An ingrown toenail is a lot like a sliver. Slivers may be a piece of wood or possibly metal. They are a foreign body. There is no blood supply and they are a great place for bacteria to hang out. Inherently they are usually “dirty and/or contaminated." Toenails on the other hand are not a foreign body. They also do not have a blood supply and are a place that tends to have a higher bacteria count than other parts of the body and skin. 

Therefore when you get inflammation around the toenail and an infection develops, it is hard for your blood supply to bring the antibiotic where it’s needed. Again the toenail really doesn’t have a blood supply and so the bacteria can just “hide" around that area. When this happens with our patients our doctors have to do an I&D. An I&D is also called an incision and drainage. By removing that ingrown toenail or portion of the toenail, you’re basically “removing a sliver. The bacteria no longer have a place to hide and it will heal quite quickly once this is done. 

If you have an ingrown toenail, contact your Issaquah Podiatrists today. Give us a call at 425-391-8666 or make an appointment online. 

Ankle sprains continue to be the one of the most common injuries in all of Athletics. We see quite a few ankle sprains from pediatrics playing basketball to mature athletes playing tennis. The most common type of ankle sprain continues to be the inversion-type were your foot rolls inward. In addition it continues to be one of the most undertreated injuries in healthcare.

Quite a few people still think ankle sprains or minor injury and they can be treated for home. The previously prescribed treatment regime of “PRICE” which stands for "Protect, Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate" no longer is appropriate in all cases. Untreated ankle sprains can lead to long-term ankle instability and ankle arthritis. Anybody that has an ankle sprain we stress importance of being evaluated as soon as possible to avoid these long-term complications.

If you have foot or ankle pain, give your Issaquah Podiatrists a call today at 425-391-8666 or make an appointment online. 

Stress fractures are a common injury we see especially with nice weather and people getting outdoors. We often see patients that have increased activities like running or hiking and have a sudden onset of foot pain and swelling. Stress fracture can occur in the lower extremity especially the metatarsals. The most common are the 2nd metatarsal or the 5th metatarsal.

Just like Chargers All-Pro safety Derwin James who was recently diagnosed with a 5th metatarsal stress fracture. The 5th metatarsal stress fracture can be one of the hardest to heal as this metatarsal is known to have a poor blood supple and receives a lot of force especially with activities like football. Another important part of evaluating for stress fractures is checking the overall foot structure. Certain foot structures are more likely to develop stress fractures. Remember ease into new activities, maintain a good diet and if you have pain and swelling in your feet get to your Podiatrist.

If you are experiencing foot or ankle plain, contact your Issaquah Podiatrists today for an appointment at 425-391-8666 or make an appointment online.