Onychomycosis is the technical term for toenail fungus. It’s when fungus gets under the nail and causes an infection. You’ll notice that the nail changes color and starts emitting an odor. If left untreated, the infection can spread to the other toes and even the fingers. The best thing to do is to schedule an appointment with your local podiatrist. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, approximately 2 million plantar fasciitis cases are treated every single year.
If you suspect that you have plantar fasciitis, a prompt diagnosis by one of the podiatrists here at the Idaho Foot & Ankle Associates in Boise, Nampa/Caldwell, and Meridian, ID, is vital since the condition can cause immense heel pain and other related symptoms—read on to learn more.
Plantar Fasciitis Symptoms to Watch Out For
Plantar fasciitis causes stabbing and sharp heel pain that usually occurs when you suddenly stand up after being at rest for a long time or get up in the morning. Although affected people usually describe the most common symptom as a shooting pain, plantar fasciitis could likewise cause the heel to swell. This pain could be immensely severe after rest, but it typically lets up as the day progresses, although it often reappears after long periods of staying on your feet or exercising.
Your plantar fascia, situated at the bottom of your foot, is a dense connective tissue ligament or band that connects your foot’s portion to your heel. Its main job is to support your foot arch (sort of like the bowstring of a bow) by absorbing all kinds of strains and stress placed on your feet. Over time, some individuals could develop inflammation or a strain in the plantar fascia that could become a recurring or chronic condition.
Diagnosing Plantar Fasciitis
Heel pain is the most unmistakable and common plantar fasciitis symptom. This could also be accompanied by swelling and some redness in certain people. With this in mind, if you have heel pain that persists for weeks, consult a podiatrist at our Boise, ID, practice as soon as possible. Your podiatrist will go through all of your symptoms, evaluate your foot, order necessary tests to rule out similar foot conditions, and recommend treatments that will work best for your specific symptoms.
Need Expert Relief from Your Heel Pain? We Can Help
Arrange an assessment with one our podiatrists here at Idaho Foot & Ankle Associates by calling (208) 327-0627 to reach our Boise, ID, office, (208) 463-1660 for our Nampa/Caldwell, ID, office, and (208) 888-9876 for our Meridian, ID, office.
A podiatrist can help you with a variety of conditions that affect the feet, including Morton’s neuroma. A neuroma is the thickening of nerve tissue in the body, with Morton's neuroma specifically happening in the ball of the foot. It’s caused by an irritation in the nerve between the third and fourth toes. Patients experience pain while walking, with a burning, tingling, or numbness. - Trauma or injury to the foot, damaging the nerve and resulting in swelling.
- Improper footwear, like shoes that squeeze the foot together. High heels also increase pressure on the vulnerable areas.
- Recurring stress to the feet through repeated physical activities or exercise. This is common with patients who are constantly on their feet due to their job.
- Deformities of the foot, like a high arch or flat foot. These lead to instability throughout the foot.
- Taping and padding: This is a special type of tape and bandages that you place on the bottom of the foot. This helps with your symptoms.
- Orthotics: These are the custom shoes that your podiatrist can create for you.
- Medication: Cortisone injections reduce the pain and inflammation in the foot. Anti-inflammatory drugs also reduce your swelling.
- Surgery is the last resort for treatment. The procedure is done on an outpatient basis. The injured nerve is removed and recovery takes a few weeks.
Exercise is an important aspect of keeping our bodies healthy and happy. That’s why it’s so important to wear the correct shoes for certain activities. Whether you’re an athlete, workout buff, or enjoy walking and hiking, you need the proper footwear. It makes the difference between enjoying your favorite activities and sitting out with an avoidable injury. Talk to your podiatrist to have your feet evaluated for your future workout needs.- Running requires shoes with shock absorption. Your feet take on a lot of pressure and friction. Cushioning your shoes in the correct areas keeps you from feeling the pain.
- Traction is important in sports that need quick changes in direction and sprinting, like basketball. Traction should never be too high or low. The right shoes keep you from slipping on the floor while letting you move and pivot.
- Ankle support is a must. It limits the side-to-side movement that knocks your ankle out of alignment. This kind of support keeps ankle sprains at bay. For sports like basketball, hockey, skiing, and skating, make sure that your shoes aren’t too high. Otherwise, they will dig into your Achilles tendon. You can also wear soft ankle braces.
- Arch support varies for everyone. Your podiatrist can test your foot to determine your gait. Depending on the results, your podiatrist can recommend orthotics or special shoe inserts.
Find out when your foot and ankle problems warrant turning to a podiatrist for care.
Spring is on its way and even though we may be self-quarantining, a lot of people are getting out in nature. This means more hiking, biking, walking, and running. As a result, you may notice tired, sore, red or achy feet. While some of these issues will go away with a little TLC and rest, it’s important to know when you should also turn to our Boise, ID, podiatrists for care.
It may be time to see a podiatrist if you are dealing with (or think you’re dealing with).
Bunions
This bony protrusion that typically develops on the outer side of the big toe joint will usually grow larger over time. This affects the overall structure of your feet, causing pain and swelling in and around the big toe joint. To prevent the bunion from getting worse and causing significant pain, it’s important to talk with your podiatrist about simple lifestyle changes you can make now to prevent the deformity from getting worse.
Heel Pain
If you have severe or persistent heel pain this symptom alone also warrants seeing a podiatrist. If you’ve suddenly started tackling tougher Boise, ID, terrain for your runs, or increased the length of your runs, this could leave you deal with inflamed ligaments in the foot. If heel pain is making it difficult to get around, or if symptoms don’t improve within a week of rest and at-home care, then it’s time to see a foot doctor.
Ankle Trauma
If you suspect that you may have sprained or even broken your ankle it’s important that you trust that instinct and see your doctor right away. If the problem isn’t properly treated it’s very possible that the damaged ligament, tissue, muscle or bone will not heal properly. This can lead to long-term ankle pain, weakness and instability. Any foot or ankle injuries should be evaluated by a podiatrist as soon as possible.
Idaho Foot & Ankle Associates has offices in Boise, Nampa, and Meridian, ID, to serve you better. During the pandemic, we want our patients to stay as healthy as possible during this time. Patients who are experiencing cold or flu-like symptoms, those who’ve been exposed to someone who’s tested positive for Covid-19 and those who’ve traveled out of the state or country the last 14 days should reschedule their appointments.
If you are dealing with foot and ankle problems that are impacting your daily routine call one of our offices today at (208) 327-0627 for our Boise, ID, office, (208) 463-1660 for our Nampa/Caldwell, ID, office, or (208) 888-9876 for our Meridian, ID, office.
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