When Does Foot Pain Necessitate an Appointment?

When Does Foot Pain Necessitate an Appointment?

One thing it seems almost every person struggles with at some point in their life is when to pick up the phone and make that dreaded call to schedule a doctors appointment. For some this is easier than for others. However, I believe it’s safe to say no one is excited to make the call. Generally what this means for most people is they’ve finally succumbed to whatever kind of ailment they’re suffering from. Our goal at the Foot & Ankle Specialists of Treasure Coast is to offer a guideline of when pain is no longer acceptable nor considered a routine ache or result of aging. To objectify something such as pain that can seem to be quite subjective we offer a few simple questions to consider when determining whether or not that foot pain is “normal”, and whether or not a call to the local podiatrist is necessary.  To many this may seem like common sense but I can’t stress enough how many patients present with pain that is ten fold due to their blind hope of the ailment spontaneously resolving.  Without further ado…the questions:

1.    Is the pain linked to a traumatic event?

 i.e. did you drop something on your foot? Were you in a car accident? Did you walk through a dark room and severely stub your toe on the bedframe?

2.    Do NSAIDs and icing only dull the pain temporarily?

i.e. has the pain been present for more than 48 hours? Is it sharp and without resolve in spite of minor intervention like NSAIDs and icing?

3.    Is the painful area severely bruised and/or discolored?

4.    Is the area of insult infected?

 i.e. hot, red, swollen, tender, odorous?

5.    Has the issue affected your regular sleep patterns?

6.    Has the issue affected the way you walk and any of your daily activities?

We strongly recommend that if you answered yes to 2 or more of any of the following 6 questions you should seek the evaluation of a podiatric physician. ***With the exception of question 4. In that case this is reason enough to see a healthcare clinician due to the potential for local infections to spread systemically and cause serious sickness and death, especially in the immunocompromised. Please keep in mind that the following is merely a list of questions, and not hard and fast rules.  For many people, any pain at all is more than enough cause to precipitate an appointment -this is never a bad rule to follow.

**This blog, and the medical information it presents is made possible by Dr. Michael Garvin of Port Saint Lucie, Florida. He has been practicing board certified podiatry for over 20 years, and accepts new patients. Visit his website for additional information here. To schedule an appointment, or find directions to his office click here.