Surprisingly, the feet can tell a lot about a person’s overall health – good or bad. While our main focus is your lower extremities, our podiatrists in Boca Raton and in our other clinics throughout South Florida understand that to offer the best patient care, we must pursue a whole body approach.
There are a couple situations where your swollen feet, ankles and legs are not a cause for concern. If you just spent the last eight hours on your feet or if you are pregnant, you might expect your lower extremities to swell from time to time.
One of the most common causes of pain in the heel of the foot is plantar fasciitis (Plan-tur Fas-e-I-tis). The plantar fascia is a thick band of tissues that is located on the bottom of the foot, connecting the heel bone to the toes. When this band of tissues becomes irritated and inflamed it is known as the plantar fasciitis.
Nobody wants toe fungus. It can cause your toenails to smell, become misshapen or turn yellow. Despite the unsightly symptoms, there’s no reason to be ashamed of the fungus, as there are over three million cases of it each year. Though seeking toe fungus treatment from your podiatrist is not always necessary, you may want to consider it if your condition is not responding to at-home treatments.
Your plantar fascia is a ligament that connects the front of your foot to your heel. Its main role is to support your foot arch and assist with walking, subjecting the ligament to a lot of wear and tear over the years.
If the lower half of your calf hurts, you’re not alone. Over 200,000 people visit a doctor every year due to Achilles heel pain. While the Achilles tendon is very strong, it is not very flexible. When it is stretched too far the tendon can become inflamed, which is known as Achilles tendonitis, or it can tear.
You may realize how your daily habits can impact your feet. As your body’s foundation, what you do, and don’t do regularly, could be causing long-term damage to the structure and function of your lower extremities. While your podiatrist may commonly tell you all the things you should be doing to keep your feet happy and healthy, here are some surprising habits they wish you’d give up.
