Your feet and ankles form the hopefully firm foundation that the rest of your body uses for support doing all kinds of activities including walking, running, and just plain old standing. With the multitude of bones, ligaments, and other tissues that comprise your feet and ankles it’s no wonder that you have problems now and then that requires a tune-up with your foot doctor.

Some of the many reasons you should consult with your podiatrist include the following:

• Continuing pain and discomfort—If you have continuing pain in your foot or ankle that doesn’t improve after several days of rest, icing, compression and elevation, you should see your foot doctor to determine the cause.
• Changes to the color of your skin and toenails—Skin and toenail color changes are often an indication of a fungal or bacterial toenail infection or even skin cancer, so see your podiatrist to eliminate potentially deadly melanoma as the culprit.
• Toe deformities—Bunions and hammertoes need to be treated by your podiatrist before they worsen to the point that they require surgery.
• Wounds that heal slowly—People who have diabetes need to be especially careful with cuts and scrapes since infections can quickly spread and amputation of a toe or foot can unfortunately become very necessary.

If you are experiencing pain and discomfort in your feet and ankles, your foot doctor is here to help. At Your Next Step, our team of board-certified podiatrists has access to advanced technologies, along with years of experience, to help diagnose and treat a variety of foot and ankle problems, including sports injuries, joint pain, toe deformities, nail fungus, chronic tendon pain, and skin problems. Dr. Eric Ricefield, Dr. Mark Yagodich and Dr. Aliza V. Eisen provide high-quality foot and ankle care to patients in the greater Philadelphia area at our offices conveniently located in Ardmore, Paoli, Woodlyn, and Downingtown. Please contact us for more information or to schedule an appointment.