False-negatives may account for the high percentage (44%) of negative cultures in this study.

A comparative study of lactic acid 10% and ammonium lactate 12% lotion in the treatment of foot xerosis.

Xerotic skin is a pattern of reaction to a variety of disorders that have abnormalities of desquamation in common. This double-blind, randomized clinical trial investigated the effect of Lactinol (Pedinol Pharmaceuticals, Farmingdale, New York) versus Lac-Hydrin 12% (Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, New Jersey) lotion in mild to moderate foot xerosis. Clinical assessment of xerosis was performed at baseline visit, and the designated sites were evaluated at 2 and 4 weeks after treatment began. Of the 53 patients enrolled, 18 were excluded from analysis. Although both treatment groups had significantly improved xerosis scores after 2 and 4 weeks of treatment, no statistically significant difference was observed. Of the 44% of patients who did express a preference, 72% preferred Lactinol, which may account for the 20% increase in its overall use in the study.