When Should You Call the Podiatrist?
If you already have an ongoing relationship with your podiatrist, you’ve taken a great first step in maintaining and protecting your foot health. You probably visit your doctor once a year for an examination that will help identify existing or potential problems and ensure appropriate treatment.
But what if something happens in between visits? How can you determine whether a mid-year call or visit to the podiatrist is in order?
The decision to call your podiatrist begins with knowing just what a podiatrist does. Your podiatrist is a medical specialist with years of advanced training in diagnosing and treating all illnesses and injuries of the feet, ankles, and lower legs. You should call your podiatrist’s office if you:
- sustain a foot or ankle injury
- are experiencing pain, especially after a fall or an accident
- notice a change in the shape of your foot, particularly if you see one toe rising above the others, which may be an incipient hammertoe, or if you suspect the formation of a bunion, a bony bump where the big toe meets the foot
- see anything out of the ordinary in the texture or color of the skin on your feet or your toenails
It is also essential that you call your podiatrist if you receive a diagnosis of diabetes from your physician. Diabetes is a dangerous, full-body illness in which the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin to effectively regulate levels of glucose in the blood. When blood sugar is out of control, the feet are at risk. A lack of sensation called neuropathy is common, as are poor circulation and unhealed, ulcerated wounds. People with diabetes must be carefully monitored by their podiatrists to ensure healthy feet.
If you need to see a podiatrist, Dr. Stavros O. Alexopolous is ready and able to help you. Schedule an appointment in our comfortable Chicago office today. Call our friendly staff at (773) 561-8100 or click here today.
