Talking with each and every patient is crucial to really getting an understanding of what they are dealing with and how it’s affecting their life, but sometimes we hear things from patients that leave us with more questions than answers. In their quest to understand their foot condition, some people inevitably start believing some falsehoods about their condition or about foot pain in general. We want to use today’s blog to dispel some of those falsehoods about your feet.
Common Falsehoods About Your Feet
Here’s a look at some of the common falsehoods we hear about feet and ankles, and why these misconceptions are false.
1. Foot Pain Is Inevitable – Our feet handle a lot of stress with each step we take, and over the years, this adds up to millions of pounds of pressure. Some people assume that this means it’s not a question of “if,” but rather a question of “when” foot pain will develop. However, if you work to strengthen and protect your feet as you age, and you connect with a foot specialist if discomfort develops, foot pain certainly isn’t an inevitability.
2. Your Foot Problems Are Inherited – While some foot issues have a genetic component, the fact that your mother and Grandma suffered from bunions doesn’t mean it’s absolutely in your future. If anything, knowing this genetic connection can help us intervene at an earlier stage to prevent it’s onset. If you know a certain foot condition seems to run in your family, bring it up to your primary care physician or foot specialist. The more information we have to work with, the better we can protect our feet.
3. “It’s just a sprained ankle” – While an ankle sprain may be less severe than other conditions like a fracture or plantar fasciitis, it definitely shouldn’t be treated like a minor injury. A common thread among patients who come to our office is that their injury stems from an unstable ankle, and oftentimes ankle instability is the result of an ankle sprain that isn’t treated properly. Make sure that you not only protect a sprained ankle from further damage, but that you also work to strengthen your ankle ligaments so that you’re not at risk for future sprains or ankle instability.
4. “It doesn’t hurt, so it’s fine” – A number of people only rely on one specific metric to determine if there is an issue with their feet, and that’s whether or not pain exists. Oftentimes other warning signs suggest that there is an issue that should be addressed prior to pain onset. If you notice a bump forming on the side of your big toe joint, your arches are falling or that your toes are curling or bending upwards, even in the absence of pain, reach out to a foot specialist. Even though it’s not currently painful, odds are it will become painful, so treat it before it becomes an issue.