It is very important to take good care of your feet and ankles, as they are key to an active, healthy life. It is not normal to experience pain or reduced mobility in your feet or ankles, and you should never ignore these warning signs.

Putting off getting podiatric care can make it more difficult to treat your condition, and possibly even cause other problems in your body such as :

• Posture and Balance Issues
• Joint and Back Pain
• Organ Health Issues
• Leg Pain

When You Should See a Podiatrist

You should make an appointment with your podiatrist if you have suffered an injury, or are experiencing persistent pain and symptoms such as these in your feet or ankles:

• Signs of infection. Increased swelling, pain, tenderness, redness, warmth, pus, odor, fever or drainage
• Constant numbness. Numbness in your feet that does not get better with rest, or worsens, could be a sign of nerve damage
• Ongoing heel pain. Pain and swelling near the heel, or the inability to rise on the toes or bend the feet is abnormal
• Fungal or ingrown toenails. The earlier these conditions are treated the better to treat them promptly, and to avoid complications
• Athlete’s foot that won’t go away. If left untreated, athlete’s foot may turn into a more serious infection.
• Painful joints. See your podiatrist right away if you have pain, swelling or discoloration in the skin around a joint.

It is also very important for people with diabetes to be under the regular care of a podiatrist, and to make an appointment as soon as possible if any break or disturbance in the skin is detected. Diabetics are at an increased risk of developing a wound, ulcer, nerve damage and infection.

Proper care and prompt, professional treatment of any condition that may arise is critical to achieving and maintaining good overall foot health.