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Your Houston podiatrist must use various diagnostic tools in order to create the optimal treatment plan for your needs. The exact tools used will depend on your food doctor’s preference and the nature of the condition. Keep reading to learn about the diagnostic tools that are used in podiatry.

X-rays have always been popular diagnostic tools. They help your foot specialist determine whether a bone in your foot has been broken, fractured, or otherwise injured. They are also useful in assessing bone growth in children as well as finding out whether infections or diseases have caused changes in the bone. This procedure is done quickly, and is typically completed within ten minutes. Another diagnostic tool that your foot specialist may use is ultrasound, or musculoskeletal ultrasonography. Whereas x-rays are effective in diagnosing complications in bones, ultrasound is the preferred technique when the issue has to do with soft tissue. This tool can be used to diagnose conditions like heel spurs, tendonitis, or plantar fasciitis.

As a foot doctor, your podiatrist has several diagnostic tools at his or her disposal. X-rays are typically used when there is a problem with the bone, while ultrasound is used for soft tissue.

Many different types of medical procedures are shrouded in myth, and bunion surgery is no exception. Fortunately, the negative myths that you typically hear about bunion removal are typically false. If you want to know more about bunion surgery, keep reading and then talk to your Houston podiatrist.

Myth: You will miss too much work

The physical demands of your workplace performance vary immensely from job to job. The amount of work you will miss also depends on the type of surgery and the advice of your podiatrist for your specific case. If you spend the majority of your time in the workplace sitting at a desk, you can likely return to work within a few short weeks. Talk to your foot specialist before the procedure to determine a probable timetable for your return to your job.

Myth: Bunion surgery is more painful than other surgeries

There is no reason to believe that this type of bunion treatment is more painful than any other type of surgery. If you do not keep your foot elevated after the surgery, you will likely experience pain; this is due to the fact that your foot is naturally much lower than your heart. The feet are filled with blood as you stand up, which can be painful after having surgery on your foot. Talk to your foot doctor about pain management techniques and medications that you can use to stay out of pain after you undergo your bunion treatment.

Myth: You will spend a lot of time in a cast

Thanks to modern advancements in surgical equipment and procedures, you will not necessarily need a cast or crutches after your bunion surgery. For less severe bunions, your foot specialist will typically have you use a surgical shoe for six weeks. Even if your foot doctor decides you should be in a cast, which happens for larger bunions, medical technology will have you mobile in just a couple of weeks.

Modern bunion surgery can have you back at work in as little as two weeks. The surgery is not any more painful than other surgeries, and typically will not leave you in a cast.

Heel spurs can be very painful, and this can discourage sufferers from being active. If you experience pain in your heel, talk to your Sugar Land podiatrist or foot specialist about heel spur treatment. Watch this video for a look at how heel spurs are treated.

Heel spurs develop gradually, and can come to be very painful; the condition resembles walking with a pebble under your foot, but the disturbance is actually a part of your heel. There are a number of treatments for heel spurs. Your foot doctor may inject the area with cortisol, apply a friction massage, or call for a custom orthotic. A custom orthotic provides cushioning so that the heel spur does not bear weight.

Podiatrists are specialist foot doctors who can provide services such as bunion surgery and heel spur treatment. Talk to your podiatrist about treatment options if you suffer from heel spurs or bunions.

How to Treat Heel Spurs

In addition to conditions like bunions, plantar fasciitis, and heel spurs, feet are also susceptible to toenail fungus. There are a few different reasons you might be experiencing this unwanted growth, but your Houston podiatrist is prepared to help alleviate your symptoms. Keep reading to examine the causes of toenail fungus.

Footwear

If you are experiencing toenail fungus, your footwear may be to blame. The ideal environment for fungus is moist and devoid of sunlight. If you, like most adult Americans, wear shoes throughout the duration of most days, you may be creating a breeding ground for toenail fungus. This is especially true if you wear constricting socks that do not allow your feet to breathe and tight shoes that may facilitate sweat. Try switching to thinner socks and looser shoes, or even sandals once in a while.

Being Barefoot

While constricting footwear can cause toenail fungus, so can a lack of footwear. There are plenty of places where you can pick up fungi on contact if you walk around barefoot. Places where this may be prevalent include public showers and swimming pools as well as lockers. These places are prone to fungi because there is plenty of moisture and darkness off of which the fungi can survive. If you have any scratch, scrape, or cut on your foot, avoid walking around these areas without some sort of footwear.

Uncontrollable Factors

Unfortunately, there are a few uncontrollable factors that make you more likely to suffer from toenail fungus than other people, even if you are a foot doctor yourself. One of these factors is age; individuals who are over the age of 60 are more likely to develop the condition. Additionally, men are at greater risk than women. Even genetics play a role, as a family history indicates a greater likelihood of developing toenail fungus.

If you tend to wear tight socks and shoes throughout the day or spend too much time barefoot, you may be at greater risk for toenail fungus. Older males are also more susceptible. Talk to your foot doctor or foot specialist if you experience this condition so that you can develop a treatment plan.