On the day of your appointment, you come in expecting Dr. Schlam to help you with calluses, heel pain, and bunions. What you may not know is that a foot problems can sometimes tell us about other diseases in your body.
Hairless feet or toes could show you have poor blood circulation:
When your arteries harden (arteriosclerosis,) the heart has to work harder to pump your blood out and sometimes the feet and toes don’t get quite as much blood as they need. The loss of blood flow can be the cause of the hair loss on you toes.
Nail beds that are an unnatural spoon-like shape could mean anemia
Anemia can be caused by internal bleeding such as an ulcer or by heavy menstrual periods.
Numb feet could mean neuropathy, a disorder of your peripheral nervous system
This nerve damage and lack of sensation can become even more of a problem when you are injured and a sore develops that you can’t feel. Both of these scenarios are frequently associated with diabetes.
Multiple pits or holes in toenails could mean psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis
This autoimmune disease shows up on the skin and nails, and in joints.
Feet that are really painful to walk on could mean undiagnosed stress fractures due to a bone problem
Osteopenia (less dense bone) and osteoporosis (more porous bone) can often go undiagnosed until a more serious problem shows up.
If you have foot problems, a podiatric checkup should be an important part of your health routine. Dr. Schlam puts his patient’s health first and wants to make sure you are taken care of as a whole. Visit us at Hollowbrook Foot Specialists in Wappingers Falls (845) 298-9074 where you aren’t “just another pair of feet.”
Serving the Hudson Valley from Wappingers Falls,
By David Schlam
