Tag Archives: cellulitis

Foot care, Foot Care Specialist, Foot Doctor, Foot Doctor Anthony Chionis, Podiatrist

Ingrown Nails, Warts, And Athlete’s Feet.

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Ingrown Toe Nails

Foot Doctor Specialist encounters a wide range of problems during the course of the day.  One of the most common problems that a podiatrist encounters are paronychias, or better know as ingrown toe nails.  Paronychias are nails that have grown into the skin and the body treats the nail like a foreign body.  This means that the area can develop pus,  severe pain, and a possible increase in body temperature.  Sometimes, the ingrown toe nail may lead to cellulitis (skin infection) especially in patients that have various medical conditions like diabetes or heart conditions.

The end results when the patient attempts to threat the in-grown toe nail themselves.

The Foot Doctor Specialist evaluates the patient’s medical status and decides on the best course of action.  Usually the ingrown nail must be removed down to freely bleeding tissue and the area must be cleansed with an antiseptic.  The Foot Doctor Specialist will then give the patient a list of instructions for post nail removal care.

Sometimes, the Foot Doctor Specialist will administer a nerve block on the toe involved in order to remove the nail.  If the area is severely infected, the nerve block may require additional measures. The patient is usually sent home with a dressing  and is able to return to normal duties the next day.  The ingrown nail procedures that are performed are chosen on the overall clinical presentation of the patient. If the patient fails to treat this condition, the patient will experience severe pain, body infection, and possible death if left untreated.

Athlete’s Feet

The Foot Doctor Specialist can encounter a patient with tinea pedis, which is the medical term for athlete’s feet.  Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection that causes various conditions on the foot.  Usually the patient will experience an itchy rash on their feet with redness and/or flaking of the skin.  The athlete’s feet must be treated with appropriate prescription medicine that may range from topical medicines to oral medications.  The patient is also given a list of instructions involving the treatment for athlete’s feet.  Athlete’s foot is a serious condition and should be treated separately from other conditions that may seem similar to athlete’s feet. When in doubt, you should visit a Foot Doctor Specialist to check out the condition of your feet.

Warts

One of the most painful foot conditions encountered by a Foot Doctor Specialist is called verruca which is the medical terms for warts.  Warts are caused by a virus and can cause an incredible amount of pain to the patient depending on their location and size.  Just walking becomes a hardship when the wart is located under your foot and is left untreated.  Warts usually must be scraped and then acid is applied to burn out the virus.  The treatment depends on the patient’s age and severity.  Sometimes, warts may be excised in a minor surgical procedure.  The Foot Doctor Specialist will determine the best treatment for each patient.

If you are suffering from any of the above conditions, you will need a foot care specialist.  Why not call Foot  Doctor Anthony Chionis – Podiatrist at one of his locations for free consultation by phone or email him at www.doctorchionis@aol.com.

 

Diabetes, Foot care, Foot Care Specialist, Foot Doctor, Foot Doctor Anthony Chionis, Podiatrist

Diabetes And Foot Care.

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Diabetic Foot Care
Foot Doctor checking toe from a diabetes patient.
Foot Doctor checking toe from a diabetes patient experiencing discomfort.
Do people with diabetes require foot care?  The answer is yes.  A person with diabetes needs an evaluation from a Foot Doctor at least every three to six months. The foot doctor examines the patient with diabetes and looks at 4 key areas—the circulation of the foot, the neurological condition of the foot, the musculus oskeletal condition of the foot and the dermatological condition of the foot. The patient’s foot must have good blood circulation to avoid complications such as amputation.  Some of the signs would be hair loss of the foot, numbness of the foot and toes, and difficultly walking.  For this reason it is important for a diabetes patient to visit a Foot Doctor – Podiatrist.
Neurological and Musculoskeletal Condition
Foot Doctor treating a toe from a diabetes patient.
Foot Doctor treating a toe from a diabetes patient in pain with a tube foam to elevate toe discomfort.

 

The Foot Doctor checks the pedal pulses of the person with diabetes and looks at certain key points of the foot.  The Foot Doctor looks at simple things in order to assess vascular status, and then examines the neurological system of the foot.  The person with diabetes that has blood flow problems usually develops dry skin.  They may also have thin or shiny skin.  They usually start to lose hair from their toes or legs.  They also may develop thickened nails that are hard to maintain. The nails may be crumbly, misshaped or ingrown.Then the Foot Doctor examines the muscle function of all of the major muscle groups of the foot and determines if there is muscle pathology.  The Foot Doctor then examines the skeletal structure of the foot for various deformities such as hammer toes, hallux valgus, bunion and bunionettes. 
 
The person with diabetes that develops neurological problems may develop many symptoms.  The first sign is usually numbness or tingling of the toes.  They also may have extreme burning sensations especially when sleeping that awakens them.  They may develop sores or cuts on their feet and do not recall any trauma.  They must always be on the lookout for problems due to micro trauma.  These skeletal deformities may become sites of irritation and possible ulcerations in the future.

This is the result of having arthritis of the big toe and the loss of sensation to the foot. This often occurs in people that have diabetes with loss of sensation. The medical doctor recommends that patients with diabetes go to the foot specialist to avoid situations like this from occurring.
Dermatological Condition
The foot doctor also must take extra care when dealing with dermatological conditions that often affect the person with diabetes.  Onychomycosis or fungal nails may pose a very serious risk to the person with diabetes.  The person with diabetes also is at high risk for tinea pedis and possible super infection of the foot. The patient with diabetes developing infections may also have an increased healing time.  They may develop a cut or sore that takes a long time to heal.   The ingrown nail on the person with diabetes may develop into cellulitis (skin infection) that spreads to the rest of their foot.  Majority of people with diabetes are usually admitted to hospitals with foot infections. So we can conclude that a Foot Care Specialist (Podiatrist) assess the foot care of a person with diabetes like no other doctor. 

Decreased Nerve Sensation

This picture will show the effects of nerve damage from diabetes on the patients foot. The patient has decreased nerve sensation and didn’t feel the nail being loose from the nail bed. The nail kept catching on the shoe gear and tore off the bed. The patient didn’t feel the nail being torn off from the nail bed.
 
If you are suffering from any of the above conditions, you will need a foot care specialist.  Why not call Foot  Doctor Anthony Chionis – Podiatrist at one of his locations for free consultation by phone or email him at www.doctorchionis@aol.com.