If you have diabetes, and notice any redness, blistering,
warmth or open sores on your feet, I personally want to see you ASAP. We will make room for you on the
schedule. We will stay late. If for some reason, we can’t see you, we may
even recommend you go to the emergency room at the hospital. It is shocking how fast a little blister on
the foot can progress to a large, infected ulcer (sore), leading to possibly
loss of the leg itself. If you have had
a past history of a foot ulcer, or have poor circulation, you are at even greater
risk. Please don’t wait to call!
Any injury that causes significant pain, you really should
have it looked at. Often, patients will
say that they didn’t think they needed to be seen after an injury because they
could still walk. The ability to walk or
move the injured part of the foot, they reason, means it is not broken. While this may sound reasonable, it is in
many cases not so. I have seen many
fractures over the years that were dismissed as a simple sprain just because
they could still walk. Your suspicion
for a fracture should be higher if you see significant swelling, pain that
persists beyond a few days, or see bruising around the injured site. And, when you come to my office, I may
believe there is a fracture based on my exam of you, but even I won’t know for
sure in most cases until an x-ray is taken.
Fractures that are not addressed can lead to poor healing, or in some
cases, lack of healing at all.
Ingrown toenails are something that patients will put up
with for weeks, and in some cases, months before coming in to see me. And it is true that mildly ingrown toenails
will sometimes work themselves out.
However, I have found that a lot of patients delay coming in to have the
ingrown toenail treated because of fear of the minor surgery to remove the
ingrown nail. Let me put that fear to
rest. The vast majority of patients who
have ingrown toenails removed say to me afterwards that the procedure was not
anywhere near as painful as they had feared, and they express relief at how
much better the toe feels afterwards.
Contrast that to the patient I am currently treating. He has a severely ingrown, infected toenail
that has been literally festering for years.
In his case, the infection has gone into the bone, and he now is
scheduled to have his toe amputated to remove the infected bone. This is not something that happens
frequently, but had I been able to address his ingrown toenail when it first
became an issue, he would have been relieved of years of pain, and he would not
be losing his toe.
Finally, heel pain is a problem that patients tend to
procrastinate treating. If a patient
were to begin to feel the symptoms of heel pain (also known as plantar
fasciitis), I would recommend first using over the counter arch supports. If the symptoms are not improving in a week
or so, I would recommend having the patient into the office to see me to verify
the diagnosis, and begin more aggressive treatment of the condition. Plantar fasciitis is a condition that can
almost always be treated successfully using conservative measures. I have found that those patients who do go on
to require surgery, their symptoms have been present for longer periods of
time, often without any treatment being received at all.
The list I have provided in this blog is certainly not
conclusive. In short, if a patient feels
any concern at all about their feet, I recommend having them come in for an
evaluation. It may be that nothing is
wrong. If that’s the case, you’ll have
peace of mind. However, if something
more serious is amiss, we can get you on the road to a full recovery.
I had a bunion ectomy on my left foot and I still have a bunion on my right foot. I had the surgery 2 yrs ago this June. After the surgery I now have a lump feeling in my left foot between first and second toes, it doesn't hurt much anymore but it always feels swollen. In my right foot that I didn't have surgery on I wore orthotics and developed a neuroma between 2nd and 3rd toes I have had a cortisone shot and it didn't help. What do u suggest I do? As soon as I get out of bed in the morning my right foot hurts. Thx
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have a number of issues that should be taken care of. Unfortunately, it's hard for me to know exactly what's wrong with you without being able to see you. It does sound like it's time to make an appointment to be seen.
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DeleteThx. I am close to Indy. Do u recommend a Dr in this area.
DeleteI'm afraid I do not know any podiatrists well enough in the Indianapolis area to recommend. You may want to call your regular doctor and ask for his/her recommendation.
DeleteI had two injections for neuroma in my right foot 8 weeks ago. I have two neuromas in same foot. Pain free instantly and for 8 weeks until I woke up 3 days ago and pain is back as bad as it was before injections. Instant pain! Is that normal if the injection fails?
ReplyDeleteI had two injections for neuroma in my right foot 8 weeks ago. I have two neuromas in same foot. Pain free instantly and for 8 weeks until I woke up 3 days ago and pain is back as bad as it was before injections. Instant pain! Is that normal if the injection fails?
ReplyDelete