When Your Feet Need Help – Consult Your Local Podiatrist
When Your Feet Need Help – Consult Your Local Podiatrist
Did you know that foot and ankle problems could cause back pain? Podiatrists, or foot doctors, are often able to diagnose and treat backaches by correcting foot maladies. Additionally, a podiatrist is often the first doctor to recognise conditions such as diabetes and vascular disease. As a specialty doctor, the podiatrist treats the foot, ankle and lower leg with nonsurgical and surgical procedures depending on the diagnosis. Podiatrists must pass rigorous physician training in addition to specialised educational requirements to receive their license to practice podiatry, perform surgery and write prescriptions for medications.
• Calluses and corns – thick skin that forms on areas of the foot where there is too much pressure. Usually, calluses and corns develop over bony areas of the foot and, unless treated, become painful. Often, a combination of pressure and friction from shoes causes corns and calluses. Corns form in a conical shape pointing inward in either hardened or soft skin whereas calluses are wider and less deep.
• Athlete’s foot and fungal infections – fungus that infects the skin, toenails and nail beds. Fungal infections do not go away by themselves and may require prescription-strength medications to eliminate them. Most are contagious and especially prone to take hold in moist warm areas of the foot. Additionally, open sores are prime targets for the introduction of a fungus like athlete’s foot.
• Ingrown toenail – a toenail that cuts into the skin around it and sometimes becomes infected. Often, a side edge or top corner of a toenail digs into the skin and eventually pierces it, which leads to infection. If not attended to, the ingrown nail can cause the whole toe to become red and quite painful.
• Plantar fasciitis and heel pain – inflamed band of tissue, or plantar fascia, running the length of the soles of the feet. The inflammation may involve tiny tears inside the plantar fascia where it attaches to the heel. Pain is present when walking, and it may persist even after propping the foot up. The individual’s heel may become stiff or ache under certain conditions like when the patient goes barefoot.
• Ankle sprains – commonly caused by accidents that involve falling. However, individuals who are overweight, high-heeled shoe wearers and anyone with a bad sense of balance are at an increased risk for spraining an ankle. Swelling occurs quickly and the unlucky person is unable to put any weight on the afflicted ankle and foot.
• Stress fractures – partial cracks in a bone that result from overuse. They may develop quickly or over time, when too much stress is put on the foot or ankle. Swelling happens less quickly than with an ankle sprain.
• Flat feet – also known as fallen arches, is a condition where there is no natural arch of the foot. Flat feet are caused by a variety of factors and should be evaluated by a podiatrist.
Other foot disorders that podiatrists treat include bursitis, broken bones of the foot and wounds from accidents and sport injuries. The average person’s feet take a lot of punishment from supporting the weight of their body for a lifetime. Visiting a podiatrist when necessary is as important for good health and well-being as visiting a dentist. Before foot problems become bigger and harder to treat, it is crucial to make an appointment with a podiatrist for a consultation and then to follow through with the recommendations.
