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Foot Pain Signs, Symptoms &
Diagnosis
By Dave Wilson
When it comes to foot pain, everyone
is different, but the most common sign is going to be discomfort
in one or more parts of the foot. The first thing a foot pain
sufferer needs to do is to make sure the source of the pain isn’t
coming from something that isn’t easily fixed, such as an
ill-fitting pair of shoes or a high pair of heels. With those
common culprits removed from the picture, it’s a good idea
to notice things like where the pain starts and if it migrates
at all, what time of day and during what activity the pain is
most acute, a particular event
that might have caused the pain, any lingering health concerns
that might have attributed to the pain and so on.
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The symptoms of foot pain are
pretty much common sense.
Anything that you feel in your foot that isn’t right. Things
like swelling that won’t go away, random numbness for no
apparent reason in the feet, unexplained redness and either the
feet being too warm or too cold without any cause. Considering
how important your feet are to your basic health and wellbeing,
don’t’ wait for one of these specific symptoms to worsen
before you go seek the advice of a doctor.
Diagnosing foot pain is a fairly
straight-forward affair. A podiatrist, is a foot specialist,
and goes to school for a lot of years to be able to hold someone’s
foot in their hands and listen to the type of pain you’re
suffering from and be able to tell you what the problem is. You
should expect your doctor to ask you about the types of shoes
you wear and what physical activity you engage in that might
have resulted in the foot pain. If the doctor is unable to diagnose
your condition by touch, medical science has equipped the intrepid
doctor with several tools that might just do the job.
X rays are used to take a picture
of the inside of your foot using low doses of radiation. While
excessive exposure to x-rays has proven to be bad for you, getting
an x-ray once in a while won’t hurt. The x-ray can tell
the doctor if there are small breaks, fractures or fissures that
could be causing your foot pain.
MRI machines (magnetic resonance
imaging) can be used in the
same way as the x-ray to see inside your foot without having
to
cut you open. The MRI machine uses magnets to make images on
a computer screen. The doctor can then tell if there are any
problems with the bones and the soft tissue inside the foot.
It can also help pinpoint small fractures that might not be clear
on the x-ray. |
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If the doctor thinks it’s arthritis
that’s causing your foot pain, he can request a synovial
fluid analysis. Don’t let the big medical name fool you,
it’s a straight forward procedure where the doctor takes
fluid samples from the joints in the foot and tests them to see
if the surrounding joint is arthritic.
A proper diagnosis is extremely
important to ensure that you are properly treating and curing
your type of foot pain. |
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