3 Illnesses Revealed in Your Feet

Did you know that your feet could be an “early warning system” for the rest of your body? At Goldsmith Podiatry, we always encourage our patients to not delay in getting foot and ankle symptoms evaluated. Foot ailments and systemic disorders all have better outcomes and can be treated more conservatively when detected in their earliest stages.

Here are three conditions that often first show signs in your feet:

Diabetes—difficulty controlling blood sugar levels is a sign of developing diabetes. Many people today are diagnosed as “pre-diabetic.” Please pay attention to your feet because they may give you the heads up that you have progressed to full-on diabetes. Poor circulation and neuropathy are two conditions commonly associated with diabetes. A decrease in your ability to perceive pain, cold, heat, and other sensations in your feet may be a sign of nerve damage. Wounds that seem extremely slow to heal can be pointing to decreased blood flow to your feet.

Peripheral Arterial Disease—plaque that builds up on the walls of the arteries in your leg restricts the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your legs and feet. Signs of this can include any or all of the following:

·         Feelings of numbness or weakness in your legs and feet

• Leg cramps

• Cold feet

• Loss of hair on feet and legs

• Changes in toenail color or thickness

• Discoloration of skin on your legs and feet

• Sores that don’t seem to be healing on your lower extremities

Undetected, PAD can become more widespread in your body and lead to a stroke or heart attack.

Arthritis—a common mistake we find our Manhattan patients make is assuming that joint pain and stiffness is “normal” as you age. While it’s true that the most common form of arthritis—osteoarthritis—is caused by a wearing down of the joints and associated cartilage that occurs over time, the pain and discomfort of this type of joint disease can be significantly mitigated when it is detected in its earliest stages. In addition, joint pain, especially if accompanied by fever, swelling, or other unusual symptoms, may be indicative of more serious systemic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis that require prompt treatment.

We advise patients to pay attention to what your feet are telling you and make an appointment at our Upper West Side office by calling (212) 877-1002 when you first start to notice foot pain or other symptoms. Our podiatrists, Dr. Howard Goldsmith or Dr. Rosanna Troia will examine your feet to make a prompt and accurate diagnosis.