Diagnosing and Treating Foot or Ankle Disorders

Feet play a significant role in your life. It is vital to know the condition of your feet and ankles, especially if you walk a lot. It is good to see the doctor for a diagnosis before your feet and ankles develop problems, or you can examine your own feet at least once a day. Once you notice changes on your feet or ankles, it is crucial to seek doctors’ treatment. Foot and Ankle Institute of Colorado deals with feet and ankle problems. This institute treats many common types of foot and ankle disorders.

Feet and ankle problems affect mostly adults, but it also occurs to children. These disorders include:

Fungal toenails. Toenails that are discolored and brittle may have fungus. You can incur toenail fungus if you have diabetes and circulatory problems.
Toenails that are affected by fungus change their shape and also change their color. They become dull and hard to cut. Fungal toenail infections can be treated by laser, radiatio, or medication. Laser treatment is suitable for patients who do not like oral medication. Your doctor will decide the type of treatment you will undergo according to the stage of your fungal infection. For prevention, make sure you avoid walking barefoot in public facilities such as public restrooms. It is also essential to keep your nails short to prevent fungal growth.
Ankle sprains. This develops when your ankle twists during walking or working. Twisting causes damage to the tissues around the ankle.
An ankle sprain may cause tear of tissues around your ankle. Symptoms of ankle sprain include swelling along the outside of the ankle, difficulties in walking, and pain. Treatments may consist of applying the R.I.C.E theory (Rest, ice, compression, and elevate) for quick recovery. However, surgery is done to ankle joints that are severely injured.
Hammertoe deformities. This problem is also known as claw toe or mallet toe. It is caused by the tightening of toe ligaments, leading to the buckling of the toe joints.
Warts. These are black spots that can grow anywhere on your foot. They can bleed when the callus is trimmed, cause pain, and have a cauliflower appearance. Warts are treated in several ways: burning or freezing the black dots, injecting medication in the wart, performing surgery to remove the dots, and placing medicines on top of the wart to kill the virus. However, it is difficult to make the wart dots disappear entirely.

Therapeutic massage and warm water foot bath assists you in reducing tiredness in your feet. After treatment from your doctor, it is vital to consult the physician before you take any additional medication. Use standard shoes to keep your feet in good condition and well protected.

Healthy feet enable you to complete your daily tasks without stress. Taking precautions to prevent foot and ankle problems and visiting a doctor for diagnosis keeps you in a position of fighting feet and ankle disorders.