Your Podiatrist Wants You to Pay Attention to Heart Health
February is American Heart Month. You might find an instruction to care for your heart unexpected coming from your podiatrist, but the link between cardiac health and foot health is an important one. It’s common for feet to be the first part of the body to exhibit signs of cardiovascular disease. If you know what to look for and identify these problems early, they’re still treatable.
Aches and Pains
First, let’s start with this. Feet should not hurt. Period. Full stop. Foot pain is not an inevitable part of aging. Never ignore foot pain; report it to your podiatrist right away and make an appointment to be seen as soon as possible for diagnosis and treatment. Because the feet are farthest from the heart, foot pain can be a sign of cardiac illness. When the heart struggles to pump blood throughout the body, the extremities are affected first. Common symptoms in the feet include burning or shooting pain and swelling.
Unusual Appearance or Sensation
Do your feet feel cold all the time, even in warm weather? Do they appear slightly blue, rather than healthy and pink? Like pain, these symptoms can be indicators of cardiovascular disease.
Infection
When a nick or cut occurs anywhere on the body, nourishing blood flow is critical to healing. If a small wound on the feet becomes unexpectedly infected, it’s reasonable to look at diminished circulation caused by heart disease as the culprit. It is especially common in people with diabetes or high blood pressure who are at increased risk of complications.
The best thing that you can do to ensure healthy feet, ankles and lower legs for a lifetime is to see a board-certified podiatrist like Dr. Jason Grossman regularly. Your podiatrist is the best-qualified medical specialist to care for this part of your body. Schedule a convenient appointment in Advanced Feet and Ankle Care’s modern, comfortable Middlesex county offices in Old Bridge and Sayreville NJ offices today. Call our friendly staff at (732) 679-4330 or click here to get started.