Archive for Nacogdoches
Rest Pain
Posted by: | CommentsRest pain is a pain that is typically felt in the feet and legs while trying to fall asleep. Patients will describe a burning that often requires them to get up and move around or to hang their feet off of the side of the bed. Some patients will even sleep in a chair to avoid rest pain. This can be a sign of significant arterial circulation disease and should be addressed immediately. Please seek your podiatrist or primary care physician to see if your burning is due to arterial disease.
Additionally there are other symptoms concerning arterial disease that should be followed up with your doctor. Pain in your calf muscles that occurs when walking can also be a sign of circulatory disease. Some patients say my legs give out, my legs start burning or have to sit for a while and wait for the pain to go away. Then they get up and walk about the same distance before experiencing the pain again. This is called intermittent claudication and is another sign of arterial disease.
It is not normal to have foot or leg pain while walking, resting or trying to fall asleep. Call Sowell Podiatry today if you are having these issues. We offer in office vascular testing that is easy and is non-invasive. We can help.
Nursing home residents deserve the same care and compassion as any patient in our practice. Dr. Sowell has always had a heart for elderly patients, particularly those in nursing home facilities. He has seen patients in nursing home facilities since August 1997 and currently sees residents of over fifteen area nursing homes. Our goal is to treat our nursing home patients with the same quality care provided in our office. We travel to their facility and see each resident that needs care in their room, providing more privacy and comfort. Getting to know our nursing home patients is a great experience and providing them relief of pain and deformity with respect and dignity is our goal
Dr. Sowell will take every opportunity to speak to or educate diabetics concerning their foot and medical care. Too many people with diabetes suffer from wounds, infections and amputations that could be prevented with early diagnosis and treatment. Diabetic foot complications put a large burden on our medical system and on the families affected by the disease. If you know a person who has diabetes, please help them get involved in their own medical care and educate themselves on proper nutrition, blood sugar control, foot exams, eye exams, etc. Sowell Podiatry provides education in the office, on our website (www.sowellpodiatry.com), on our blog (www.nacogdochesfootdoctor.com), through speaking engagements and community events.
Diagnosis and treatment are not enough. Patients need to be educated on their condition, treatment options and prevention. Too often patients settle for a quick diagnosis from their physician and are handed a prescription on the way out without any explanation as to the severity of their problem, its cause, or how to prevent this from recurring. At Sowell Podiatry, Dr. Sowell spends much of his time explaining the cause of the condition so patients have a better understanding and, therefore, can make a better decision concerning treatment. Typically, many treatment options are considered and discussed. Dr. Sowell feels a patient educated on their condition makes better decisions and is more compliant to the course of treatment. Written handouts and articles are distributed to promote more study at home if desired and our website (www.sowellpodiatry.com) is a great resource for information.
Ingrown Toenails
Posted by: | CommentsAn ingrown toenail is a result of a nail growing into the skin that surrounds it. The big toe is the most common location but it may occur in any digit. At Sowell Podiatry, ingrown toes nails are very common. Too often these ingrown toenails are not cared for quickly enough and infection has typically set in when they arrive in our office. Ingrown toenails may cause pain at the tip of the toe or all the way down to the base of the toe and are usually more painful when walking and when wearing shoes.
A red, swollen, painful nail margin is very common with infection of the ingrown toenail and often times there will also be bleeding and pus. Parents should be aware that children are often times slow to discuss this problem and if they get any hint that there might be a problem such as altered gait, sock stains or a grimace they should inspect the child’s toes immediately. We perform many toenail procedures and take many steps to make this as comfortable and pain-free as possible.
Ingrown toenails have many potential causes. Some of the most common are:
- Improperly fitting shoes.
- Trauma to the toe.
- Thickened toenails due to fungus or repeated trauma.
- Improper trimming of toenails.
Treatment of an ingrown toenail typically involves addressing any bacterial infection in the skin first. Surface infection may often respond to proper foot soaks or antibiotic creams and oral antibiotics may also be used depending on the severity of the infection. A removal of the offending toenail is generally required and is often performed under local anesthesia. At this point, the toenail edge may be removed and allowed to re-grow or it may be removed permanently, this is called a matrixectomy. Please call Sowell Podiatry if you are suffering with an ingrown toenail and we will help you return to an active pain free lifestyle as quickly as possible.
Sowell Podiatry Core Value – WE PROVIDE THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF PODIATRIC CARE AVAILABLE.
Posted by: | CommentsDr. Sowell loves his patients. He spends time getting to know each one and feels he is very fortunate to be in a profession that can provide so much pain relief! He calls them at home, checks on their care, visits at hospitals and seeks advice on cases that need outside help. Dr. Sowell also loves podiatry. He constantly reads medical literature, attends medical conferences and discusses interesting cases with fellow podiatrists. He particularly enjoys diabetic foot care, wound care, foot surgery, sports medicine and vascular assessment. In clinic, he trains his staff on common foot conditions and helps them prepare for various patients by discussing the disease and variations in its treatment. Our staff also performs various tasks around the office so they are cross-trained and have a better understanding of the wide variety of care we provide at Sowell Podiatry. We have two podiatry offices, provide care in over fifteen area nursing homes and perform surgery in three area hospitals and two surgery centers!
