Consider your feet. You walk all over them, expose their feet to the elements, put them in shoes, and make sure they absorb all the impact of running and walking. It’s no surprise that our feet are subject to so much abuse every day. Your local podiatrist is here to help you. These specialists can diagnose any problem and return your useful appendages to full health. These doctors should treat which maladies? Let’s take a closer look. A stress fracture is a painful condition that causes a sharp pain when you move or exercise. A podiatrist can help you heal the injury before it becomes a serious broken bone. It can be more difficult to diagnose other aches and pains.
Severe Pain
Severe pain lasting more than 24 hours could indicate a broken bone or tendon problem, or even infection. Neuropathy can lead to sudden or severe numbness, which can lead to foot ulcers. A decreased blood flow may cause foot pain when you raise your legs to lie down. A specialist can diagnose and treat all of these conditions. Open wounds on the feet or ankles that aren’t closed can lead to a skin or bone infection. A specialist should be consulted if a cut or sore does not heal quickly. If you notice skin discoloration, see a foot doctor. This could indicate gout, trouble with blood flow or veins. Fungal infections are another cause of foot problems.
A specialist should examine persistent athlete’s feet, calluses and corns, warts, bunions, and calluses. Although you may be referred to a dermatologist in the future, the podiatrist is your first line of defense. As we age, our feet can develop complications that cause spontaneous shifting of the bones. It can happen for many reasons, but it can be extremely painful. Redness, swelling, pain, or other symptoms, should be reported to a podiatrist right away. If left untreated, bones may heal in the wrong places, leading to permanent deformities, as well as difficulty walking.
Many people also experience a flattened or collapsed arch in one or both feet. This could be a sign that you have tendon dysfunction or even rupture. Tendon problems can cause alignment issues and arthritis in the joints if left untreated. Most tendon problems can be treated quickly if you see a doctor within a few days of noticing them. Foot problems can come in many forms, as you can see. They can occur at any age and are often spontaneous. A podiatrist can help you treat even the smallest pain or ache, so it doesn’t become a more severe, more painful condition.
Foot Arch Problems
The anatomy of the human foot is made up of different types of bones and muscles. The bones and muscles provide the structural support necessary to support the entire body’s weight. This part also provides stability and balance when the body moves. This area will feel pain if there is a slight change in the structure of these bones or muscles. The severity of the stress experienced will determine the extent of pain. The foot can be divided into three parts. The first is the ankle, followed by the middle and then the toe. There will be two arches, the longitudinal and transverse arch. The transverse arch will extend along the width of your foot while the longitudinal arch will extend along the length. These arch must be in a correct amount so that there is no pain in the foot area. Below are some of the possible causes of foot arch problems, and the types of pain that can be experienced by someone with this problem.
High foot arch can cause more pain as there will be more stress in the ankle and toe regions. Most cases of high arches are due to heredity. This problem can also be caused by diabetes or gouts. The structure will be altered to increase stress. Research that was done on soldiers showed that people with higher arches felt lower limb pain than people with flat feet. There are many ways to combat pain in the higher arches, including special shoes and other methods. Special treatments can also be used to alleviate pain in this area. A higher arch means that people will feel more pain in their feet because there is less pressure applied to the area. It is important to ensure that stress is not applied in a small area. Special orthopedic shoes can provide excellent protection and can help to prevent muscle and bone pains.
Painful Heels
Painful heels usually develop after an injury or exercise. However, it can also occur gradually if you are standing for long periods of times or gain weight. It is characterized by intense pain when you first stand after sitting for long periods of times or after rising in the morning. The pain usually subsides over time, but it can recur throughout the day. People who experience severe pain at their heel or at the bottom of their heel are known as heel pain. It is caused by some type of impact pressure on the tissues around the heel bone called Calcanium, or the ligaments and tendon that attach to it. Plantar fasciitis, the most common type of painful heel, is the most common.
The plantar fascia ligament connects the toes and the heel via the main arch. If this ligament is torn at the heel, it can cause heel pain. These micro-tears can occur in anyone, from older athletes to more senior overweight people. It is more common in overweight people, as the extra strain on the plantar fascia ligament is caused by a heavy heel strike while running or walking. Gout and rheumatoid are other possible causes. They can also cause painful heels if they occur in the plantar fascia. You can exercise the plantar fascia muscle by doing simple stair stretches and wall push-ups. Reflexology and massaging may help relieve the pain.
Foot Bath
A warm foot bath with essential oils may also be helpful. Plantar fascia night-splints are a great idea. They will keep the ligaments stretched overnight, so that it is less painful in the morning. This is because the ligament relaxes in sleep, making it more painful to feel tension when you first walk on the floor in the morning. You can help yourself by changing your shoes or insoles to be more supportive of your arch. However, if you continue to feel discomfort, you should consult your doctor or chiropodist/podiatrist to get further treatment. They may recommend that you have steroid injections in your heel or a custom orthotic.
A heel cup made from silicon gel, with a softer area at the heel that is most painful, is probably the best way to relieve your painful heels. These can be fitted in most shoes and are available at most pharmacies and chemists. My blog contains more information about heel cups and how they can be used to treat painful heels and calcaneal Bursitis. The pain in your heels should diminish over time. However, depending on how severe the damage has been, it can take 6 to 9 months for the problem to resolve completely. You may need to adjust your exercise routine to accommodate the pain. Until you seek further advice or a solution, keep your walking and jogging to a minimum.
How is gout diagnosed?
To diagnose gout, the doctor or healthcare professional may observe the symptoms or clinical signs of the disease. Most of the time this is sufficient, as the symptoms are fairly clear.
The doctor may also carry out a puncture of the fluid in the affected joint by suction; the presence of micro-crystals of uric acid (MAU) confirms gout. These crystals are analysed under a microscope, usually in a doctor's surgery. Some specialists believe that microscopic analysis of the crystals is the only way to make a correct diagnosis of gout. Uric acid levels can also give an indication of the diagnosis, but false diagnoses are possible. The rheumatologist is the doctor specialising in gout. Measuring uric acid levels in the blood can also help the doctor to identify gout or a risk of gout.
In addition, a study showed that high levels of glycoprotein acetyls - a known marker of inflammation - were present in people's blood samples in the months or years before their first gout attacks. People with lower levels of glycoprotein acetyls developed gout less often. Higher levels of acetyl glycoproteins also predicted which participants would develop gout less often.
How do you manage a gout attack?
Is gout dangerous?
Yes, if the disease is not properly treated. Gout can lead to permanent joint damage and tissue destruction. Joint damage and large tophi (crystals under the skin) can lead to deformities - particularly of the hands and feet - and can even lead to loss of normal use6. There are other disorders associated with untreated gout, such as kidney disease. This is why it is so important to control the disease at an early stage.
What effect does uric acid have on the kidneys?
Hyperuricaemia plays an important role not only in the onset of gout but also in many kidney diseases: 15% of patients suffering from gout also have kidney disease.
Hyperuricaemia can lead to sedimentation of uric acid crystals in the kidneys, affecting kidney tissue and function. Uric acid stones are the result and often precede a gout attack. Where normally 1 to 3% of the total population produces stones, 1 in 5 gout patients fall victim to them.
When does uricemia become hyperuricemia?
Uric acid is an end product of the metabolism of purine, an ingredient required for chromosome synthesis. Part of the uric acid produced is found in the blood, the other part is produced in the urine. The amount of uric acid in the blood remains relatively constant, but naturally increases when uric acid transport increases or when excretion decreases. Overconsumption of proteins, sugars or food products containing purine leads to overproduction of uric acid. On the other hand, over-consumption of fats reduces uric acid excretion via the urine. Both cases therefore lead to hyperuricaemia. The uric acid is then deposited in various tissues in the form of crystals, for example in the joints or kidneys, which over time (sometimes several years) can lead to a first attack of gout or the formation of stones.