The first symptom after injuring your foot is pain! Keep in mind that a broken foot isn’t usually visible. Many people can walk after fracturing a bone in their foot. An x-ray is the only way to determine if your foot is broken.
You could now go to the hospital’s emergency room for an x-ray. However, you would have to wait as critical patients are being treated. Then there’s the question of who is reading your x-ray to diagnose your injury.
You might not obtain the precise diagnosis for full recovery if you go to a general emergency physician. Your foot contains 26 bones, most are small and easy to miss. We have heard numerous stories of patients discharged from the ER with a clean bill of health only to discover days or weeks later the foot is broken. Do you want to prevent that scenario? If you’ve had a foot injury, make an appointment with your podiatrist.
Broken Foot; See A Podiatrist.
Let’s go back to the original question. We have determined that the best doctor to diagnose a broken foot is a podiatrist. As a result, you should seek treatment for a fractured foot from a doctor who specializes in foot and ankle issues.
Guess who falls into that category? A podiatrist in Houston, TX, to be exact! Why? The severity of the foot fracture can be determined by your podiatrist because they deal with foot fractures daily.
In addition, podiatrists can determine the best treatment approach for your foot fracture and it will heal properly. It is significant for a variety of reasons.
Foot Fracture Rehabilitation
Podiatrists use a walking boot to help a fractured foot heal faster. The majority of the broken feet will heal in 6 weeks. However, if we do not select an appropriate treatment, this will not be the case. Because the location and degree of your fracture determine how we set your broken bone.
We can choose immobilization treatment; if your broken foot bone is in a good position. But don’t panic if you believe that means a large cast. Fracture boots are my preferred method of treating broken feet. (I also carry these boots in my office because I’m a podiatrist.) So, in one doctor visit, you might be x-rayed, diagnosed, and immobilized!)
Why are non-displaced foot fractures best treated with fracture boots? They are comfier than casts, for starters. They create less disruption to your daily routine. Because this boot allows you to walk but you can remove your boot when you bathe or sleep. This does not mean that you have given up on the protection your fractured foot requires to heal.
Of course, you will not walk on your boot if your bone appears to be unstable on an x-ray. It could cause you to take longer to recover. Instead, I recommend that you use a scooter to help with your broken foot. It will assist in avoiding putting weight on your shattered bone. It does, however, let you avoid the aggravation and pain of crutches.
Finally, we will check to determine if your bone has displaced or shifted since the accident. If it has, you will require foot surgery to ensure that your bone heals properly.
You will have to pick a foot surgeon at this point. Again, I recommend consulting with us, we are trained surgeons who specialize in foot surgery, thus we have years of experience!
While I can operate on your fractured foot, it is one treatment that I will not perform in my office. Instead, we will treat your broken foot bone at an outpatient surgical center. I realign the shattered ends of your broken bone during surgery. I’ll then secure your bone with a metal plate and screws to prevent it from slipping around. (Remember, these are medical gadgets, therefore metal detectors will not detect them!)
How to Get Your Broken Foot Healed Faster
Forget the plaster: podiatrists can help you get rid of fractured foot casts!
Why did we just go over every possible therapy for a broken foot? To be clear, how you treat a broken foot bone is important and it has an impact on how long it takes for you to recover. (Not to mention the result of your recovery!)
It should go without saying, but I’ll mention it anyway. Nothing is worse than lengthening your recuperation time when you have a broken foot! I know you’re eager to get back to your routine. I’m your greatest choice for treating a fractured foot because I’ve helped thousands of patients do just that. Other doctors who are qualified to treat foot fractures, I am aware, exist. Orthopedists are bone surgeons and doctors who can also treat fractures. Several orthopedists specialize in foot and ankle problems. Even though I don’t suggest going to the emergency department, they can do a terrific job. As I have stated, many foot fractures go unnoticed on ER X-rays.
Remember that x-rays are taken in the office at DeNiel Foot & Ankle Center. We read them right away, so there’s no need to wait for the results. Dr. Shobowale will take the time to ensure that you understand the extent of your broken bone. Then we’ll go over what has to happen for it to recover properly and rapidly. What does this imply to you personally? Call our Houston podiatry office right away if you think you’ve broken your foot and we will schedule you for an immediate appointment.