Generally, a foot injury isn't life-threatening, but it can be or become life-threatening in some cases, especially for diabetics. If you're diabetic, even a minor foot issue or symptom like calluses or a change of skin color can be or become serious and should receive professional attention. For a nondiabetic person with a broken foot, it's rare for someone to have any life-threatening complications, but still, a broken foot is serious enough to require professional care. So are tendon ruptures, foot/ankle sprains, and some other injuries. What we've described are examples of acute foot injuries, but there are also chronic foot injuries that can be serious for different reasons.

A chronic foot injury is a condition like plantar fasciitis. With this particular condition, a patient has recurring heel pain. In fact, recurring or ongoing pain is a symptom shared between many chronic foot injuries. If you've been experiencing pain and/or other symptoms with your feet for over 3 months, then this is likely a chronic issue which requires professional care. Or if your pain/symptoms are severe, then the underlying issue may be serious and require professional care.

During your initial visit with one of our podiatrist, the doctor will:

• Ask you about your medical history and skin health history.
• Check you for any skin issues or, if you've already identified one, examine that issue.
• Provide any tests if necessary, like taking and testing a sample from under your toenail for nail fungus.
• Offer a diagnosis if it's not necessary to wait for test results.
• If waiting for test results is unnecessary, suggest a treatment or multiple treatment options, which may include a prescription medication.
• Possibly suggest a follow-up appointment to check whether treatment is working well for you.