If you’re dealing with foot pain, you may be wondering where you should turn for care. It may be easiest to just set up an appointment with the primary care doctor you’re familiar with, but is that really your best option? Turning to an orthopedic specialist can oftentimes be the right move, and while you don’t need to head to a foot specialist for every single type of injury, in today’s blog we share three reasons why you may want to “look for the O” if you are dealing with foot pain.
Why To Turn To A Specialist For Foot Pain
As we mentioned in the introduction, you don’t need to head to a specialist for every little foot issue, but a specialist can offer you some specific benefits over your family doctor. Here’s three reasons or times to choose an orthopedic specialist over a primary care doctor for foot pain.
1. There’s An Obvious Acute Injury – If you suffer an obvious acute injury to your foot that is unlikely to just go away on its own with a few days of rest, it’s a good idea to head right to a specialist’s office. Oftentimes these acute injuries require a physical examination, imaging tests and specific care. You can get the first two easy enough from your primary care physician, but you’ll get more individualized advice from someone who specializes in foot and ankle injuries. With more severe injuries, you have a greater likelihood of being referred to a specialist, so to save you some time and money, it oftentimes makes sense to just start with one.
2. You Only Get One Body – A body is a lot like a car, in that you need to do a lot to keep it running properly, but unlike a vehicle, you can’t just trade your body in for a new one when things break down. Instead, when a problem develops, you need to attack it head on with the help of a doctor. And like a car, you may take it to Bob’s auto shop down the street when you need an oil change, but if your Audi A4 needs a new torque converter, you’re likely headed to the dealership. You trust your vehicle to mechanics with an immense amount of deep knowledge about a specific topic, instead of someone who has an immense amount of surface-level knowledge about a wider range of subjects. When it’s something as important as your body, trust the problem to an expert with deep knowledge about all things foot and ankle.
3. Treatment Just Hasn’t Been Effective – Finally, if you’ve tried some at-home remedies or you’ve received some general care advice but still have lingering foot pain, it’s a sign that you need to head in to see a specialist. They’ll be able to give you a specific diagnosis, which can be helpful in the event you were treating the wrong underlying condition or attacking the symptoms instead of the root cause, and they’ll be able to give you specific care guidance based on your lifestyle and goals. If you want to healed before soccer season or in time to start training for a marathon, we can work with you to help you hit those specific goals. If treatment hasn’t been effective, call in the big guns.