Think you know everything there is to know about foot injuries? Well, let’s test out that knowledge with a few true or false scenarios.
- “My foot or ankle can’t be broken. I can move it.” – False. In fact, this statement has probably kept a whole lot of fractures from being treated properly. Honestly, you could be walking around with many different kinds of fractures, like a fractured toe or even a small “chip” fracture in your foot or ankle.
- “If you break a toe, immediate care isn’t necessary.” – False. Toe fractures need attention right away. The fix may be simple and quick, but if an X-ray shows a displaced or angulated break, immediate realignment of the fracture is needed to prevent improper healing. If you stall, you could develop a deformed toe, which is really painful.
- “If you have a foot or ankle injury, soak it in hot water immediately.” – False. Hot water isn’t going to help you at all. All this will do is cause blood flow which increases swelling, meaning more pressure on the nerves, and, therefore, more pain. Instead, grab an ice pack wrapped in a towel and hold it to your injury. This causes numbness and prevents swelling and pain.
- “Applying an elastic bandage to a severely sprained ankle is adequate treatment.” – You don’t really believe this, do you? Definitely false. An ankle sprain could mean torn or overstretched ligaments which need immediate care. You’ll need to get something like an X-ray, bone scan, CT, or MRI done, then possibly splinting, casting and physiotherapy so you go through the right recovery process. Worst case scenario: you may need surgery.
The point is, if you have hurt your foot or ankle, don’t just trust it to heal itself or search for some home remedy. Go ahead and take a trip to your doctor to make sure everything gets treated the way it should be!
Getting Professional Treatment
It is always our express intent to recommend that you take no chances with foot pain, ankle or knee pain, or injuries. Professional treatment to relieve the pain is available from doctors such as Delray Beach’s Dr. Ian Goldbaum of Delray Beach Podiatry, who has provided us with this blog. If the pain continues, a podiatrist with Dr. Goldbaum’s experience should be consulted. You must get proper treatment to prevent permanent damage.
Our Staff writers are freelance writers with higher education related to, or experience researching and writing for, medical blogs; with education or experience equal to under graduate and graduate degrees in the fields of medicine.
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