Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects how your body uses and processes blood sugar. One of the main symptoms of diabetes is nerve pain, creating numbness in the hands and feet (peripheral neuropathy). If you have diabetes, it’s important that you regularly see a podiatrist. The nerve damage prevents blood from reaching your feet, making it hard to notice when you have a foot injury. A podiatrist can help treat any injuries and foot conditions while also providing you with preventive care. 
Onychomycosis is the technical term for toenail fungus. It’s when fungus gets under the nail and causes an infection. You’ll notice that the nail changes color and starts emitting an odor. If left untreated, the infection can spread to the other toes and even the fingers. The best thing to do is to schedule an appointment with your local podiatrist. 
A podiatrist can help you with a variety of conditions that affect the feet, including Morton’s neuroma. A neuroma is the thickening of nerve tissue in the body, with Morton's neuroma specifically happening in the ball of the foot. It’s caused by an irritation in the nerve between the third and fourth toes. Patients experience pain while walking, with a burning, tingling, or numbness. - Trauma or injury to the foot, damaging the nerve and resulting in swelling.
- Improper footwear, like shoes that squeeze the foot together. High heels also increase pressure on the vulnerable areas.
- Recurring stress to the feet through repeated physical activities or exercise. This is common with patients who are constantly on their feet due to their job.
- Deformities of the foot, like a high arch or flat foot. These lead to instability throughout the foot.
- Taping and padding: This is a special type of tape and bandages that you place on the bottom of the foot. This helps with your symptoms.
- Orthotics: These are the custom shoes that your podiatrist can create for you.
- Medication: Cortisone injections reduce the pain and inflammation in the foot. Anti-inflammatory drugs also reduce your swelling.
- Surgery is the last resort for treatment. The procedure is done on an outpatient basis. The injured nerve is removed and recovery takes a few weeks.
Protect your feet from heel pain by following these simple, everyday tips.
Heel pain is incredibly common, as most people will deal with this problem at some point during their lifetime. Fortunately, at Affiliates in Podiatry in Concord and Meredith, NH, we're here to help. Read on to learn of some ways to prevent heel pain from occurring to you.
Wear Properly Fitted and Appropriate Shoes
While you may love sporting high heels or whatever shoes are in season, the problem is that many dress shoes don’t provide feet with enough support. It’s important that you are shopping for the right shoes for your chosen sport or profession. For example, nurses and people who are on their feet most of the day need to wear shoes that provide ample cushioning and support. The type of sport you play will also determine the type of athletic footwear you’ll need to wear.
Take time to truly find the right shoes for your lifestyle and activity level. Talk to a shoe specialist at your local shoe store, who can measure your feet and provide you with recommendations.
Consider Custom Orthotics
While finding the right shoes can provide your feet, particularly your heels, with support and cushioning, it’s also important to reduce shock absorption. Whether you are prone to heel pain or not, our Concord, NH, foot doctors can examine your feet and determine whether you could benefit from customized shoe inserts. These inserts are fashioned to your feet providing you with additional support and shock absorption to reduce your risk for plantar fasciitis.
Slowly Amp Up Workouts
If you run or workout, it’s particularly important that you are listening to your feet and not putting them through too much stress and abuse. That’s why it’s important to incorporate new workouts gradually, rather than immediately increasing miles, speed, or intensity. If you suddenly go from running on a treadmill to running outdoor trails, you will need to decrease your mileage until your feet become accustomed to the rocky, uneven terrain.
It’s also important to incorporate rest days into your weekly workout routine, especially if you’re someone who participates in high-impact or high-intensity sports. Cross-training is key to reducing heel pain and injury, so make sure that you are adding low-impact workouts such as swimming or biking into the mix.
Our Concord and Meredith Meredith, NH, offices are now opened during the pandemic. The doctors are treating heel pain and providing comprehensive foot and ankle care at this time. Affiliates in Podiatry is also providing telemedicine visits, so patients can still get care from a medical professional without leaving the house. We also offer curbside pickup of supplies and orders. To schedule an appointment or telemedicine visit please call our Concord, NH, office at (603) 225-5281 or our Meredith office at (603) 279-0330
Exercise is an important aspect of keeping our bodies healthy and happy. That’s why it’s so important to wear the correct shoes for certain activities. Whether you’re an athlete, workout buff, or enjoy walking and hiking, you need the proper footwear. It makes the difference between enjoying your favorite activities and sitting out with an avoidable injury. Talk to your podiatrist to have your feet evaluated for your future workout needs.- Running requires shoes with shock absorption. Your feet take on a lot of pressure and friction. Cushioning your shoes in the correct areas keeps you from feeling the pain.
- Traction is important in sports that need quick changes in direction and sprinting, like basketball. Traction should never be too high or low. The right shoes keep you from slipping on the floor while letting you move and pivot.
- Ankle support is a must. It limits the side-to-side movement that knocks your ankle out of alignment. This kind of support keeps ankle sprains at bay. For sports like basketball, hockey, skiing, and skating, make sure that your shoes aren’t too high. Otherwise, they will dig into your Achilles tendon. You can also wear soft ankle braces.
- Arch support varies for everyone. Your podiatrist can test your foot to determine your gait. Depending on the results, your podiatrist can recommend orthotics or special shoe inserts.
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