It is common to seek immediate treatment when one experiences symptoms such as nausea, fever, or chest pains. Amazingly, this group will not do the same for their feet and ankles. If you neglect issues affecting those body parts, you may develop an infection. To prevent that from happening, you can consult any Mission Viejo podiatry specialist who will diagnose your condition.
You may have had foot and ankle problems and not realized how bad they were. Are you curious to find out what those issues are? Here they are as follows.
Nail Fungus
At first, it causes white or yellow-brown spots under the tip of your toenails. Later, the fungus causes discoloration of the nails. If this condition does not bother you, you can live with it. However, if you experience pain, you should go to the hospital.
Your doctor will prescribe medicated nail creams such as tavaborole or efinaconazole. Before using the cream, thin the nails, so the medication seeps into the fungus. In case you get a rash from the medication, contact your doctor.
Swelling in One Foot
It is normal to experience swelling after running a marathon or standing for too long. However, if the swelling suddenly occurs and is accompanied by numbness, you may have edema. The condition is usually caused by eating too much salt, obesity, or medications such as contraceptive pills.
Your doctor will give you a diuretic that reduces swelling by flushing salt and extra fluid out of your body through your urine. As helpful as it is in reducing swelling, it can reduce your potassium levels. When that happens, you will experience fatigue, muscle weakness, and constipation, so see your doctor immediately.
Heel Pain
There are several causes of heel pain, such as bursitis, plantar fasciitis, sprains and strains, osteochondroses, etc. Before visiting podiatry, try home remedies like resting, taking over-the-counter medications, and applying ice. If none of these work, your pain could be a symptom of a serious condition.
First, your podiatry will reduce the pain by asking you to perform some exercises that stretch your calf muscles. While doing your exercises, your doctor will assess how you are walking. If your heel pain interferes with walking, that will help them know which exercises to recommend.
Ingrown Toenail
Typically, ingrown toenails affect the big toe, and you will experience pain, swelling, and an infection. This problem affects people who wear tight shoes or experience trauma while playing a sport. An ingrown toenail is worse for people with diabetes since it limits blood flow.
If you have a slightly ingrown toenail, your podiatry will lift the ingrowing nail edge and ask you to soak the toe later. As for a severe ingrown one, your doctor will numb the toe and trim it. As tempting as it is to remove it yourself, do not do it, as you may cause an infection.
Corns and Calluses
As long as they do not cause pain, you can remove them by soaking them in warm, soapy water. If they cause pain, your doctor will conduct tests to rule out cases of thickened skin caused by warts. Next, they will provide medications to manage the pain.
One popular medication doctors prescribe is a medical patch that contains 40% salicylic acid. Before applying the patch, they will trim away the corns and calluses. Thereafter, they will tell you how often to replace the patches.
Some people do not bother to see podiatry since they wear shoes that mask their feet’s flaws. As a result, nobody else can point out how bad their feet look. However, you should care for your feet for the sake of your well-being. If you do not, you may be unable to walk like before.
These foot problems can be inconvenient, but there are things you can do to avoid getting them. Ensure you wear shoes that fit, manage your diabetes, and rest your feet whenever necessary. Remember, visiting podiatry for your issues is not cheap.
