Approximately 30 million Americans struggle with the symptoms and effects of diabetes according to the American Diabetes Association—some diagnosed, some undiagnosed. Because diabetes is a condition that affects the levels of glucose in the blood, diabetic patients may experience problems getting proper circulation to their feet. At Southwest Foot Institute in Phoenix, AZ Dr. Michael Dershowitz provides diabetic foot care, helping patients to keep their feet healthy and free from wounds, ulcers, and nerve damage.

How Can Diabetes Affect the Feet?
Diabetes is a common general medical condition that causes glucose to build up in the bloodstream. It’s caused the body’s inability to naturally create a hormone called insulin. When it’s not controlled, the feet are vulnerable to nerve damage and wounds that don’t heal normally. When a diabetic patient loses feeling in the foot or develops an infected ulcer, that is an emergency that must be addressed and treated immediately to avoid the possibility of permanent tissue damage.

Diabetic Foot Care Treatments
The goal of diabetic foot care is to keep the feet in good condition and catch potential problems before they become serious. Treatments offered at the Southwest Foot Institute in Phoenix, AZ include:

- Toenail clipping and removal of ingrown toenails.
- Regular foot examinations.
- Cleaning and aggressively treating injuries and sores on the feet.
- Surgical removal of infected tissue and wound care.
- Treatment of foot deformities, like bunions.
- Prescription orthotics to provide your feet with support to minimize the risk of injuries.

Keeping Your Feet Healthy
When you’re managing diabetes, it is extremely important to keep a close eye on your feet and go the extra mile to keep them healthy. Here are a few tips to follow:

- Don’t walk barefoot (indoors or outdoors)—always wear a pair of thick socks or slippers.
- Use lotion on the feet in moderation.
- When clipping your toenails, cut straight across to avoid ingrown nails.
- Spend extra on comfortable shoes that are designed to protect and support your feet.

Get Help for Your Feet Today
If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes and are currently having trouble with your feet, make an appointment to have podiatrist Dr. Michael Dershowitz look at them. Call 602.340.8686 today to schedule a visit to Southwest Foot Institute in Phoenix and Glendale, AZ.

Our Phoenix podiatry treatments can help you get your neuropathy-related foot problems under control.

Peripheral neuropathy is a condition characterized by damage to the nerves, which leads to tingling, numbness and pain. While nerve damage can occur anywhere in the body, it most commonly affects the extremities (hands and feet). To manage your symptoms and to prevent this problem from getting worse, our Phoenix podiatrist Dr. Michael Dershowitz offers up a variety of treatment options to improve your health and quality of life.

Treatment Options

First and foremost, it is important to figure out the cause of your neuropathy so we know how to treat the underlying problem. For example, many cases of peripheral neuropathy are due to diabetes. Therefore, your doctor may recommend medications to manage blood sugar as well as lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking and maintaining a healthy weight.

In many cases, prescription medications may help you manage your neuropathy symptoms. To reduce inflammation your doctor may prescribe corticosteroids or immunosuppressants.

Turning to Our Podiatrist

Since many people with neuropathy complain of pain, weakness, numbness or tingling in their feet, it’s important that you also have a foot doctor in Phoenix that you can turn to regularly for care. Here at Southwest Foot Institute, we offer several treatment options to help you better manage your symptoms. After all, our goal is to provide you with a variety of choices to improve your quality of life.

We offer surgical decompression, which can help take unnecessary pressure off compressed or affected nerves to improve how your body functions as a whole. This can also reduce inflammation and pain while promoting the body’s natural healing response.

We also offer MLS therapy, a special non-invasive and completely painless laser treatment that is known to reduce inflammation, stimulate blood flow and improve circulation. It is also known to reduce pain. It’s a great option for many of our patients who are dealing with peripheral neuropathy.

Here at Southwest Foot Institute in Phoenix and Glendale, AZ we are dedicated to providing you with comprehensive foot and ankle care whenever you need it. No matter if you are looking for treatments to manage your neuropathy or you are experiencing early symptoms of neuropathy, our podiatric team is here to help.

Find out how your Phoenix and Glendale, AZ, podiatrist can help you with your heel pain with laser treatment

Your podiatrist Dr. Michael Dershowitz in Phoenix and Glendale, AZ, is equipped with years of experience and knowledge of how to examine your feet and prescribe the proper course of treatment when it comes to resolving issues and problems, like heel pain.

Heel Pain

The heel is the largest bone in your foot and, and is subject to damage by external forces, according to the American Podiatric Medical Association.

When the fascia, a connective tissue that extends from the heel of the foot to the toes, is irritated or inflamed, you may feel pain. Other causes of heel pain include:

• Heel spurs
• Painless growth on the bone that may result in chronic pain
• Arthritis, swelling of cartilage and lining of joints

There are also other disorders and issues such as:

• Collagen disorders
• Nerve injuries
• Heel bone abnormalities

Treatments

There are surgical treatments to get rid of heel pain, such as the removal of connective tissue and heel spurs, but before going down that road, consider:

• Wearing comfortable shoes made of soft rubber
• Avoid rigorous sports and exercises
• Stretch feet daily
• Take medication prescribed by your podiatrist that helps reduce inflammation

Another option is MLS Laser Therapy. It is a quick and safe treatment for people suffering from plantar fasciitis. With MLS therapy there is no recovery time as this is a non-invasive and painless treatment. An additional advantage is that it has a high success rate.

For more information regarding your heel pain and laser treatment options, contact Dr. Michael Dershowitz at (602) 340-8686. His offices are conveniently located in Phoenix and Glendale, AZ, for when you're ready to schedule an appointment with him.

What your podiatrist in Phoenix and Glendale, AZ wants you to know

Many people neglect taking care of their feet, but if you have diabetes, you need to take care of your feet so they can take care of you. Diabetes affects all of the systems in your body, and the effects are especially noticeable in your feet.

So, how do you take care of your feet if you have diabetes? Dr. Michael Dershowitz at Southwest Foot Institute wants to help answer that question. He has office locations in Phoenix, and Glendale, Arizona to help you and your feet.

Diabetes can cause problems with your immune, circulatory, and nervous systems, and your feet are impacted in different ways:

• Immune system issues can cause healing problems. If you get a small blister or cut, it may fail to heal and can even turn into a diabetic ulcer.
• Circulatory system difficulties can cause not enough blood flow to get to your feet and toes.
• Nervous system problems can cause you not to feel foot pain. Lack of sensation can result in you damaging your feet and not realizing it. You may also suffer from diabetic neuropathy, resulting in chronic nerve pain in your feet.

There are a few simple tips you can do at home to prevent diabetic foot problems. Remember to:

• Wash and dry your feet thoroughly every day to prevent infection
• Apply thick moisturizing cream or lotion to prevent dry, cracked skin
• Check your feet and toes for cuts, blisters or sores
• Keep toenails trimmed straight across to prevent ingrown toenails
• Exercise and massage your feet daily to promote circulation
• Always wear supportive footwear and avoid walking barefoot

For additional information about taking care of your diabetic feet, please visit the Diabetic Foot Care page on the Southwest Foot Institute website at https://www.southwestfootinstitute.com/diabetic-foot-care-phoenix-az.html

You should also visit your podiatrist regularly for professional treatment. If you have diabetes, you are not alone because the disease affects over 29 million people in the United States according to the American Diabetes Association.

Your feet don’t have to suffer the effects of diabetes. You can get relief by calling Dr. Michael Dershowitz at Southwest Foot Institute, with offices in Phoenix, and Glendale, Arizona. Call today!

Find out if the symptoms you are experiencing could be due to nerve damage.

Peripheral neuropathy is a problem that isn’t often talked about and yet over 20 million people in the US alone have some form of peripheral neuropathy, a condition that causes damage to the peripheral nervous system, a system that’s responsible for transmitting sensory messages from the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body. Whether you or a loved one has just been diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy, our Phoenix podiatrist Dr. Michael Dershowitz is here to tell you more about it and the best ways to manage the condition.

What causes peripheral neuropathy?

There are two ways in which peripheral neuropathy occurs. It may be genetic (meaning that it’s inherited) or it’s something that was acquired over time due to an accident or health problem.

Some causes include:

Physical trauma: This could be everything from a sports-related injury to a car accident, which can compress or overstretch the nerves and lead to nerve damage.

Health problems: There are a variety of conditions and disorders that can also increase your chances of developing peripheral neuropathy such as kidney disorders, certain autoimmune, endocrine and metabolic (e.g. diabetes) disorders, cancer or infections (e.g. Lyme disease; Epstein-Barr virus).

Toxin exposure: Whether your job involves working among a lot of environmental or industrial toxins or you are a heavy drinker, any long-term or intense exposure to certain toxins could lead to peripheral neuropathy.

What are the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy?

Not all symptoms will be the same for everyone with peripheral neuropathy. Some people may experience muscle twitching, muscle weakness, difficulty walking or the inability to walk, a loss of sensation, pain, tingling, numbness and muscle atrophy. These symptoms are more often felt in the feet and hands.

How is it treated?

While there are only a few kinds of peripheral neuropathy that can be completely cured, there are many treatment options out there to improve and manage your symptoms. In fact, some treatments we offer can actually help the damaged nerves regenerate. In order to support faster and more effective healing, our Phoenix foot doctor will offer up certain lifestyle modifications such as ample sleep, certain exercise routines, a healthy, balanced diet and quitting smoking if you are currently a smoker.

If you are experiencing mild to moderate foot pain, these symptoms can often be relieved through over-the-counter pain relievers; however, we can also recommend a variety of stronger prescription medications such as topical anesthetic patches, steroids and opioids.

Regular physical therapy and rehabilitation may also help you to rebuild strength while also improving your coordination and balance. Laser therapy is an effective treatment while also being painless and noninvasive. For more persistent cases, surgical decompression of nerves is also a treatment option available. 

Whether you are experiencing symptoms of peripheral neuropathy or you are seeking effective treatment options, don’t hesitate to turn to our Phoenix and Glendale, AZ, foot care team at Southwest Foot Institute for the help you need to improve your quality of life.