Common Questions

 

  • Why does my heel hurt on my first step in the morning or after I sit for a while and stand up?

Patients that experience these symptoms in their heel usually suffer from a condition called plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is caused by a tight ligament on the bottom of the foot, called the plantar fascia, which tears away from the heel bone causing swelling and pain. Usually, walking will make it feel a little better since it makes the swelling in the heel disperse and the ligament warms up becoming more flexible. In some cases the tension from the ligament can cause a heel spur, which is a small bony overgrowth on the heel; however, the heel spur rarely causes pain.

Treatment consists of stretching, physical therapy, anti inflammatory medication and orthotics, which are custom made shoe inserts that help restore proper foot function or biomechanics so that the symptoms don’t come back. Best of all, Dr. argas rarely uses injections or surgery to treat this condition since over 99% of his patients get better without them. 

  • What are some of the complications of diabetes seen in the feet and what does Dr. Vargas do to treat them?

Among the most frequently seen diabetic foot complications are dry skin, diminished circulation, diminished sensation, delayed healing and amputations.

Sadly, over 80,000 patients undergo some form of lower extremity amputation every year with the vast majority of them being preventable. Because of this, Dr. Vargas’ top priority for all of his diabetic patients is to prevent them from
losing the use of their feet or lower extremities. To do this, he examines all of his diabetic patients regularly according to the condition of their feet by scheduling comprehensive diabetic foot exams. These exams are geared toward assessing circulation, sensation and foot pressures. With this information he is able to anticipate areas of potential wound development and treat them with custom made shoes and insoles before they occur.

Dr. Vargas has also developed a protocol to successfully treat diabetic neuropathy, a degenerative condition of the nerves that causes painful, burning feet which eventually leads to complete loss of sensation. 

Will I have to miss work if I have bunion surgery?Vargas usually performs bunion surgery in an outpatient surgical facility
or hospital under local anesthesia. Following the procedure, which lasts
approximately 45 minutes, most patients return home walking under their own
power in a cast bDr. Vargas recommends that his patients take at least one week off from work to
keep their leg elevated and rested. Upon their return to work, they will use the
walking boot for a few weeks until they are healed from the surgery. The time in the
boot depends on the type of procedure that is done and how quickly healing occurs.
However, most patients are in the boot for about 3-6 weeks.f your job is physically demanding or requires heavy lifting, your return to work
may take a little longer since the walking boot may interfere with your ability

  • Will I have to miss work if I have bunion surgery?

Dr. Vargas usually performs bunion surgery in an outpatient surgical facility or hospital under local anesthesia. Following the procedure, which lasts approximately 45 minutes, most patients return home walking under their own power in a cast boot.

Dr. Vargas recommends that his patients take at least one week off from work to keep their leg elevated and rested. Upon their return to work, they will use the walking boot for a few weeks until they are healed from the surgery. The time in the boot depends on the type of procedure that is done and how quickly healing occurs. However, most patients are in the boot for about 3-6 weeks.

If your job is physically demanding or requires heavy lifting, your return to work may take a little longer since the walking boot may interfere with your ability to do your job.

  • My toenail hurts. How do I know if it’s ingrown?

Ingrown nails are usually painful in shoes or with pressure to the toe and the surrounding skin tends to turn red and swollen due to infection. Ingrown toenails are usually hereditary although they can sometimes be caused by certain types of shoes or toe injuries.

When there is an infection is present, treatment begins with an antibiotic taken by mouth for 7 days. Once the infection has cleared, Dr. Vargas then carefully removes the painful ingrown nail border in the office using local anesthesia. Next, he uses a chemical to burn to the nail matrix or root of the nail so that it does not grow back. A simple bandage is then applied to the toe.

The entire procedure takes less than 3 minutes and patients walk out of the office with their regular shoes on and resume their normal daily activities. When checkingout, patients are conveniently supplied with a kit containing antibacterial wound wash, a band-aid and antibiotic ointment to clean their toe daily.