Your feet do a lot of work during the day. They are composed of twenty-six bones and thirty-three joints and numerous muscles and tendons. This combination of tissue helps to support your weight as you move around, and bear extra load as you work out whether that means yoga, running or crossfit. Your feet do a lot of work. How do you know if something is wrong with your feet? Who would you call to help you take care of them?
A podiatrist is a specialist in foot and ankle care. Podiatrists Elizabeth NJ will help diagnose problem with bone spurs, ingrown toenail, fractures, sprains and infections in the ankles and feet. Call the podiatrist if you have any persistent pain, changes in the skin, increased pain and swelling, tingling in the heel, or athletes foot if you are diabetic.
For basic foot care podiatrists and Foot & Ankle Specialists of NJ recommend the following things to keep your feet healthy. Do not ignore pain, there is a saying that pain is weakness leaving the body, but sometimes pain is your body telling you something is wrong, learn the difference and respond accordingly. Inspect your feet regularly, this way you will notice skin changes.
Trim your toenail straight across and not too short; this can help prevent ingrown toenails. Alternate shoes, i.e. don’t wear the same shoes every day. This allows each pair to dry out and can prevent fungal growth.
When problems arise such as bunions, hammertoes, plantar fasciitis and shin splints Podiatrists Elizabeth NJ have a few procedures that can help and most are minimally invasive. Bunions (are misaligned toe joints that slant outward) and hammertoe (toe joints that curl like claws) can be corrected with surgery. Plantar fasciitis can be treated with icing, physical therapy and orthotics.
Shin splints are basically a muscle imbalance and can be corrected with stretching and orthotics.
These are just a few of the foot and ankle problems that can occur from the wear and tear placed on your feet. With appropriate self-care and the oversight of a podiatrist your feet will be carrying you for a long time.
