Your feet may be about as far away from your heart as you can get, but they are often the first place to look for signs of a circulatory problem known as peripheral vascular disease, or hardening of the arteries. Among the early symptoms of the condition are deteriorated hair growth on the toes, and toenails that become diseased and disfigured. The feet may also tend to turn bright red after sitting for extended periods of time without keeping the legs elevated. Calf pains while walking or exercising are other strong indicators. To diagnose the condition, a podiatrist may begin by checking the pulses in the foot and ankle, and follow with testing using ultrasound or a pulse volume recorder.
The feet are the foundation of the body, and keeping them strong and healthy is key to your entire body’s well-being. When foot problems occur, correcting them early on, often leads to the correction of aches, pains and problems with other parts of the body. When foot problems point to trouble elsewhere in the body, we at Family Foot and Ankle Care will work with other specialists to treat and diagnose those problems.
Dr. Marc Fink
P.S. Risk factors for peripheral vascular disease include smoking,diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol
