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Correct Your Foot Problems By Getting Your Feet Analyzed By A Podiatrist

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Podiatrists are medical practitioners that specialize in the foot and ankle. Podiatrists examine feet the way that ophthalmologists examine eyes, or a dentist examines teeth. Like a dentist or an ophthalmologist, podiatrists study their chosen field for many years, but are not medical doctors.

However, because they specifically focus on ailments of the foot, ankle, and legs, a podiatrist is your best bet for correcting foot pain due to the way that you stand on your feet. Only a podiatrist can tell you if the way that you stand is the cause of your foot pain, but here are some signs that this may be the source of your trouble.

You roll your feet outward

If you roll your foot outward as you walk (a condition known as oversupination) you are more prone to sprained ankles, plantar fasciitis, a condition that causes heel pain, shin splints, and stress fractures in your legs. 

How can you tell if you are an oversupinator? The easiest way to tell is to look at your shoes. If you wear sneakers, you may have noticed that the tongue rolls over the side of your foot. All of your shoes will pick up more wear on the outer sides of the shoe rather than the inner sides. If your shoes develop holes, it is likely on the outer side from rolling your foot, which lifts your arch as you walk.

You roll your feet inward

This condition is known as overpronation. This condition is much more common than oversupination. Rolling your foot inward can cause bunions, plantar fasciitis, arch collapse, and pain in the knees and calves. People who have flat feet are more likely to overpronate than people with high arches.

How can you tell if you are an overpronator? Also by looking at your shoes. If you roll your feet inward, the inside soles will wear down faster than the rest of your shoe.

How can a podiatrist help with overpronation and oversupination?

A podiatrist like Jeffrey M Marks DPM will be able to correctly diagnose and treat your foot pain, as well as confirm that your pain is due to rolling your foot too far outward or inward. Your podiatrist will recommend a course of treatment that depends on the severity of your pain and how much your feet need correcting. You may be instructed to buy special shoes or put insert into the shoes that you already own, or be prescribed exercises and stretches for your feet.


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