{"id":166,"date":"2020-05-03T22:09:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-03T22:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nvhealthnews.com\/?p=166"},"modified":"2020-05-03T22:09:08","modified_gmt":"2020-05-03T22:09:08","slug":"treating-foot-and-ankle-conditions-during-the-covid-19-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nvhealthnews.com\/?p=166","title":{"rendered":"Treating Foot and Ankle Conditions During the COVID-19 Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

StatePoint<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During this unprecedented time, it\u2019s still important to take care of your overall wellness, and your feet are no exception. Healthy feet and ankles are crucial for balance, mobility and a healthy body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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However, it\u2019s important to identify which issues can be taken care of via telemedicine and which should be done in person. It\u2019s also important to take steps on your own to keep feet healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFoot and ankle surgeons are here to help keep you healthy via telemedicine visits for non-urgent care and in the office for urgent or serious issues,\u201d says Dr. Brett Sachs, DPM, FACFAS, a foot and ankle surgeon and Fellow Member of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not sure whether your condition requires an in-person appointment? According to Dr. Sachs and the experts at the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, the following conditions can be seen by foot and ankle surgeons via telemedicine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Heel and arch pain, generalized foot pain<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Achilles tendinitis<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Metatarsalgia<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Skin rashes and athlete\u2019s foot<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Planter warts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Big toe pain<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Arthritis<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Gout<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Dr. Sachs notes that you should visit your doctor for the following conditions and situations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Post-operative care<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Injuries (sprains or trauma, anything that requires an x-ray for suspected bone fractures)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Infections<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Ingrown toenails<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Wounds<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Foot ulcers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Calf pain with warmth, redness, or swelling, which could possibly be a blood clot<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to know that if you do have to make an in-person appointment, foot and ankle surgeons are taking many steps to protect patients. These measures include taking patients temperatures and performing a comprehensive screening process, having patients and staff wear masks or face coverings, limiting patients and family in the waiting room, limiting patient appointments to prevent overlap, practicing social distancing where possible, and performing extensive deep cleaning of all patient rooms and common areas throughout the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A bit of preventive care can also support healthy feet. Here are a few tips from the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons you can follow while at home:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Stay active. Do sit-ups, pushups, planks, squats and leg lifts or check out virtual fitness classes online. You can still get outside for fresh air without putting yourself at risk. Go for a walk, run or hike while practicing social distancing. If you feel better staying inside, take scheduled breaks to get up and walk around your home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 If you suffer from foot pain, such as a neuroma, avoid wearing narrow shoes and also avoid walking on hard surfaces barefoot, even in the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Do eccentric strengthening exercises like calf raises on a step to prevent or treat Achilles tendinitis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Examine your feet regularly for bumps, lumps or other changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Wear comfortable, sensible shoes, especially for exercise. Continue using padding, insoles or whatever special footwear you\u2019ve been prescribed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find a foot and ankle surgeon near you or to find more foot and ankle health tips, visit FootHealthFacts.org, the patient education website of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile the COVID-19 crisis is understandably top-of-mind for many right now, taking steps to protect your overall health is vital,\u201d says Dr. Sachs. \u201cBecause so many health problems stem from the feet, paying attention to them is essential for your comfort, safety and overall wellness.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

StatePoint During this unprecedented time, it\u2019s still important to take care of your overall wellness, and your feet are no exception. Healthy feet and ankles are crucial for balance, mobility … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":167,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7],"tags":[55,53,54],"class_list":["post-166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-primary-care","tag-ankle","tag-covid-19","tag-foot","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nvhealthnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/dud-with-broken-foot.jpg?fit=1800%2C1172&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nvhealthnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nvhealthnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nvhealthnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nvhealthnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nvhealthnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=166"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nvhealthnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":168,"href":"https:\/\/nvhealthnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166\/revisions\/168"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nvhealthnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nvhealthnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nvhealthnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nvhealthnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}