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Skin on the feet or ankles can discolor for any number of reasons, ranging from staining from wet clothes or boots to serious medical conditions. Yet, if the discoloration isn’t immediately explainable by simple environmental factors, then it’s in your best interest to seek medical attention.
Here are some things that you should know about some of the more serious problems that could be causing your feet discoloration.
Venous insufficiency, also known as chronic venous insufficiency or chronic venous stasis, is a problem with the flow of blood from the veins of the legs back to the heart. This occurs when the valves in the veins of the leg don’t work properly, causing fluid pools to form, which can lead to other problems including varicose veins.
Venous insufficiency can be caused by blood clots, deep vein thrombosis, or high blood pressure inside the leg veins. You are more likely to have venous insufficiency if you:
Symptoms may include:
In order to treat venous insufficiency, your doctor may ask you to:
In more severe cases, you may have to undergo surgery to correct venous insufficiency. Your doctor may suggest one of the following types of surgery:
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a bacterial infection transmitted by a tick. Without prompt treatment, Rocky Mountain spotted fever can cause serious damage to internal organs, such as your kidneys and heart.
Although many people become ill within the first week after infection, signs and symptoms may not appear for up to 14 days. Symptoms can include:
People who develop Rocky Mountain spotted fever are much more likely to avoid complications if treated within five days of developing symptoms.
An ankle sprain is an injury to the tough bands of tissue (ligaments) that surround and connect the bones of the leg to the foot. The injury typically occurs when you accidentally twist or turn your ankle in an awkward way. This can stretch or tear the ligaments that hold your ankle bones and joints together.
Symptoms of an ankle sprain can include:
Treating a sprained ankle is important to promote recovery and to prevent further discomfort. If your sprain is mild, you should be able to treat it at home by:
Surgery for ankle sprains is rare, but it may be performed when the damage to the ligaments is severe or when the injury doesn’t improve with non-surgical treatment. Surgical options include:
If you’re experiencing any feet discoloration, and the cause is not immediately known to you, you should seek out medical attention. A proper diagnosis can go a long way to helping you treat and quickly recover from whatever is causing your foot discoloration.
If you have any questions or concerns about feet discoloration, book an appointment with Dr. Vikki and Dr. Connie, so that they can help you get the right answers and treatment.
You may have heard one of the many myths surrounding broken toes: that it will heal on its own, or that it’s okay as long as you can still walk on it. While reassuring, these common misconceptions are entirely false, and can have potentially severe consequences. Leaving a broken toe untreated can result in various complications, from misaligned bones and infection to arthritis and permanent foot pain. The thought of a doctor visit or hospital bill may make you cringe at first, but your feet will thank you for it in the long run.
Here is a look at the signs that your toe is broken, the dangers of avoiding treatment, and the steps you need to take to make sure your toe heals properly.
Even the smallest of accidents can result in toe trauma: dropping an object on the foot or stubbing your toe are common misfortunes that often lead to injury. Moreover, repetitive trauma to the toe over time can result in a stress fracture. While it’s tempting to try to tough it out, it’s important to listen to your pain to identify whether or not your toe is fractured.
It usually requires significant force to break a bone, although a little less so for the toes since their bones are so small. Regardless, the instance of fracture will be extremely painful. The toe will begin to swell as the fractured bone bleeds, resulting in bruising as the blood reaches the skin. You may also see blood pool beneath the toenail. In many cases an injury to the toe also involves damage to the toenail, which further increases your risk of infection should the toenail expose the tissue underneath. The fracture usually makes it extremely painful to walk, although this is not always the case. Even if you can still manage to walk on the toe, that doesn’t eliminate the possibility of a fracture.
Seek prompt medical attention if your toe shows signs of:
Leaving a broken toe untreated can have serious and long term complications, including, but not limited to:
Your podiatrist will order an X-ray to confirm a toe fracture. Once properly diagnosed, a mild toe fracture can be treated at home under the guidance of your trusted podiatrist. Home treatment essentials include elevating the foot above the level of the heart in order to decrease swelling, icing the injury for 20 minutes every 2 hours for the first 2 days, and of course rest and crutches to avoid bearing weight on the injury while you recover. OTC acetaminophen or ibuprofen should be sufficient for coping with the pain, although your doctor may prescribe a stronger medication if your fracture is severe.
If the fracture is minor or located in one of the small toes, your doctor may simply implement buddy taping, which involves taping the damaged toe to its neighbor for support while it heals. In cases where the toe fracture becomes rotated or displaced, the doctor will need to perform a reduction. This involves administering a shot of local anesthesia before realigning the toe back into its proper position.
Casting may be required in more severe fractures: where the big toe is injured, the joint is damaged, the injury involves various small toe fractures at once, or if a bone in the foot is injured in addition to the fractured toe. When wearing a cast, a sturdy shoe should be worn to provide maximum comfort and support. If all goes well, the fracture should take up to six weeks to heal.
If you have suffered injury to your feet, toes, or ankles, don’t wait for complications to arise.Schedule a consultation with trusted podiatrists Dr. Vikki and Dr. Connie at the Superior Foot & Ankle Care Center today.
Whether you’re trying to help out a friend or you’ve hurt your own foot, knowing how to properly deal with and take care of an injured foot can save you a lot of stress and problems later.
Here’s a quick how-to guide on how to properly take care of and bandage an injured foot or ankle.
If there is any blood involved, it is important to first wash your hands and put on medical gloves (if available) before applying direct pressure to the wound. If gloves aren’t available, use many layers of clean cloth, plastic bags, or the cleanest fabric available between your hands and the wound.
In order to stop the bleeding, you should:
To prevent further injury and encourage proper healing, you should make sure that you protect and compress your foot, as well as rest, ice, and elevate your injury. There are a couple different types of material that you can use to wrap and compress an injured foot or ankle, including an elastic cloth bandage and athletic tape.
If a foot or ankle injury is serious and/or life-threatening, it’s important to call an ambulance. However, if the pain is manageable and you need help in dealing with the injury and getting back on your feet as soon as possible, be sure to get in contact with Dr. Vikki and Dr. Connie today.
Itchy feet can become the bane of any day: you’re either driven mad trying to resist the urge to scratch; or by the redness, swelling, cracking, and flaking as a result of uncontrollable itching. While the cause could be something benign such as dry skin or excessive sweating, it could also indicate an infection or undiagnosed skin condition. Moreover, if left untreated, other complications could arise, such as a secondary infection.
The itching and burning will only continue to plague you until you accurately identify the source and treat it accordingly. Besides the obvious bug bites or allergic irritation, itchy feet are most commonly caused by a fungal infection or an underlying skin condition. In rare cases, itching could also suggest the presence of another medical condition, such as diabetes. Only examination from a trusted podiatrist can accurately diagnose your foot condition.
Here’s a look at the possible causes of itchy feet, treatment, and prevention tips to keep your feet feeling fresh.
When itchy feet are the main symptom, fungal infection is usually the primary suspect: specifically, tinea pedis, or athlete’s foot. Constant exposure to sweat and bacteria, in addition to walking barefoot on contaminated surfaces, make your feet the ideal breeding ground for fungal infection.
Athlete’s foot is an extremely contagious fungal infection which is easily spread through contact with infected surfaces, usually in damp spaces such as showers and gym locker rooms. In fact, it can even be spread through shared towels or linens. The first sign of infection is a dry, scaly rash that causes unbearable itching on the bottoms of the feet and between the toes. While the symptoms can be abated by certain over-the-counter creams, only a podiatrist can effectively cure you of the infection. Once cured, vigilant prevention should be practiced to avoid re-infection.
A number of skin conditions can lead to insatiable itching of the feet.
Eczema: Eczema can affect most parts of the body, but dyshidrotic eczema specifically affects the feet and hands. It is characterized by tiny itchy blisters formed on the soles of the feet, which then dry and cause cracking on the skin. If not properly cared for, the exposed skin can become vulnerable to infection. Since dyshidrotic eczema can share symptoms with other skin conditions, a skin sample will likely be taken for proper diagnosis.
Contact dermatitis: Contact dermatitis is a skin irritation that results from contact with an allergen or irritant, which appears similar to a rash. Allergic contact dermatitis is caused by skin exposure to an allergen, triggering an allergic reaction in the affected area. Irritant contact dermatitis is distinct in that it does not involve the immune system, but is instead the result of skin damage caused by exposure to an irritant that rids your skin of its protective surface oils. Common triggers of contact dermatitis include poison ivy, latex, nickel, chemical fragrances, topical medications, and leather.
Psoriasis: Psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder which causes rapid skin cell turnover, resulting in incredibly itchy and scaly dry patches called plaques. The plaques are the result of layers of new skin cells rising so quickly that the dead skin piles atop the surface, rather than gradually sloughing off, form dry patches of thickened skin. Plaques are commonly found on the bottoms of the feet, as well as the elbows and knees.
Here are a few potential, albeit less likely, perpetrators of itchy feet:
The feet are constantly plagued by bacteria, and need to be cleaned just like your hands. To keep your feet comfortable and fresh, follow these basic hygiene tips:
If you suspect an infection is already present, schedule an examination with a reputable podiatrist right away.
If itchy feet are wreaking havoc on your life, schedule a consultation with esteemed podiatrists Dr. Vikki and Dr. Connie at the Superior Foot & Ankle Care Center today.
There are some professions out there that cause a lot of stress to the arches, balls and heels of the feet, which can lead to other spinal and back discomfort issues, fatigue, and various mental health problems. Health care professionals, construction, hairdressing, office jobs, as well as landscaping jobs are all very different professions with this commonality—all are very stressful for the feet and can cause foot problems and pain.
Hospitals are one of the busiest public places where employees work long hours. Nurses and doctors are always on the move during their long shifts, walking miles each day to serve and assist their patients. This can lead to numerous foot problems such as bunions, flat feet, ingrown nails, and heel spurs.
The foot has dozens of bones, joints, muscles, nerves, blood vessels, tendons, and layers of connective tissue. When working in the health care profession and working those long hours on your feet, the body tissues in your feet can become very stressed, achy, and swollen. If there is prolonged inflammation, this will actually form scar tissue and tire out the bones of the feet.
For those that work in the healthcare profession, be sure to wear comfortable, arch-supportive shoes with shock-absorbing soles, and get them fitted by a professional to make sure they are exactly right for your feet.
Construction work is a heavy-duty, active profession that puts a lot of strain on the entire body, including the feet. Construction workers have to work in very challenging weather and circumstances and are on their feet for their entire day besides some small breaks. They are required to bend and lift and tend to end their shifts very exhausted and, sometimes, in pain.
The most common injury experienced by construction workers are ankle and foot injuries. Construction workers often develop flat feet or severely painful arch problems that can hinder their performance and their lifestyle outside of work.
Construction workers should invest in good footwear, such as steel-toe boots, that are a high quality brand able to prevent blisters, calluses, and protect the feet from anything heavy that could fall on them. Weeks before working in new boots, it’s key to break them in as much as possible.
If construction workers experience a foot injury, they should take days off to recover and see a medical professional like a podiatrist who can identify the problem and prevent further pain and injury.
A great tip is to freeze a bottle of water before heading out to work. When you get home, roll your feet over the frozen bottle. Not only will this exercise reduce inflammation and pain, but also the motion of the rolling will get the blood moving in your feet.
Hairdressers often complain of foot pain at work, and this can result from repetitive straining motions; but also from a lack of supporting your feet and preventing foot problems well before pain and problems occur. If you are a hairdresser, try to remember to not lean on one dominant side when cutting hair.
Try to ground yourself and distribute your weight evenly on both of your feet. This will prevent pinched nerves and developing uneven arches.
Another way to prevent foot problems is to exercise and have a balanced diet. The more weight you carry, the more strain that’s placed on your feet, legs, and back. It’s simple—the more you weigh, the harder it is for you to be standing on your feet day all day.
Invest in a rubber mat for your chair and work space area. This will prevent developing foot problems and will keep your back healthy, too. Wear good shoes with less than a 1.5-inch heel to avoid severe heel pain. Absorbent pads and laces on the body of the shoe can help provide optimal support. Consider orthotics if you’re already experiencing foot pain as this will alleviate and correct current problems.
Healthy feet are the key to a healthy life. Talk to a podiatrist professional such as the great team at the Superior Foot and Ankle Care Center and learn more about what you can do to keep your feet healthy.
Have you ever noticed that your child walks with their feet turned inward? Does this worry you? It is possible that your child has pigeon toe. But before you start stressing out with worry, here are some things that you need to know about pigeon toe and what might be causing the problem.
Pigeon toe (also known as in-toeing, false clubfoot, in-toe gait, metatarsus adductus, or metatarsus varus) is a condition that causes the toes to point inward. This condition is common in infants and young children. If your child is pigeon toed, it doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with their feet, and it is not necessarily a problem. The term merely refers to the way the toes point when walking.
Pigeon toe isn’t painful of bothersome, nor is it known to cause other medical problems such as arthritis. Some of the symptoms of pigeon toe are:
Pigeon toe can have a few different causes that are normal variations in the way the legs and feet line up. The three conditions that can cause pigeon toe are: metatarsus adductus, tibial torsion, and femoral anteversion.
This occurs when the foot tends to resemble a kidney, or when the metatarsus adductus has an inward curve at the outer edge of the foot.
If your child has this condition, you will probably notice it while they’re still a baby. Sometimes your doctor might try braces or special shoes while the child is still a baby (six to nine months old) to help the bones grow straight.
This condition will not clear up on its own. It requires treatment which will vary depending on whether the condition is flexible or fixed. Most flexible cases respond well to passive stretching, bracing, or specialized shoes, where as fixed types require serial plaster casting (casts on the feet and lower legs that are usually put on before the child is eight months of age).
If the treatment for flexible cases doesn’t work, then your child will be re-evaluated to make sure that they don’t have club-foot instead of metatarsus adductus. Surgical correction may be necessary, especially in cases of club-foot.
This occurs when there is an inward twist of the tibia (shin) bone. This is commonly seen in children learning to walk (under two years of age).
Even with the twisted shin bone, the knees will still point straight ahead. This condition may be a result of the baby’s position in the mother’s womb before being born.
Usually the leg will straighten out within the first year of life as the baby starts pulling up and standing, but some children may continue to walk pigeon-toed until the leg bone is done growing. Surgery may be necessary for children who don’t outgrow this condition by the age of 10.
This occurs when there is an inward twist at the upper thighbone. The kneecap tends to point inward when the child is walking.
Most children show this form of pigeon toe between the ages of two and four, after they have begun walking. Children with a twisted thigh bone often sit with their legs crossed, and the best way to treat this condition is to have them sit in a chair with their legs uncrossed. This condition usually clears up by itself, but it may take one to three years for the thigh bone to straighten. Generally, a child will outgrow this condition by age eight.
While pigeon toe usually corrects itself as the hip bones strengthen, there is a chance that, in some young children, the hip bones may remain weak or the shin bones of the lower legs might turn in. Treatments for this may include physiotherapy, with exercises such as:
Before you try to diagnosis your child’s pigeon toe on your own, you should make an appointment with a qualified podiatrist. Book a consultation with Dr. Vikki and Dr. Connie today so that they can help you figure out the right treatment plan for your child’s pigeon toe.
Foot Inflammation is the body’s attempt to fend off foreign, invasive objects, including bacteria or viruses. In other words, inflammation is an immunological response to remove potentially harmful foreign stimuli and to heal the site of invasion.
Inflammation often begins with irritation, and is then followed by suppuration (pus discharge). Then there is the granulation stage – the formation in wounds of tiny, rounded masses of tissue during healing.
Symptoms of inflammation include redness, swelling, pain, localized stiffness, and loss of functions. These symptoms may not often be concurrently present. Inflammation may also cause flu-like symptoms including fever, chills, fatigue or lethargy, headache, loss of appetite, and muscle stiffness.
Foot inflammation is caused by injury, overuse, or other conditions causing inflammation of the bones, ligaments, or tendons in the foot. A list of common causes for foot pain can include, but are not limited to, the following:
As necessary and inevitable as it is that we rely on our feet for mobility to engage in daily activities, there are many ways in which we can care for our feet so they continue to support us without causing us pain:
If you’ve taken the above steps and find that your foot inflammation is not alleviating itself, be sure to get in contact with Dr. Vikki and Dr. Connie today.
Do you find that you often have back or joint pain? Has anyone ever told you that you have terrible posture? The two are connected, and both have a lot to do with your feet.
Improper foot alignment can cause an array of problems, but you don’t have to live with them forever. Here are some quick tips on how to fix your posture by focusing on your feet.
Before you can learn how to fix your posture by focusing on your feet, it is important that you understand the feet themselves. Each foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments. The foot is divided into three parts: the hind foot (the ankle bone and the heel bone), the mid foot (a group of five irregular bones in the arch of the foot), and the forefoot (the metatarsals and toes).
Our feet move in different ways:
Correct distribution of weight in your feet can help give your body optimal postural alignment.
Two of the most common foot problems that can affect your posture are pigeon toes and duck feet.
Pigeon Toes
Cause: Weak glutes (butt muscles) and overactive tensor fasciae latae (outside of your hip).
Fix: Lie on one side with your knees bent 90 degrees and your heels together. Keeping your hips still, raise your top knee upward, separating your knees like a clamshell. Pause for five seconds, then lower your knee to the starting position. That’s one rep. Perform two or three sets of 12 reps on each side daily.
Duck Feet
Cause: Weak oblique muscles and hip flexors, and overactive piriformis and the other deep external rotators (muscles really deep in your hip attaching the femur to your sacrum).
Fix: Get into a push-up position with your feet resting on a stability ball. Without rounding your lower back, tuck your knees under your torso, using your feet to roll the ball toward your body, then back to the starting position. That’s one rep. Do two or three sets of six to 12 reps daily.
While exercising your feet can definitely help with your overall posture, you should also consider making small changes to your everyday life. Some of the things that you can do include:
Since fixing the way your feet take your weight can help correct your overall posture, it is important that you have your feet properly examined by an experienced podiatrist. Book an appointment with Dr. Vikki and Dr. Connie today, so that they can help you get your feet back on the right track.
A foot fracture occurs when one or more of the 26 bones of the foot break as a result of either a sudden trauma or chronic overuse. In general, foot fractures come in two broad categories:
There are, in addition, different types of bone fractures depending on their nature:
If you suspect that a fracture might have occurred, it is best to err on the side of caution and apply first aid treatment to the affected foot. The acronym RICE can help you remember what to do in such a situation:
Rest: Rest the affected area. Stay off the injured foot until it can be fully evaluated. Walking, running, or playing sports on an injured foot may exacerbate the injury.
Ice: Apply ice to the affected area as soon as possible, and reapply it for 15–20 minutes every three or four hours for the first 48 hours after injury. Ice helps decrease inflammation.
Compression: Wrap an elastic bandage around the affected foot. The wrapping should be snug, but not so tight as to cut off circulation.
Elevation: Elevate the affected extremity; ideally, your foot should be elevated higher than your chest/heart area. Keeping your foot elevated decreases blood flow to the area, and thus decreases swelling.
Using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen can help relieve pain and reduce swelling.
If you notice increased pain, swelling, bruising, redness, or difficulty walking after an injury, you should see a podiatrist immediately. A podiatrist will take a complete medical history while examining your foot to look for areas of tenderness by applying gentle pressure directly to the injured bone. Often, the key to diagnosing a stress fracture is the patient’s report of pain in response to this pressure.
The podiatrist may then order tests, including an X-ray, ultrasound, or MRI, to determine the extent of your injury. You may not need further testing beyond an X-ray if it clearly indicates the location of the fracture. Otherwise, ultrasounds and MRIs will be useful for finding soft issue injuries (including torn ligaments) and fractures that might not have shown in an X-ray.
Treatment for a foot fracture will depend on your injury. If you have a broken bone, your podiatrist may attempt to reduce the fracture by lining up the ends of the bones so they can heal properly (reduction). You’ll be given a local anesthetic to numb the area should this be your treatment option.
An unstable fracture in which the ends of the bone do not stay in place after a reduction may require surgery. Internal fixation is the procedure during which pins, screws, and/or metal plates are used to hold the small bones of the foot together during the healing process.
Your podiatrist may recommend that you use crutches to keep weight off your foot until the pain subsides. Other recommendations for caring for your injury during the healing process include:
Modified activities. It typically takes from 6 to 8 weeks for a stress fracture to heal. During that time, switch to activities that place less stress on your foot and leg. Swimming and cycling are good alternative activities; although you should not resume any type of physical activity that involves your injured foot or ankle – even if it is low impact – without your podiatrist’s recommendation.
Protective footwear. To reduce stress on your foot and leg, your podiatrist may recommend wearing protective footwear. This may be a stiff-soled shoe, a wooden-soled sandal, or a removable short-leg fracture brace shoe.
Casting. Stress fractures in some of the bones of the foot, such as the fifth metatarsal bone (on the outer side of the foot), take longer to heal. Your podiatrist may apply a cast to your foot to keep your bones in a fixed position and to remove the stress on your involved leg.
If you believe you’ve suffered a fracture anywhere in either of your feet, be sure to get in contact with Dr. Vikki and Dr. Connie at the Superior Foot and Ankle Care Center.
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