After the foot and ankle specialist near Sugar Land repairs your ankle injury, it might take you a while to get back onto your feet. If you need surgery to repair your injury, you can expect a recovery time of at least a month.

Once the surgery is complete, the healing time depends on the severity of the injury and the health of the individual. Some patients say they do not feel completely like themselves for a year after the surgery.

Learn more about ankle injuries and surgeries in this video. If you do injure your ankle, you should visit a specialist to make sure you do not need further treatment.

An ingrown toenail is a nail with corners that dig into the soft tissues of the surrounding skin, which can cause irritation and swelling. Keep reading to learn more about the treatment and how ingrown toenail treatment near Sugar Land can help you find relief:

The Causes of Ingrown Toenails
There are many factors that could contribute to this uncomfortable foot condition. Cutting the toenails too short or rounding the corners might lead to an ingrown toenail. Some people are more likely to develop this condition because it runs in their family. Wearing tight shoes that crowd the toes could also increase the risk for dealing with an ingrown toenail. Normal activities that cause repeated trauma might also lead to this condition.

Brief At-Home Relief for Ingrown Toenails
If you have an ingrown toenail and are in otherwise good health, you can soak the affected food in warm salt water. After you have let the foot soak, you should dry it off completely, put on an antiseptic, and place a bandage over the area. You can take ibuprofen or acetaminophen to try to relieve the pain. Rest your foot when you can and wear comfortable, loose shoes. If the area around the toenail does not feel better within 2-3 days, you should call your doctor. If you have diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, or other circulatory issues, you should not try to treat the toenail at home and should instead see your podiatrist.

Help from the Foot Specialist
The best way to deal with an ingrown toenail is to visit the podiatrist. The doctor can look at the area to determine if more aggressive treatment is needed to fix it. If a patient has a lot of swelling, inflammation, pain, or discharge, the doctor might give you a prescription for antibiotics to lower your risk for infection before partially or completely removing the nail. If you have consistent pain around the ingrown toenail, you should schedule a consultation with a foot specialist to find out how you can get rid of your pain.

Keeping your feet healthy is an important aspect of your overall health. Use the following tips and work closely with your podiatrist in Sugar Land to maintain good foot health throughout your life:

Avoid Dirty, Wet Feet
A lot of fungal problems develop when you do not pay attention to the hygiene of your feet. Whenever you shower, you should spend some time cleaning and scrubbing your feet and dry them well when you are finished. If your shoes and socks get wet, you should change them so fungal organisms do not have a chance to grow.

Know Your Feet
You should occasionally glance at your feet to make sure they look normal. Check out the heels and the areas in between your toes to see if you notice any scaling or peeling that might be a sign of a condition like athlete’s foot. Pay attention to your toenails to see if you notice any discoloration.

Cut Your Toenails
If you do not properly cut your toenails, you could be at risk for conditions like ingrown toenails. It is important to use a nail clipper and to cut the nail straight across. Do not cut the nails too short or round out the corners. If you are unsure about how to properly cut your toenails, you can schedule an appointment with your podiatrist to learn the right technique.

Cover Your Feet
Whenever you walk through a public area, you should have some kind of protection on your feet. Bring shower shoes to the gym or a dorm so you do not come into contact with harmful bacteria or fungi that might cause uncomfortable infections. You should also wear shoes when you walk through locker rooms or around public pools. Avoid sharing footwear or you could inadvertently spread fungal infections.

Wear Shoes that Fit
Ill-fitting footwear can do a lot of damage to your feet and might lead to long-term problems like bunions. It is very important to take the time to find shoes that fit properly. Make sure there is plenty of room for your toes and that the heel provides support.

Bunions are lumps of bones and tissues that develop on the outside of the joint as a result of abnormal stress on the joint. Without bunion treatment in Sugar Land, the bunion will continue to grow.

Bunions cause the enlargement of the first metatarsal, which is supposed to distribute the weight evenly during movement. Wearing tight, high-heeled shoes can cause bunions. Bunions might become swollen and inflamed, which could lead to pain and trouble walking.

Learn more about bunions in this video. If you have a bunion, you should schedule an appointment with a foot specialist to learn about treatment.

Although bunion treatment in Sugar Land is mostly effective, there is a chance that the bunion can return after the procedure is complete. If your bunion is back and it is causing you to have lingering issues of pain and discomfort, your doctor might want to perform reconstruction surgery. Keep reading to learn more about the procedure to find out how it can help you get bunion relief:

The Point of the Surgery
Reconstruction surgery is used to get rid of any lingering pain or deformities that might still exist on the toe. If there is arthritis present in the area, the doctor might need to do a different procedure to find out why the first bunion removal went wrong. If you still have a bunion or pain after your initial procedure, you should schedule another consultation with your podiatrist to see if you need surgery to fully get rid of the problem.

The Surgical Process
If your doctor recommends surgery, you should expect the procedure to take a little longer than the first. The doctor usually makes an incision near the first toe and another one near the arch of the foot. Depending on the location of your issue, the doctor can either use the bone cut technique or a fusion. If you get the fusion, you will need hardware like plates or screws to keep the fusion in place. You should stay off the foot as much as possible to allow it to heal and avoid another issue after the surgery.

The Surgical Recovery
You must wear a brace or a shoe once the surgery is complete to speed up the healing process. Your surgeon will talk to you about the amount of time you should rest before you can put weight back onto your foot. The sutures usually stay in for about two weeks. Talk to your surgeon about when you should schedule a follow-up visit to remove the sutures and to check on the healing process.

Ganglion cysts in Sugar Land are commonly seen benign soft-tissue masses. They develop under the surface of the skin and usually occur on the wrist or on the top of the foot. Keep reading to learn more about the symptoms and treatments for these cysts so you can work with your podiatrist to get rid of them:

A Visible Lump
Ganglion cysts are very visible and tend to look like a knot or a large lump. If you press it with a certain motion, it will move easily beneath the skin. If you notice any unusual lumps on your wrist or your feet, you should schedule an appointment with your doctor to see if it is a ganglion cyst.

A Tingling or Burning Sensation
Ganglion cysts can develop near a nerve, which might cause certain pain and discomfort. If your cyst tingles or burns, it is a sign that it is touching a nerve. Talk to your doctor about the lump and get an exam to find out if it is a ganglion cyst.

A Dull Pain or Ache
These cysts might also rest against a tendon or a joint. If they are located in this position, they might lead to a dull pain or a consistent ache. Do not overlook this discomfort. The cyst might make it uncomfortable to wear shoes, especially if it is in a spot where the shoe touches it easily. If you have any of these symptoms , you should schedule an appointment with your doctor.

Treatment for the Cyst
If your doctor determines that you have a ganglion cyst, there are a few different available treatment options. If your cyst is not painful, the doctor might simply choose to monitor it. He or she might also suggest that you wear different kinds of shoes to try to minimize your discomfort. If your cyst is uncomfortable, the doctor can try to aspirate it by placing a needle inside to drain the fluid. Some people get the cyst again after it is aspirated. If this happens to you, the doctor might want to do surgery to completely remove it.

Flat feet are the result of a muscle imbalance that is passed down through families. A person with flat feet is more likely to develop other issues like hammertoes, bunions, lower body fatigue, and calf pain. If you have flat feet in Sugar Land , the foot and ankle specialist can help you correct the problem. Keep reading to find out how:

Reconstructive surgery gives the podiatrist the chance to reshape the foot to help a patient regain function and stability. This surgery can also reduce pain and lower the risk for other foot issues. The surgery is often accompanied by tendon repair, bone fusion, joint implantation, or soft tissue repair to ensure that the patient regains full use of the foot.

If you have flat feet, you should talk to your podiatrist about surgical treatments to find out if they are the right option for you. The foot specialist will give you a thorough exam to find out the best way to correct your issues.