Ignoring foot pain won’t make the problem go away. That was a message shared during a BayCare Clinic Facebook livestream featuring Dr. Brandon M. Scharer and Sarah Burton, doctor of nursing practice.
Several conditions can cause foot pain including three that were the focus of the livestream – bunions, hammer toe and foot arthritis.
Both foot specialists urged people to take foot pain seriously.
“I usually tell patients, the longer it’s going on, the further you push it out, usually the less chance you’re going to respond to some of the easy, non-operative conservative options we have for you,” Scharer says. He’s a fellowship-trained foot surgeon with Orthopedics & Sports Medicine BayCare Clinic. “You may be looking at surgery sooner than later.”
Bunions, hammer toe and foot arthritis each can negatively affect a person’s quality of life if left untreated.
Some foot conditions can be safely managed at home, says Burton, a family nurse practitioner with Orthopedics & Sports Medicine BayCare Clinic. Others will require a trip to a foot and ankle specialist.
“An Achilles tendon rupture, you don’t want to put that off. Ankle fracture, you have a traumatic injury, accident, fall, you can’t wait there,” she says. “You need to be seen sooner than later. That’s not something you want to push off.”
Referrals are not needed to see the specialists at Orthopedics & Sports Medicine BayCare Clinic, Burton says.
“Come and see us, we’ll be happy to take care of you,” Scharer says.