Top 5 Reasons to see a Footcare Nurse

A footcare nurse is a registered nurse (RN) or practical registered nurse (RPN) who has taken additional courses to treat the feet. They trim toe nails and file down calluses and corns, typically on a regular basis. Because of their health care knowledge, they also screen and monitor for potential issues that can become bigger problems.

There are many reasons for starting treatment with a footcare nurse, but here are the top five reasons that we see!

Can’t reach your toes (mobility)

At a certain point, it can become very difficult to reach your toes to cut toenails. This can be a problem because cutting and injuring the skin is more likely to happen. Once you start dreading the task or feel frustrated and tired afterwards, it may be time to get someone else to cut them for you!

Some of the more common reasons people can’t reach their toes anymore is due to arthritis, surgery and lack of flexibility. Even eyesight problems can be a problem. This can lead to an increase in injury and also cutting the nails too short. Nails that are cut too short can lead to ingrown toenails.

Diabetic

Diabetics are more prone to issues in the feet. In the end, the biggest concern we are all trying to prevent is an ulcer from forming. Once an ulcer forms, it is very hard to get rid of. When an ulcer is not treated properly, it can lead to an amputation of the toe or foot.

In the initial assessment, the footcare nurse performs a diabetic screening to assess the risk of an ulcer forming. This will help determine what kind of care is needed and what other recommendations will be provided.

During a regular footcare treatment, they look for signs of pressure or other skin irritations that need to be addressed. Catching these signs early is important to prevent an ulcer from forming. In most cases, these signs are related to improper shoe fit, shoes worn down, or a change in routine. Diabetics should be checking their feet on a regular basis for these signs, but the footcare nurse can look at the feet with a more trained eye.

They cut the toenails to reduce the chance of ingrown nails and file down any calluses and corns because these could lead to a skin injury.

Calluses

Thick and/or recurrent calluses are a sign of excessive pressure. This can be from the way the feet are, shoe fit, or even the activities done on a daily basis. When they become thick enough, it can cause pain and discomfort. For those that are still working, it can be hard to ignore these thick calluses.

Getting calluses filed down on a regular basis can help prevent pain and discomfort. Once our patients have a few treatments, it is easier to determine how frequently treatment is needed. Some have their calluses return after a month, where some are good every two months. It is a good idea to have them filed down before the pain begins!

Ingrown toenails

Ingrown toenails are when the sides of the nail grow in a curve between and into the skin. It can start as red skin that is painful with pressure, but it can lead to severe pain with light touch and an infection of the skin. Getting these cut out before an infection starts makes it an easier recovery.

Footcare nurses cut out the ingrown nail with nippers that can get right to the base of the ingrown nail. If they are not cut out at the base, it can still cause pain and redness.

Mild ingrown toe nails are cut out with only one or a few snips, and pressure is released immediately. More painful and infected ingrown nails may be more painful to remove and take longer to heal. This is because the infected skin needs time to heal once the pressure has been removed.

To prevent ingrown nails, make sure the nails are not cut too short and wear shoes that are wider at the toe box.

Thick toenails

Thick toenails can be from fungus, but it is not always fungus! They can also form due to trauma of the nail or a nail growing too slow.

In the case of fungus, a doctor may prescribe a topical treatment. This can take a very long time to heal (possibly an entire year), as you need to wait for the nail to completely grow the fungus out.

When the nail is thick, the footcare nurses cut the nail and file it down to a more manageable size.

Conclusion

There are many reasons to see a footcare nurse, but common reasons are the inability to reach the nails, diabetes, calluses, ingrown toenails and thick toenails.

If you have any questions or would like to book an appointment with one of our footcare nurses, feel free to visit our website to book!