Your ankles are an important part of your body. Together with your legs and feet, your ankles help carry your body weight. They help you walk, run, and enjoy daily life. So, what happens when you have ankle pain? Your podiatrist can help.

Along with pain in your ankle, you may notice additional signs and symptoms like these:

• Swelling
• Inflammation
• Stiffness

When you have ankle pain, it can cause:

• Instability when you are walking or standing
• Difficulty standing on uneven surfaces
• Tripping and falling, which can injure you further

So, what causes ankle pain? There are some obvious causes like injuring or spraining your ankle, but there are also some medical conditions which can lead to ankle pain. These conditions include:

• Arthritis in the ankle joint
• Tendonitis or a torn tendon in your ankle
• A fractured or broken bone in your ankle
• A nerve injury in your ankle

For mild ankle pain, you can try a few easy home therapies including:

• Placing an ice pack on your ankle several times daily
• Elevating and resting your ankle
• Taking over-the-counter pain and anti-inflammatory medication
• Wearing an ankle support or brace

For moderate to severe ankle pain, or ankle pain which doesn’t resolve with home therapy, you need to see your podiatrist. Professional treatments your podiatrist may recommend include:

• Oral steroid medications to reduce swelling
• Prescription-strength anti-inflammatory medication to reduce inflammation
• Physical therapy and stretches to maintain ankle flexibility and mobility
• Devices including walking casts or braces to provide support and stability

You may need surgery if your ankle pain is due to:

• A torn ligament
• A torn tendon
• A broken or dislocated ankle bone

Don’t suffer with ankle pain when relief is just a phone call away. Your podiatrist can help you find relief from ankle pain and get back on your feet. To find out more about the causes of ankle pain and how you can find relief, talk with an expert–your podiatrist. Call today.

Sports injuries happen, and your feet and ankles are especially vulnerable. Your feet and ankles are overworked to begin with, and if you play a sport with a lot of running or high levels of foot stress, it adds to your risk of injury. Fortunately, your podiatrist is just the person to see when you’ve experienced a sports injury to your feet or ankles.

Sometimes a sports injury will heal by itself. For mild sports injuries, you can try:

• Elevating and resting the area to take weight and stress off of it
• Taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory and pain medication

More severe sports injuries should be seen by your podiatrist. So, when should you see a podiatrist for a sports injury? You should have an examination by a podiatrist if you:

• Experience severe pain or swelling
• Are unable to put weight on the injured area
• Notice differences in your foot or ankle structure
• Heard popping or snapping when you injured yourself
• Feel tingling, numbness, or weakness in your foot or ankle

Sports injuries involving feet and ankles are common, and the most common injuries include:

Plantar fasciitis, which causes pain on your heel and down the side of your foot; runners and joggers often have this injury.

Shin splints, which cause pain running down the front of your leg, next to the tibia; leg stress without proper stretching can cause shin splints.

Dislocated or fractured bones, which cause swelling, bruising, severe pain and loss of function; impact sports like soccer and football can cause this injury.

Tendon or ligament tears or strain, which causes severe pain and instability; leg stress without proper stretching can cause this injury.

Toenail injuries, which causes pressure under your toenail and moderate to severe toe pain; impact sports like soccer, football, and basketball can cause this injury.

When you visit your podiatrist, treatment recommendations may include:

• Orthotics for plantar fasciitis and other conditions
• Prescription anti-inflammatory medications to reduce swelling and pain
• Assistive devices like casts and crutches to take the weight off of your injury
• Surgical treatment to realign fractured or broken bones
• Physical therapy to help you regain mobility and strength

If you experience a sports injury involving your feet or ankles, don’t wait. See your podiatrist today.

Do you suspect that you might have broken your toe? You could very well be dealing with a broken toe if you notice pain, stiffness or swelling, or if you suddenly have trouble walking. Something as simple as stubbing your toe has the ability to fracture it. You may have broken your toe if you are experiencing any of these symptoms,

• Swelling around the toe
• Discolorations such as bruising
• Changes in the shape or alignment of the toe
• Pain when moving the toe
• Pain when walking or putting weight on the toe
• Pain that intensifies hours after injury

While a broken toe can certainly be painful it’s often not considered an urgent matter. A broken toe will only require urgent medical attention if,

• You are dealing with severe pain
• The toe is sticking out at an angle
• Your child has sustained an injury to the toe
• There is a loss of sensation in the toe
• You heard a snap or popping sound at the moment of injury
• You think you’ve broken your big toe

If you are dealing with any of these problems, then it’s important to call your podiatrist right away for proper treatment. In some cases, our podiatry team may need to reset the broken bone. If you aren’t dealing with any of these issues, you can often manage your condition on your own with ample rest and home care. Ways to treat your broken toe include,

• Keeping the injured foot elevated above your heart to reduce swelling
• Staying off your feet and resting as much as possible
• Taking anti-inflammatory medications
• Wear properly fitted, supportive shoes with no heel and a wide toe box
• Taping your broken toe together with the adjacent toe for more support

Most broken toes will recover fully in about 4-6 weeks; however, you should start to see symptoms improving after only a few days. You should call your podiatrist if you don’t see a reduction in pain and swelling after 2-3 days of home care, or if you are still experiencing pain or difficulty walking after six weeks.

If you are concerned about a broken toe or other foot problems that are causing you pain or affecting your ability to walk, it’s important to see a podiatrist as soon as possible. Call your podiatrist today.

Discover more about this foot deformity and why it happens.

Bunions always seem to get the spotlight when talking about foot deformities; however, it’s also essential to shed light on hammertoes. This common deformity affects the middle joint of the smaller toes. When this joint is impacted, it causes the toes to bend downward. Wondering if you may be at risk for hammertoes? Here’s what you should know,

What Can Lead to a Hammertoe?

It’s important to figure out what can cause a hammertoe to develop so you can do your best to avoid certain habits or practices that could increase your risk. Some risk factors for hammertoes include,

• A family history of hammertoes
• Wearing tight or pointed shoes
• Wearing shoes that are too small
• Dealing with bunions, corns and calluses
• Arthritis
• Injury or trauma to a toe

One of the easiest ways to avoid developing a hammertoe is to wear the proper shoes. This means avoiding shoes that are too small, which forces toes to curl under or bunch up. Wearing poorly fitted shoes can also make bunions, blisters and other foot problems more likely to occur, making developing hammertoes more likely.

What Are the Symptoms of a Hammertoe?

Those with more mild symptoms may only notice the presence of a corn or callus, and the toe will be bent down. You may notice some pain when walking or trying to move the affected toe. Those with more severe symptoms may have trouble walking or may not be able to move their toes. The affected toes will also look claw-like in nature.

How Is a Hammertoe Treated?

If you suffer from only mild hammertoe symptoms, then the number one recommendation your podiatrist may make is to change your footwear. Avoid shoes with high arms, pointed toes, or shoes that are too tight and push toes into a bunched position. You can also opt for shoe inserts and orthotics to take pressure off certain parts of your foot while walking. This can also reduce pain and discomfort while moving.

Also, talk to your podiatrist about stretching exercises you can do from the comfort of your home daily to reduce hammertoe-related symptoms. This can also help to reposition the toe over time.

If you have more severe symptoms and other treatments aren’t improving your condition, you may need surgery to help realign the toe. Surgery for hammertoes is usually performed as an outpatient procedure.

There are numerous benefits to seeing a foot doctor regularly. Podiatrists help you maintain healthy feet. Scheduling periodic podiatry visits also helps reduce your risk of sustaining a foot or ankle injury or developing various foot conditions. Dr. Dallin Greene and Dr. Nathan Judd, the board-certified foot doctors at Big Sky Foot and Ankle Institute in Bozeman, MT, offer a diverse range of services to keep your feet healthy.

Conditions Treated by Foot Doctors

Foot doctors diagnose and treat various foot and ankle conditions and injuries. They develop individualized treatment plans to ensure injuries heal properly. Without prompt treatment, a foot or ankle injury could lead to chronic problems, such as ongoing pain or instability. Podiatrists also help patients manage specific foot and ankle conditions, such as arthritis. Additionally, foot doctors provide diabetic foot care for patients with diabetes.

The experienced foot doctors at our Bozeman, MT, foot and ankle institute diagnose and treat a broad range of conditions, including:

• Flat feet
• Heel pain
• Ankle pain
• Foot fractures
• Plantar fasciitis
• Sprained ankles
• Achilles tendon injuries
• Diabetic foot care
• Puncture wounds
• Ingrown toenails
• Toenail fungus
• Neuromas
• Foot warts
• Bunions

Benefits of Seeing a Foot Doctor

Your feet serve an important function by supporting your entire body. A problem with your feet or ankles could lead to problems in other parts of the body, such as leg or back pain. One of the benefits of seeing a foot doctor regularly is healthier feet. Taking care of your feet helps reduce leg or back pain and other side effects related to specific foot or ankle problems.

Another benefit of seeing a podiatrist periodically is that the doctor can identify potential issues early on before they have a chance to progress and become worse, which could lead to chronic problems. Some key benefits of seeing a foot doctor are:

• Diagnose and treat various types of injuries and foot conditions
• Monitor foot and ankle injuries to ensure they heal properly
• Develop treatment plans tailored to the needs of each patient
• Provide specialized care to help patients enjoy better foot and ankle health
• Personalized recommendations for preventing injuries or other problems
• Help with management of pain relief and other symptoms
• Provide individualized footwear recommendations

Enjoy better foot and ankle health by seeing a podiatrist regularly. To see a foot doctor in Bozeman, MT, schedule an appointment with Dr. Greene or Dr. Judd by calling Big Sky Foot and Ankle Institute at (406) 782-2278.