Foot and ankle emergencies can happen at any time during the day. The most common of these include sprains, broken bones, dislocations, contusions, and infections. When you realize that your foot has been injured, you should seek immediate treatment from a qualified podiatrist. Many myths surround foot emergencies and foot care. However, it is vital always to make sure that you get the expert opinion of a podiatrist because injuries left untreated lead to severe complications and at times even temporary and permanent loss of the ability to walk.

Dispelling the foot care and podiatrist myths
Most people do not understand how dangerous their foot injuries are until they get to the point where they cannot even move their feet. Here are some of the myths which an urgent care podiatrist tries to dispel:

• The foot cannot be broken if you can still move it: there are people who believe that as long as you are in a position to move your foot after an injury. Most of the time, people ignore smaller fractures because the pain is not enough to warrant emergency treatment. A fracture, regardless of its degree, needs proper care immediately after it happens.
• Soaking a foot or ankle injury in hot water starts healing: This is the biggest mistake that you can make after you get an injury. When you break your foot or ankle, you promote blood flow to the point of the fracture, which promotes swelling and the collection of pus. Cold treatment is the best First Aid alternative before you see an emergency podiatrist.
• Elastic bandages are enough for ankle injuries: this is another First Aid myth that has been around for the longest time. The problem with the treatment is that the extent of the injury is not assessed using X-rays. When you see a podiatrist, they take an X-ray to determine the extent of the damage. This is followed by proper casting to immobilize the foot and promote healing.

In summary, it is important to realize that words such as fracture, sprain, and crack are not different. The reality is that they all represent a broken bone and if it is not treated in time, recovery will be long and painful.

Benefits of calling an urgent care podiatrist for foot emergencies
Many people have been programmed to head to the ER when they have a broken foot or another injury. While the ER is the sensible first place to look for help after an injury, in most cases, after they have stabilized you, they will send you to a specialist, and that is the podiatrist. If you can go directly to the foot doctor, they will help you find out the extent of the injury, and then offer appropriate treatment. It is less stressful to go directly to the podiatrist, and because they are foot specialists, they will identify the problem fast.

Never underestimate a foot injury or emergency. When small injuries are left to fester, they become huge problems which need time, money and a lot of physical therapy to heal.