To keep your eyes on the stars, you must have healthy and happy feet on the ground! And what does it take to keep your feet healthy? Well, a few cleaning sessions per week and some attention.

The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering as it carries the whole weight of your body and takes you places. Enduring the entire weight of your body and allowing you to move feet at different angles, does what no other part of your body does.

This post is all about your foot health. You should know all the warning signs it’s time to see a foot doctor or podiatrist. These are medical experts in the structure, function, and health of your lower extremities. 

Over time, your feet may develop problems you never knew existed. Here is a brief guide about all the signs you should keep an eye on. As soon as you see any of the following, consult a reliable podiatrist and book an appointment.

You Are Diagnosed With Diabetes

Diabetes is strongly linked with your foot health. If you have been recently diagnosed with diabetes, it’s best to book an appointment with a foot doctor. They can guide you on how to maintain your foot health. Any of the foot issues are far dangerous for people with Type I and Type II patients.  

For those who don’t know, diabetics have high levels of sugar in their blood which can damage the blood vessels and nerve endings in the whole body. As the lower extremities receive the blood at the end of each circulation cycle, the damages are healed at much less speed as compared to other parts of the body. Thus you have you be super careful around your feet and monitor the blood sugar levels to maintain your feet health. Discuss all of your concerns with your foot doctor because prevention is better than cure.

Numbness Or Swelling In One Foot

If you have been standing all day on your feet or recently took part in a marathon, feeling numbness or pain in one or both of your feet is pretty normal. You should take plenty of rest and put some ice on it. It generally takes a day or two for the pain to go away. But if you are feeling sudden pain or numbness in your feet without any apparent reasons, it requires a trip to a foot doctor.

Fungus Beneath Or Over Your Toenails

The fungus can grow anywhere! Even under your toenails and when it does, it should be taken very seriously. With the growing popularity of nail salons and pedicure centers, cases of foot fungus have exponentially increased. The real threat of nail fungus is that, if left untreated, it can spread to other nails and even other parts of your body. If you see signs such as dark color debris buildup under your nail, distorted nails, brittle edges, thickened nails, or foul smells, book an appointment as soon as possible.

Continuous Pain In Your Heels

Heels take up the most of your body weight and hence a variety of issues can arise. If you are overweight or obese person and your daily routine demands you to stand for several hours a day, your heels can sustain serious damages. Other than eating healthy and exercising, consult a foot doctor to treat the heel pain. Or it may be due to an accident! They will take x-rays and perform thorough examinations to determine the cause of foot pain before proceeding with the treatment.

Sprained Or Broken Ankle

Well, it’s a given. A sprained or broken ankle is not only painful (no one knows it better than you at such times!), the damages can worsen if not properly examined and treated. In general, our first instinct is to see an orthopedist in such a situation but a foot doctor is an expert in foot and ankle health.

If you are feeling discomfort in moving your ankle, report to a foot doctor as soon as possible. They may suggest you some exercises, over-the-counter pain killers, and some changes in your routine. Once the pain subsides you can get back to your normal routine.

Ingrown Toenails

It is very tempting to try and remove the ingrown toenail on your own. Others just plan a visit to their most trusted nails salon to get rid of it. While you can remove ingrown nails by any of these two methods, the safest is to visit a foot doctor. The procedure is far less painful as compared to the formerly mentioned methods. They numb the area during the removal process and may even suggest you the medication if the nail is infected. 

Although there is no permanent cure to fix ingrown nails, you can maintain your foot health by regular visits to a foot doctor.

Painful Calluses

Thickened areas of skin can become painful and bleeding calluses. If the dead skin cells are not regularly removed during cleaning sessions, you may be dealing with cracks and painful heels. If the skin becomes too thick for you to handle, skip the nail salon visit and meet a foot doctor instead. They can remove areas of dead skin to alleviate the pain or prescribe a topical medication to apply over the affected areas.

Bunions

If you see bony bumps on the sides of toes, especially the large one, you are looking at a bunion. In some conditions it is harmless but for others, it can become extremely painful. You should visit a foot doctor and discuss your condition to get prescribed medication.

Joint Pain That Persists

A joint pain that persists and has started to affect your routine tasks, should not be left untreated. Book an appointment with a foot doctor at your earliest. They will perform examinations and may take some x-rays to determine the cause of the pain.

Recurring Athletes Foot  

Well, you may not be an athlete and still get recurring athlete’s foot. It is a fungal disease generally treated with counter creams and sprays. In case it persists, it’s time to see a foot doctor.