When Is It A Good Idea To See A Foot Doctor?
Written By Kara Masterson / Reviewed By Ray Spotts
Foot pain can quickly become a major issue for a variety of reasons. One problem is how much human beings rely on their feet. In fact, you may have a job that requires you to spend most of the day standing up and walking around.
Even when you realize how pivotal your feet are to your livelihood, you may not know exactly when it’s worth it to go to the doctor for foot pain.
Risk of Infection
If your foot is at risk of an infection, you absolutely need to go to the doctor to get the proper antibiotics or other treatment. For example, you might have stepped on a foreign object that got caught in your foot, or you may have a cut that keeps getting dirt in it.
Infections can become serious and even fatal if they are not treated, so this situation is a definite one in which you should go to the doctor. Some symptoms of infection include swelling, changes in the color of your skin around the area, fever, an odor from the wound or drainage, or perhaps the wound never really heals.
All these things can indicate the pain in your foot is much more serious than you originally thought.
Recurring Pain
You may very well have foot pain if you stub your toe on the bed or work out too aggressively at the gym during a session. However, when the pain keeps coming back day after day, you need to go to the podiatrist. The pain might be caused by some sort of repetitive motion that you're engaging in, or you might have an underlying condition that is leading to the discomfort.
Bleeding
Another time when you should go to the doctor for foot pain is if you find yourself bleeding. Bleeding on the foot could become difficult to stop, especially when you're putting pressure on the foot by standing up or walking.
You might need stitches. Make sure that if you are experiencing an urgent issue, such as heavy bleeding, that you have someone take you to the emergency room.
Break, Fracture, or Sprain
If you believe you may have broken, fractured, or sprained your foot, you must seek out medical attention as quickly as possible. If you think that one of these situations may have occurred, you are likely in a serious amount of pain.
The doctor might determine that the foot is not broken, fractured, or sprained, but they can certainly help you to find relief for whatever is causing the pain.
Seeing a foot doctor is a smart idea in a variety of circumstances. They’re there to help you find the answers to why your feet might be in pain and are able to give you a clear and definite idea of how to fix it.
However, make sure you understand the difference between a situation that necessitates an appointment with the foot doctor and a situation that requires immediate, emergency care.
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Written By:
Kara Masterson is a freelance writer from Utah. She enjoys tennis and spending time with her family.
Reviewed By:
Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.