When should I see a Podiatrist?

Your Podiatrist is your foot and ankle specialist, there is no need to go to the emergency room for foot and ankle injuries, your Podiatrist should be able to treat and evaluate your injury in their office.

Any of the following symptoms or injuries should prompt you to make an appointment with your Podiatrist:

• Uncontrolled pain, lasting over 24 hours
• Open, bleeding type injuries
• Any injury in which you are unable to bear weight
• An infection with increasing areas of redness, accompanied with fever, chills or nausea
• Insect bites, animal bites,
• Injuries which occur in the water, for example while wading in the bay, a laceration occurs.
• Any type of foreign body penetration
• Any type of burn injury
• All sprains should be evaluated for fracture by x ray studies
• All traumatic injuries to children should be evaluated.
• Ingrown toenails
• Ulcers
• Skin lesions which bleed or have varied discoloration

Special circumstances listed below, would necessitate a visit to your Podiatrist, for even a minor injury:

• Diabetes
• Poor circulation
• Immuno-compromised patients, (ie; on chemotherapy, AIDS, Hepatitis, Lupus, MS, Rheumatoid arthritis.)
• Long term steroid use
• History of MRSA
• History of neuropathy
• Joint replacements

The Lists and conditions above are not all that should trigger a visit to your Podiatrist, but are a good outline to start. As with any injury, prompt evaluation allows accurate treatment to begin, and in most cases will decrease the disability of the injury time.

Delay of care can dramatically increase the complications, healing time, disability, and long term outcome of the injury. Use the lists above as a guide for when determining whether a visit to your Podiatrist is warranted.

Any injury can turn serious, especially when complicated by the above risk factors. If injured and there is any question of whether a doctor should evaluate the injury, do not hesitate and call our office.