The Role of a Foot Doctor: Understanding the Scope of Foot Care

Many people neglect their foot health even though the feet withstand so much stress, pressure, wear, and tear during an average day. One of the doctors you should see regularly if you do a lot of work on your feet or if you’re an athlete is a podiatrist. Understand the role of a foot doctor and make plans to see Dr. Keith Rosenthal, or a member of The Foot and Ankle Center in Howell and Brick, NJ.

What Encompasses Foot Care?

Caring for the feet is an important part of overall body care that requires regular attention from both you and your podiatrist. Foot care includes:

• Preventative maintenance activities (washing, moisturizing, and clipping the toenails properly).
• Check the feet for cracks, calluses, skin growths (like plantar warts), ingrown toenails, wounds, and ulcers.
• Foot massage and soaking for pain relief.
• Diagnosing and treating common foot ailments, like plantar fasciitis and bunions.

The Role of a Doctor in Foot Care

Some foot conditions can be managed at home with over-the-counter products, stretching, and intermittent rest. But there comes a time when you will need to see a Howell and Brick, NJ, foot doctor for professional care. The podiatrist’s role is to intervene before a foot condition becomes so painful that a patient is unable to walk normally or participate in normal daily physical activities. A foot doctor can take X-ray images of the feet, prescribe medication, create custom foot devices, refer the patient to physical therapists for rehabilitation, and perform surgical procedures.

Common Foot Treatments

The treatment for your foot problem will vary depending on the diagnosis, but these are some of the common solutions:

• Creating customized orthotic inserts that are shaped specifically for your feet.
• Corticosteroid injections for foot pain.
• Professional toenail clipping for diabetic patients.
• Therapeutic exercises for the feet.
• Bunion surgery to realign the toe joints.
• Ligament repair for flat feet or plantar fasciitis (called plantar fascia release surgery).

Call a Podiatrist for Foot Care

You probably spend most of your waking hours standing or walking, which is why you should spend more time thinking about your foot health. Call (732) 833-2800 or (732) 477-0441 today for an appointment to have your feet looked at by a foot doctor at The Foot and Ankle Center in Howell and Brick, NJ. Dr. Keith Rosenthal or a staff member helps patients of all ages with common foot-related conditions.