3 Questions To Ask At Your First Podiatrist Appointment

Do you have feet that ache much of the time? Are you hoping that there is something that can be done to stop them from hurting? Whether you're on your feet for 8 hours a day or just a fraction of that, having painful feet can put a damper on your entire day. Maybe you've already tried different shoes or various shoe inserts and now you've made an appointment to see a foot doctor. In order to make the most out of your appointment, you should make a list of questions beforehand so you know what you'll be asking. Some things you may want to ask include:

Will different shoes help? Although you may have tried a few different pairs of shoes, this doesn't mean that you've found the best shoes for your feet. If your feet are exceptionally flat or have exceptionally high arches, it may be all but impossible to locate comfortable shoes in a normal store. Your foot doctor may write a prescription for special shoes, or he or she may recommend a specialty shoe store to shop at. Depending on your insurance plan, you may be able to get some or all of the cost of prescription shoes covered by your insurance company.

Would it help to stop exercising for a while? Exercise can be a great way to help your feet hurt less by reducing the weight that they have to support. Unfortunately, many calorie-burning exercises can also put a strain on your feet, potentially resulting in plantar fasciitis or other issues. Depending on the cause of your pain, your foot doctor may or may not recommend that you change up your exercise routine or even temporarily cease most exercises in order to allow your feet to heal. He or she may be able to provide you with a list of exercises that you can still do that will cause the least amount of stress on your feet.

Will my feet need surgery? Most feet will not need surgery and will heal just fine under the advice of your foot doctor. However, depending on the issue, you should be aware of whether or not surgery may be a recommendation at some point in the future. Fortunately, if you do wind up needing surgery, your feet should recover fairly quickly with the amount of pain significantly reduced or even eliminated completely. Your podiatrist will go over the exact timeline with you so that you'll know what to expect if you do wind up needing surgery.


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