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What You Should Know Before You Go to the Podiatrist

Often before going to visit a podiatrist, clients ‘prepare’ their feet for the visit.

Unfortunately, though, not all of these preparations are beneficial. If you are getting ready to head to your podiatrist here are a few things you should do, as well one thing that you should avoid doing.

Do: Take Notes on Your Condition
Taking notes on your condition can help ensure that you have a paper trail to help your podiatrist out. Note when the condition started and how it progressed over time. Keeping track of changes in your skin’s condition as well as any unusual markings or rashes that occur can help your podiatrist to understand more about your condition.

Do: Bring Your Shoes
Bringing your normal shoes to your appointment can help your podiatrist to determine a lot about your health. They can even discern your walking patterns based on the wear of your shoes. Seeing the patterns can help them determine where your pain or discomfort might be coming from.

Do: List Your Medications
Write down a list of your medications, as well as any allergies. While it’s easy to feel that your medications may be unrelated to your foot diagnosis, it’s important for your podiatrist to have a list of your medications in order to accurately understand your overall health.

Don’t: Feel the Need to Get a Pedicure
Finally, often, patients feel that their feet need to look their best before going to a podiatrist, but the truth is, you wouldn’t be seeing a podiatrist if your feet were healthy and happy. Painting your nails can cover up the underlying conditions and make it difficult to see what is going on. Additionally, fungal nails may require an examination and possibly a culture. For this reason, it’s important not to trim your nails or paint your toes before your appointment.

Finally, do ask your podiatrist questions. Discussing your conditions with your podiatrist openly and honestly is the best way to ensure that you receive an accurate diagnoses and the best treatment possible for your condition.

For foot and ankle treatment in Houston, Texas contact Dr. Lamarra of Shepherd Square Podiatry today.

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