Does a Bed Sheet Make Your Toe Hurt?

Do you have such extreme pain that you can’t bear a sheet to touch your toe or your ankle? Do you have a joint that is red, hot and swollen? If any of these characteristics describe your current symptoms, it is possible that you may have gout.

Gout is a condition where the uric acid in your body is not being properly metabolized and the urate crystals collect in a joint. One way that your gout can be diagnosed is by drawing some of the fluid out of your joint for analysis to make the definitive diagnosis. This collection of crystals is very painful and if they are left untreated for too long they can start to erode the bone and lead to areas that appear to be chewed out on an x-ray. Ultimately this can lead to joint destruction.

So, what can be done for your gout? There are medications that can be taken in the instance of an acute attack and then medications that can be taken to prevent an acute attack from occurring. In very serious situations, the crystal formations will need to be removed.  There are also diet changes and restrictions that will need to be made to help with preventing another attack.

If you are having the above mentioned symptoms of gout, then it is important that you seek help from your podiatrist. It is very important that you seek medical care to prevent further damage from a chronic condition. If you live in the Bradford or Chatham, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your feet. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835

Jeff Driskel's Broken Ankle

Those of you that are fans of college football probably know that the Florida Gators quarterback Jeff Driskel broke his ankle in yesterday's game against Tennessee. Unfortunately for Driskel, this means that he will be out for the rest of the season. He will need surgery after his fracture and will require physical therapy to get back to the level of college athletics that he was at prior to his injury.

Ankle injuries are a pretty common occurrence for both athletes and non athletes alike. People commonly will sprain their ankles only to find out that they have actually fractured their ankles. People will commonly hear a pop that is associated with a broken bone, but sometimes you may have broken a bone and not here an audible pop. This is why it is so important that if you have injured your ankle you should seek help from your podiatrist to determine if you have actually broken your ankle. Your podiatrist will probably want to get x-rays, do a physical exam and talk to you about your options.

The most important thing you can be doing for your injured ankle is seeking medical care. You may have a serious injury that you don't know about and every day that you wait, it will become more difficult to repair. If you have injured your ankle, you should seek care from your  podiatrist. If you live in the Dracut or Chatham, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your feet. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.

Why is my Ulcer Not Healing?

Ulcers are a very finicky thing. One day they are looking great and you are almost healed and then the next thing you know, it has popped back open and you feel like you are back at square one. There are many different factors that contribute to healing. These include your nutrition, infection, blood flow and if there is any pressure to the area. If your ulcer is not healing or it has opened back up, chances are, one of these factors should be blamed. 

So, what can you do for an ulcer that is being stubborn or has decided to be a bit more awnry? The first thing you should do is head to your podiatrist. They are experts at foot ulcers and will be able to give you a good idea of what is going on. Once you see your podiatrist, they will do several things to check what is causing your ulcer to not heal. They will check your pulses, check for signs of infection, offload the pressure from the area of your ulcer and they may send you for some blood studies to see what your nutrition value is. 

The most important thing you can be doing for your ulcer is watching it like a hawk. Any changes in the healing of your ulcer or it opening back up is a sign that something is not working. If you have notcied something changing to your ulcer, you should seek care from your  podiatrist. If you live in the North Reading or Chatham, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your feet. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.

Break a Toe...

Have you recently dropped something on your foot or accidentally run into a bedpost or the wall? If you have and you have a lot of foot swelling? It is possible that you may have fractured one or more of your toes. If you have, you may see lots of swelling, bruising and have a lot of pain. If your swelling is not going down and it has been a couple of days, then you should go and see your podiatrist so that you can have x-rays done to confirm if they are fractured and whether or not the bone is displaced.

If you do have a fracture, it will depend on the type and appearance on x-ray as to what treatment will be best for you. You may be able to get away with just wearing a boot or a postop shoe or you may need to have surgery. None of this can be decided until you have an x-ray. The important thing to remember is that it is much easier to do surgery on a newly fractured bone because not as much healing has occurred. Better reduction will be able to be achieved and your bone will look much more like it is supposed to.

If you have dropped something on your foot recently, you should seek care from your  podiatrist. If you live in the North Reading or North Billerica, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your feet. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.

Dress Shoes and Blistered Heels

Have you ever had that new pair of shoes that rubs against your heels and gives you blisters? Or maybe you have that favorite pair of high heels that after a night out leaves you wishing you had opted for flats. Regardless of how it happened, now that you have those blisters or raw heels, it's time to treat them. It is very important that when you have raw skin, you keep it protected from bacteria. A good barrier such as neosporin and a band-aid is always a good idea.

There are times that your wound can actually get infected though. In this situation, you may need to be put on a stronger antibiotic. If you start to notice redness around the wound, streaking up your leg or drainage from the area that is anything but clear, your wound could be infected. If this is the case, you need to see your podiatrist immediately. Your heel skin is very thin and your achilles tendon is right underneath the surface. This is an area of your ankle that needs to be well protected.

An important question is how should  you be avoiding this situation in the future? Women most often will buy their high heels about one size smaller than they should be. This helps you to better keep your shoe on your foot, but it also makes it easier for your heel to be rubbed raw. Many heels or dress shoes can be found that provide a little bit extra cushion in the heel area. These will help to prevent you from getting these blisters.

If you have a blister that appears infected, you should seek care from your  podiatrist. If you live in the Chatham or North Billerica, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your feet. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.

What Concerns Should You Have for your Feet in a Flood?

With all of the rain that Colorado is getting it is important to remember to keep your feet dry. Many people forget that when your feet sweat a lot and your socks get wet that your skin is basically sitting in a puddle all day. If you think about how your feet look after they have been wet for a long time, they get that wrinkly whiter look to them and they look like you have been swimming all day. This is not a big deal if your feet get a chance to dry out, but if they don't you can end up getting macerated skin that is not as strong as your regular skin and can actually break down.

So, why is this even important? Well, if you are a diabetic patient that already has difficulty healing wounds, you are going to be more prone to an infection or a long term ulcerations that can take anywhere from weeks to years to heal. If you are making your skin less strong, then it will be easier for you to rub a sore and introduce an infection. The most prone area to these kinds of sores is the skin between your toes. When they get wet, the rubbing motion of your toes can easily form a sore.

What can you do if this happens to you? Well, for one you need to see your podiatrist because they can offer you tips on how to prevent this from happening in the future and what to do for your current wounds. They will also be able to rule out any infection for you or deeper probing bone that should be of concern.

If you have unusually wet feetl, you should seek care from your  podiatrist. There could be an ulcer forming that could have an infection that needs to be treated with antibiotics and it could become much worse if not taken care of quickly. If you live in the Wilmington or North Billerica, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your feet. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.

My Legs are Swollen and I Have Sores on my Legs

One of the most common causes of ulcerations is venous insufficiency. These glitzy medical terms just mean that your veins aren’t working as well as they used to. As a result, the blood and lymph is not able to return to your heart as readily as it once was. The valves in your veins aren’t working as well and the veins are stretched from many years of hard work. As a result, your fluids will pool at the point of greatest gravity: your feet. You will notice a swelling in your legs and feet and in later stages, your legs will start to turn a darker color. If your feet or legs swell enough, your skin will no longer be able to withstand the pressure and as a result you will have breaks in your skin ultimately leasing to ulcers.

So, what is the best way to heal your venous stasis ulcers? The answer is simple, compression. You have to help your body move the fluid from your feet and legs back up to your heart for circulation and ultimately you need to discard some of the fluid through the use of your kidneys. An option for fluid overload is diuretics that will remove fluid from your body. Ultimately, the treatment of this condition is a joint effort between your podiatrist and primary care provider to get rid of this excess fluid.

When you have an ulcer though, it is a combination between compression and wound care treatment to get you healed as well as to reduce the fluid in your feet and legs. Your podiatrist has many tools in their toolbox to help you achieve these results including biologic grafts, wound care ointments, bandaging and compression options. Once the wound is healed, compression options need to be looked at to prevent future ulcerations.

If you have an ingrown toenail, you should seek care from your  podiatrist. There could be an infection that needs to be treated with antibiotics and it could become much worse if not taken care of quickly. If you live in the Wilmington or North Billerica, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your feet. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.