The Role of a Podiatrist on Your Healthcare Team
A podiatrist is an important part of your healthcare team, caring for your feet, toes, and ankles. Foot, toe, and ankle conditions can affect your mobility, which affects your overall health and your quality of life. Dr. James Kent at East Texas Foot & Ankle Centers in Tyler, TX, provides comprehensive footcare services, to help you stay healthy.
What You Need To Know About Podiatry Services
Let’s look at the role of a podiatrist in your healthcare team. A podiatrist can diagnose and treat ankle conditions, including:
- Lateral ankle instability
- Ankle sprains
- Ankle fractures
- Achille’s tendon injuries
Your ankles help support your weight and keep you moving, so proper treatment of ankle conditions needs to be done by a podiatrist. Depending on the ankle condition, a podiatrist may recommend:
- Splints, casts, walking boots, and other devices to help you stay mobile
- Surgery to repair torn ligaments, tendons, and broken bones
- Custom orthotics and footwear to help support your ankles
Our podiatrist is also an expert at diagnosis and treatment of foot conditions, including:
- Bunions
- Heel pain
- Fallen arches
- Plantar fasciitis
Your feet help cushion the impact of walking, running, and standing, protecting your legs and back, so proper foot care should be done by a podiatrist. Depending on the foot condition, a podiatrist may recommend:
- Surgery to remove a bunion
- Shock wave therapy to eliminate heel pain
- Custom orthotics to support your feet and help with foot pain
A podiatrist can also diagnose and treat toe problems, including:
- Hammertoes
- Ingrown toenail
- Fungal toenail
Your toes help with balance, gait, and movement, so toe conditions should be treated by a podiatrist. Depending on the toe condition, a podiatrist may recommend:
- Laser therapy to destroy bacteria and fungi
- Antibiotics to eliminate infection
- Surgery to realign your toe
A podiatrist also plays an important role in management of chronic conditions which affect your feet. A podiatrist needs to be on your healthcare team, especially if you suffer from:
- Diabetes
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
Want To Know More?
To find out more about how a podiatrist can help you stay healthy, call Dr. James Kent at East Texas Foot & Ankle Centers in Tyler, TX. You can reach him in the office by calling (903) 939-3668, so call today.