Last month was another big event in the ongoing healing of your foot. You went back to the orthopedic doctor and the appointment went well. The bone is still healing and filling in nicely! He was pleased and will now allow you to put some weight on it.
At first you will walk with the help of the crutches as you work through the pain in your heel.
You had small scare as I have had some pain in your calf and a cough so you had an ultrasound of your leg to check for blood clots because you have a stroke history. The doctor sent me straight to the vascular center and the scan was done. Thankfully, no clots, and your doctor determined that it was just a flare up of your asthma. You are now on steroids and an irritated leg from my cast boot. As the doctor pointed out, however, seven straight months of wearing a boot would aggravate any leg muscles. You will go back in three weeks for another check to see how things are progressing.
The transition, unfortunately, did not go as planned and now you are dealing with another set back. It seems that your foot was not happy with the start of weight bearing and protested by giving you excruciating pain. As a result, the doctor has ordered you to not put any weight on it for a week or two and try again. You are very frustrated and disappointed to bring back the knee scooter and crutches.
Long Term Foot or Ankle Pain Can Cause Major Life Disruptions
By visiting a doctor of podiatric medicine you are more likely to find the solutions to foot and ankle pain than if you were simply visiting a family physician. In fact, the recent advancements that have been made by podiatry specialists offer patients a number of effective foot pain treatments.
Unfortunately, unhealed ankle injuries can cause problems years later if you are not working with a doctor of podiatric medicine. The remaining pain from a car accident nearly 30 years ago, for instance, can remain problematic for many years after the initial injury. If is for this reason that some patients find themselves having surgery many years after an initial problem begins. The process in some situations can require the doctors to reset the bone with permanent screws and replace tendons. Following the procedure the patient will likely be allowed to come home as an outpatient, but will need to stay off of it for a few days and then follow through on some significant amounts of rehabilitation. If the patient would have instead visited a doctor of podiatric medicine in the first place they may have been able to avoid this lingering problem.
Consider some of these additional plans about the many times when working with a doctor of podiatric medicine is in your best interest:
- There was a reported 30.3 million people living with diabetes at the end of 2017, according to the American Association of Diabetes Educators. As a result, many of these people are dealing with diabetic foot problems that are best served by a podiatrist.
- 4.1 million adults 33.9% of the adult U.S population have prediabetes, according to the American Association of Diabetes Educators, serving as another indication of how important podiatry help can be.
- Nearly 10% of the nation’s population is affected by Plantar Fasciitis, a condition that also requires the help of a skilled and knowledgeable podiatrist.
- There are 200,000 cases of hammer toes reported a year, according to statistics gathered by Mayo Clinic reports.
- 75% of Americans will experience foot health problems of varying degrees of severity at one time or another in their lives.
- Bunions occur in approximately 30% of the population in Western countries.
Foot and ankle pain can cause significant limitations, so if you find yourself in a situation where you are dealing with an injury involving the foot the best course of action is to seek immediate care from a licensed podiatrist. If you cannot imagine going to an eye doctor when you are having hearing problems, why would you think that someone other than a podiatrist could help you diagnose and treat lingering foot pain? Getting the help you need.
