ER or Podiatrist: Where Should I Go?
Did you injure your foot or ankle and you are unsure whether you should head to the emergency room or schedule a visit with your local emergency podiatrist? Foot and ankle injuries are all too common, especially in the winter months. An injury can occur at any time of the day. If you have suffered what looks like a broken ankle, diabetic foot injury, injury on the job, or another injury to your lower extremities, it is important to seek medical attention right away. If you are wondering where to go for a foot or ankle injury, you might ask the question: should I go to the ER or podiatrist? In this article, we will break down the differences between the ER and the podiatrist and everything else you need to know about visiting an emergency foot doctor.
Should I Go to the ER or Podiatrist?
Most people think of the ER first when they suffer a broken foot or another injury. However, in some cases, it might make more sense to visit a podiatrist. In fact, in a lot of cases, once the ER doctors have stabilized your foot or ankle injury, they will typically send you to the podiatrist’s office anyway.
The health of your feet is important for your overall mobility and balance, so it is important to treat any injuries you suffer to the area quickly. If you are suffering a life-threatening emergency, head to the ER immediately. If your injury is not life-threatening, you may be able to be seen by a podiatrist instead.
What is a Podiatrist?
A podiatrist is a foot doctor who specializes in treating the foot, heel, ankle, and connecting parts of the leg. While typically many people think of podiatrists as treating chronic issues, podiatrists also offer urgent care services for injuries. A podiatrist can even perform surgery and prescribe antibiotics. Podiatrists treat conditions like fungal nails, ingrown toenails, toe deformities, hammertoes, bunions, heel and arch pain, diabetic conditions, and even sports injuries and broken bones in the foot and ankle.
What is the ER?
ER is short for emergency room. Emergency rooms are meant to treat emerging, life-threatening situations. If you have a life-threatening injury, you need to use the emergency room.
If your foot, ankle, or heel injury is serious but not life-threatening, you might want to visit your local podiatrist instead. Visiting a podiatrist instead of a general ER physician means that you will receive relevant, high-quality care for your feet and ankles.
Foot Injuries That Require Urgent Care
You might need to contact your emergency foot doctor for an urgent appointment if you are experiencing:
- Severe, intense pain in your feet, ankles, or heels
- Pain in both feet
- Visible injury or deformity
- Numbness or tingling
- Swelling in your feet
- Signs of infection include redness, tenderness, heat in the foot, and/or a fever over 10 degrees Fahrenheit
- Open wounds or sores
- Inability to bear weight on one or both feet
If you are experiencing any of these issues, don’t hesitate to call us at Foot and Ankle Specialists of Illinois right away. Your local podiatrist can advise you on whether you need to visit a podiatrist or your local emergency room.
Benefits of Visiting a Podiatrist Instead of the ER
There are several benefits to going to the podiatrist instead of the emergency room when you have suffered an injury to your foot or ankle.
Less Stressful Than Going to the Hospital
If you have ever visited an emergency room, you know it can be a stressful experience. It is much less stressful to visit your friendly neighborhood podiatrist instead.
Less Wait Time
The average ER wait time in America is 145 minutes. If your injury is not that serious, it might take you a long time to be seen in an emergency room. Your podiatrist should be able to see you much faster than that.
Urgent Care Options
What you may not know about podiatrists is that many offer urgent care podiatry services. Podiatrists are accustomed to dealing with emergency foot care.
Many of the Same Treatment Options
Just like an ER, an emergency foot doctor can perform x-rays, MRIs, and other tests to diagnose your injury or condition. Podiatrists can also perform surgery and prescribe medications.
Podiatrists are Foot Specialists
You never know exactly which type of doctor you will see in an emergency room. However, if you go to a podiatrist, you know you are seeing an emergency foot doctor who specializes in foot and ankle injuries. They offer the right care to get you back on your feet.
Urgent Care Podiatry
What is urgent care podiatry? In podiatry, urgent care involves treating injuries or trauma in your feet or ankles that require immediate medical care. Some examples of injuries or wounds that might warrant immediate treatment include:
- Fractures
- Sprained or broken ankle
- Lacerations
- Acute, intense pain
- Achilles tendon ruptures and other injuries
- Ulcers
- Plantar fasciitis
- Diabetic wound care
- Foreign bodies in the feet
- Infected ingrown toenails
What Issues Can An Emergency Foot Doctor Treat?
Our podiatrists at Foot & Ankle Specialists of Illinois can treat your foot or ankle injury in a timely manner to help you prevent any serious or permanent issues. If you are in a rush to see a doctor right away, we also offer telemedicine appointments for urgent foot care issues.
Visit an Emergency Podiatrist at Foot & Ankle Specialists of Illinois
Most importantly, when you realize you have suffered a foot injury, you need to seek immediate care, whether it is from an ER or a podiatrist. Never underestimate the severity of a foot or ankle injury. Even a small injury that is left to fester can become a major problem down the line that takes a lot of money, time, and physical therapy and other treatments to heal. If you need to see an emergency foot doctor or have an urgent foot injury or ankle injury, or even an infection of a toe, contact the Foot and Ankle Specialists of Illinois right away. We offer emergency podiatrist services.
