We Answer Your Top Questions About Podiatry and Physical Therapy

No, there are many different risk factors for type 2 diabetes, although being overweight is certainly a high risk. Other factors that play a role in developing this kind of diabetes include your age, your level of regular physical activity, your family history of the disease, your cholesterol levels and blood pressure, your race, and even a few preexisting conditions for women.

The older you are, the higher your risk for diabetic problems. Living a sedentary life is closely tied to obesity and also contributes to problems with insulin in your body. Having parents or siblings with diabetes makes you more likely to develop it, too. High blood pressure, low levels of “healthy” cholesterol, and elevated triglycerides can damage your arteries and contribute to the disease as well. While no one understands why, certain races are significantly more prone to diabetes, particularly people from black, Asian, Hispanic, and Native American groups. Women have additional risks from preexisting conditions, like polycystic ovary syndrome and gestational diabetes.

If you know you’re at high risk for type 2 diabetes, let our experts at Podiatry Associates, P.C. work with you to protect yourself and your limbs from damage before anything happens. Call (303) 805-5156 to reach our Castle Pines, Parker, and Cherry Creek, CO, offices today.

Cold toes often itch when you warm them up because of something called chilblains. Chilblains are small, itchy, red bumps in your skin that appear when your body improperly reacts to cold and rewarming. No one is exactly sure what causes them. It seems that rewarming can sometimes allow tiny blood vessels in your toes to suddenly expand before the larger vessels they are attached to can handle it. Fluid then leaks into surrounding tissues, creating little bumps and red, itchy skin. You may feel like your feet are burning. In extreme cases, this can actually cause blistering or lead to ulcers.

The best way to avoid all this is to limit your skin’s exposure to extremely cold temperatures, especially for your hands or feet. Wear warm socks and appropriate footwear to protect your digits. Avoid being outside in winter for too long. When your feet do get cold, warm them up gradually and carefully. Our team at Podiatry Associates, P.C. is happy to help you take care of cold toes and deal with chilblains or other issues. Call (303) 805-5156 or use our online forms to contact our Parker, Castle Pines, and Cherry Creek, CO, offices.

Warming cold toes isn’t difficult. You simply have to be careful so that you don’t accidentally harm your skin in the process of doing so. Cold feet are typically somewhat numbed, so they are unable to accurately judge warm temperatures. This makes it much more likely that you’ll accidentally burn your feet as you try to warm them unless you are careful.

When you have cold feet, make sure they are dry and not exposed to icy air. Run room temperature or slightly warmer water over your toes. This provides your digits with heat and encourages your circulation. You can also gently massage your toes to create friction heat and improve blood flow. Make sure you are hydrated, too—this increases your blood volume, which helps with circulation. Once your feet are warm, keep them that way by wearing thick socks and possibly footwear.

If you regularly struggle with cold toes, our team at Podiatry Associates, P.C. can help you determine what underlying causes might be affecting this. Make an appointment online or by calling (303) 805-5156 to reach our Castle Pines, Parker, or Cherry Creek, CO, offices.

Warts on your feet are a common problem. The key to preventing these bumps is to make it less likely your feet will come in contact with the virus that causes them. The virus thrives in warm, damp environments and transfers to your feet when you touch contaminated objects. For that reason, always wear sandals or shower shoes instead of going barefoot in locker rooms, on pool decks, at saunas, or in any other high-risk location. Use clean socks and avoid sharing towels, footwear, or other hygiene items with someone who has a wart, too.

If your feet do touch a wart directly, wash them thoroughly. Inspect your feet for obvious cuts or damage near your nails. Tiny breaks in the skin are how the virus infects your feet. You may not be able to entirely prevent warts, but you can certainly make an infection less likely. If you’re at all concerned you may have developed a wart on your lower limbs, let our team at Podiatry Associates, P.C. inspect it and help you eliminate it. Make an appointment online or by calling (303) 805-5156 to reach our Castle Pines, Parker, and Cherry Creek, CO, offices.

Warts are stubborn and difficult to eliminate, but some people have found home remedies that helped them. The most common treatment, of course, is to keep your wart covered in duct tape. This “suffocates” the bump, shrinking it, and also help you avoid spreading it around. Over-the-counter wart removers may have more success. These mild acids can be a liquid you apply directly to the growth, or a bandage you place over it. Some people have even combined these over-the-counter methods with duct tape.

All of these home remedies tend to have mixed results. Some people who use them religiously may find it does shrink the warty growth. Others, however, may find they do very little for the bump. The best thing to do is to discuss your wart care with experts, like our team at Podiatry Associates, P.C. We’ll help you plan out the best treatments for warts on your feet or toes. Make an appointment with us online or call (303) 805-5156 to take care of your warts today. We have offices in Cherry Creek, Castle Pines, and Parker, CO.

Some of our patients elect to have laser therapy performed to address a variety of medical issues like treating skin cancer, moles and birthmarks. In these cases, it is normal to wonder how long it will take to see cold laser therapy results. Unfortunately, it is difficult to provide an estimate without taking into consideration the condition being treated, whether or not we are using it with other therapies, and even the individual patient. Additionally, some conditions will require multiple treatment sessions.

The best practice for understanding when you will be able to see the results from laser treatment is to discuss the matter with one of the doctors at any of our three Colorado podiatrist offices.

Cold laser therapy is a medical procedure that comes with an array of benefits for patients who suffer from different conditions. Find out if laser treatment is right for you by calling Podiatry Associates, P.C. at (303) 805-5156. You can also request your appointment at our Castle Pines, Cherry Creek, or Parker, CO offices online today.

It’s hard to quit smoking, but it isn’t impossible. People tend to be most successful at quitting when they do it in stages and have a whole support team to walk with them through the process. A first step that you might take for granted—but absolutely shouldn’t overlook—is knowing why you want to quit. Many people choose to do it to treat a health problem, protect children, or just live more healthily. Think through your reason carefully. It will help motivate you through the process.

Then, work on getting rid of all your cigarettes and ashtrays and set a date to quit smoking. Don’t keep anything smoking-related. Tell friends, family, and people you trust when you plan to quit and ask for their support. Medical professionals, including our team at Podiatry Associates, P.C. can help you with quitting products to make the transition smoother, too. Once you’ve quit, avoid “triggers” including drinking alcohol and being around others who are smoking. If you’d like to know more about quitting, or you’d like help to do so, contact our offices in Castle Pines, Parker, or Cherry Creek in Denver through our website. You can also call (303) 805-5156. 

Smoking damage can definitely be reversed—and the positive effects begin immediately. Once you quit, your heart rate and blood pressure start to drop from abnormally high to healthier levels. The carbon monoxide in your blood slowly decreases, allowing your blood cells to carry more and more oxygen. After a few weeks, your circulation will begin to improve as your arteries heal. You’ll also cough or wheeze less. Your heart function will improve and you won’t feel out of breath so easily. Your lung function will improve even more after several months of being smoke-free.

Improved circulation and breathing are good for your whole body, and they also help your feet. They boost your immune system and decrease your odds of developing vascular diseases that contribute to foot ulcers. The longer you stay away from smoking, too, your risks for more serious problems like heart disease, stroke, and cancers drop dramatically. All of this is good news for your health. If you want to reverse smoking damage, let the Podiatry Associates, P.C. team help you. Use our website or call our Parker, Castle Pines, and Cherry Creek in Denver offices at (303) 805-5156.

X-rays are actually very valuable tools for diagnosing painful bone problems in your feet, since they create pictures of bones that can be evaluated for problems. X-rays have been used in medicine as diagnostic tests since the late 1890s, when the rays were discovered. They work by beaming small amounts of radiation through your body tissues. These rays are received by film or digital receivers positioned behind you. Since dense tissue, like your bones, absorbs more of the radiation than soft tissue, it casts a “shadow” of sorts that gets captured on the film or digital receiver. This then creates a picture that specialists like our team at Podiatry Associates, P.C. can evaluate.

Pictures of bones allows us clearly see fractures, tumor growth, dislocated joints, arthritis damage, benign cysts, and even bone damage from osteoporosis. This way we can identify your condition more accurately and help you get the treatment you need. X-rays also allow us to evaluate your recovery and make sure treatment is working. If you’d like to know more about how we use X-rays or other diagnostic images, or you need help with foot pain, call us at (303) 805-5156 to make an appointment at our Denver, CO location. We’re always happy to help!

Not all hard bumps on your child’s foot are tumors. Some develop under stress, like a pump bump. Others could be the result of a deformity, like a bunion or bunionette. Sometimes hard bumps are related to serious injuries, like a dislocation or broken bone. Other times, however, they are just extra bone tissue that your child is born with. This is the case for something called accessory navicular syndrome. This is a problem with a small, extra bone on the inside of the arch, where the posterior tibial tendon supports the foot.

Normally this extra bone becomes more of an issue when the feet are done developing and start to mature during adolescence. The bones harden and the bump becomes more prominent. Pressure on the inside of the foot and stress on the arch can aggravate the accessory navicular and cause swelling around it, leading to pain in the small bump. There are ways to alleviate pain from this issue, and from all the other non-cancerous hard bumps in the lower limbs. Just let our team at Podiatry Associates, P.C. in Castle Pines, Cherry Creek in Denver, and Parker, CO, help you. Make an appointment online, or call (303) 805-5156.