FAQ

Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection. It is characterized by dry, flaky skin most often. Occasionally, very small blisters may form. One way to know if you have a fungus infection is to apply lotion or cream to your foot, and if you still see it looks scaly or dry, then you most likely have a fungus infection. Most often, your podiatrist will prescribe an antifungal cream, which can take up to 3 months to cure the infection. To prevent fungus infections, be sure your socks are dry and clean. If you sweat a lot, then do not wear the same pair of shoes daily. Allow your shoes to dry out for 48 hours. Spray your shoes with antifungal foot spray. Wash white socks with hot water and bleach.

A bunion is a bony bump that forms at the base of the big toe, often passed down genetically. While bunions can’t be corrected without surgery, their progression can be slowed with properly fitted shoes and custom orthotics made by your podiatrist.

Wearing supportive footwear and avoiding tight, high-heeled shoes can reduce pain and pressure, helping many patients delay or avoid surgery altogether.

Corns and calluses form when the body senses high pressure against bone. Never use corn removing acids or pads as this does not solve the root cause. Seeing a podiatrist can help you find out what is causing the corn or callus and conservative, corrective measures can be taken. It is particularly important to minimize corns and calluses in patients with neuropathy or loss of sensation.

All diabetics need at least annual foot exams. If you have peripheral neuropathy or other foot problems, exams should be more frequent. Exams evaluate circulation, sensitivity, check for skin changes or wounds.

They recommend properly fitted shoes, trimming toenails straight across, medical toenail trimming for at-risk patients, regular exams to catch early changes, and avoiding sharp or tight footwear.

Regular exercise such as walking can improve foot circulation. If you have leg pain or cold feet then see a podiatrist who can evaluate your foot circulation and refer to the proper specialist to open up blood flow if needed.

If you experience cold feet, leg pain, or numbness, see a podiatrist. They can check your circulation and, if needed, refer you to a specialist to restore proper blood flow and prevent complications.

We sweat 1/2 – 1 cup of sweat per day from our feet. Bacteria cause foot odor. Wearing acryclic/cotton blend socks, avoiding shoes made from vinyl or plastic, and using foot powders may help in reducing foot odor.

There are many reasons for foot pain such as arthritis, tendonitis, infections, neuropathy and back pain. It’s important to see a podiatrist if your pain lasts more than a few days to help prevent further damage and alleviate your pain faster.

Corona Foot & Ankle treats conditions like foot drop with braces or splints, physical therapy, possibly surgical options depending on severity. They also treat related conditions like Charcot foot, and offer custom orthotics and supportive footwear.

A hammertoe is a toe that is contracted. It occurs due to a muscle imbalance or due to a certain type of foot structure. Tight shoes may be another cause. They are treated conservatively by modifying shoegear, padding and strapping may help. Occasionally a patient may need surgical correction.

80% of heel pain is caused by plantar fasciitis. The other 20% can involve nerve entrapment, sciatica, achilles tendon problems, certain autoimmune diseases, stress fracture and thinning of the fat pad. Often treatment by a podiatrist includes shoe modification, strapping, padding and sometimes steroid injections are needed. An xray or MRI may be needed.

Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of a ligamentous band of tissue at the bottom of your foot. You can self treat by stretching the foot in the morning before getting out of bed, massage with a golf ball, ice for 20 minutes and wearing properly fitting athletic style shoes. If your pain persists more than 1 week then see a podiatrist.

An ingrown toenail is very painful. It’s when the edge of the nail digs into the skin causing pain, inflammation and sometimes infection. Even the bedsheets can hurt. In order to prevent them, do not cut the corners of your toenail too short. Leave them a bit longer. Soak in warm water with epsom salts or dish soap for 10 minutes. Wear shoes that are properly fitted. If this doesn’t work then visit your podiatrist for a more permanent solution. I do not recommend frequent visits to a nail salon as a treatment solution.

Peripheral neuropathy is nerve damage that causes tingling, numbness, pain, or loss of feeling. Diabetes is a leading cause. Corona Foot & Ankle offers treatments (medications, nerve stimulation, managing blood sugar) to reduce symptoms and prevent severe complications.

Cold or numb feet may signal poor circulation or nerve damage (neuropathy). These conditions can worsen if left untreated. It’s important to see a podiatrist for a proper evaluation — they can check your circulation, nerve health, and recommend treatment to restore comfort and prevent complications.

Absolutely — and this is the connection I most want parents to understand. The body is a kinetic chain. When the foot is misaligned, every structure above it compensates. A child with untreated flat feet may pronate excessively, which rotates the shin inward, which shifts the knee, which tilts the pelvis, which loads the lumbar spine.

I see adults in their 30s and 40s presenting with chronic back pain whose origin I trace to an untreated childhood foot condition. The foot is the foundation. When the foundation is unstable, the entire structure is at risk over time. The inverse is also true: when we correct foot mechanics early, we protect knees, hips, and backs for decades. Early intervention is one of the most powerful things I do in this practice — and one of the most overlooked.

There is no minimum age — I see infants when parents or pediatricians notice something concerning about foot position or structure. For children without specific concerns, I recommend a baseline podiatric evaluation around age 3 to 4, when arch development is actively occurring and gait patterns are establishing.

This single visit can identify whether what you’re seeing is typical development or something that warrants monitoring or treatment. Think of it the way you think of a dental check — you don’t wait for a toothache to see a dentist. You go early, you establish a baseline, and you catch things before they become painful. My team at Corona Foot & Ankle Group serves families from across the Inland Empire, and we make these visits as comfortable as possible for children of all ages.

Plantar warts — caused by HPV — are extremely common in children, especially those who spend time barefoot in shared spaces like pools, locker rooms, and gyms. They can resolve without treatment, but that resolution can take one to two years, during which the warts may grow, multiply, and become painful enough to change how your child walks.

I don’t recommend passive waiting when a child is in discomfort or when warts are spreading. In my office, we use targeted treatments including topical acids, cryotherapy, and laser therapy depending on size, location, and your child’s age. Prevention matters too — I recommend shower sandals in all communal wet areas. Simple habit, major protection.

Yes — and I perform it regularly. Recurrent ingrown toenails in children are often related to nail shape (curved nails run in families), improper trimming technique, or footwear that crowds the toes. For children who’ve had multiple painful ingrown nails or infections, a simple in-office procedure called a partial nail avulsion with matrixectomy permanently removes the offending nail border and prevents regrowth in that section.

It’s quick, done under local anesthetic, and has an extremely high success rate. In the meantime, I teach parents proper nail trimming technique — cut straight across, never rounded at the corners — and we assess footwear fit. Recurrent ingrown nails are not something children simply have to endure.

Two weeks of persistent pain after a sprain is a signal, not a waiting game. Ankle sprains in children are frequently underestimated because children’s bones include growth plates that don’t show up the same way on casual examination. What looks like a sprain could involve a growth plate fracture — a Salter-Harris injury — that has very different treatment requirements than a ligament sprain.

Beyond that, an ankle that heals improperly becomes an ankle prone to re-injury, instability, and chronic weakness. In my practice, I assess, image when indicated, and put a proper rehabilitation protocol in place. Two weeks of lingering pain in a child’s ankle means it’s time to see me.

Great question — and I discuss this at nearly every pediatric appointment. Better shoes are the right starting point for many children. A supportive, properly fitted shoe with a firm heel counter, flexible forefoot, and adequate arch support can correct a lot. I counsel families on shoe selection at every visit, because the shoes your child wears 10 hours a day are either helping or hurting their development.

That said, when foot structure is causing pain, altering gait, or not responding to footwear changes, custom orthotics become the appropriate next step. They’re not a lifelong sentence — many children use them for a defined period during a critical growth window and don’t need them as adults. I make this assessment on a case-by-case basis in my Corona office.

In-toeing — sometimes called “pigeon-toed” walking — is very common in young children and does resolve on its own in many cases. However, I want parents to understand that the degree, persistence, and source of in-toeing all matter. In-toeing can originate from the foot, the shin bone (tibial torsion), or the hip (femoral anteversion), and each has a different treatment path.

If your daughter is still in-toeing past age 8, if she’s tripping frequently, avoiding activities, or showing asymmetry between feet, I recommend a formal evaluation. The window to make comfortable, non-surgical corrections is widest in childhood. Don’t close that window by waiting.

This is almost certainly Sever’s disease — the most common cause of heel pain in active children between ages 8 and 14. It happens when the growth plate in the heel becomes inflamed from repetitive impact during sports. It is not dangerous, but it absolutely should not be ignored.

Left untreated, children unconsciously change how they walk to avoid the pain — and that compensatory gait can create secondary problems in the knees and hips. The great news: Sever’s responds very well to treatment. We use a combination of rest, heel cushioning, stretching protocols, and sometimes orthotics. Most kids are back on the field within weeks. Call my office at (951) 444-5327 and let’s get him evaluated.

Most children are born with flat feet, and many do develop an arch naturally by age 5 or 6. But “most” is not “all” — and that distinction matters enormously. In my practice, I assess whether your child’s flat foot is flexible (arch appears when they sit but disappears when they stand) or rigid (arch is absent in all positions).

Rigid flat feet, or flexible flat feet causing pain, fatigue, or awkward gait, require intervention. I fit children with custom orthotics, prescribe targeted exercises, and guide footwear choices. If your child is 7 and still showing no arch development, please come in. Waiting longer narrows our options.

This is the most common thing I hear from parents who come through my doors in Corona — and honestly, I understand why pediatricians say it. Growing pains are real. But they’re a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning we should rule out everything else first. In my 18+ years of practice, I’ve traced chronic knee pain, hip misalignment, and posture problems in teenagers directly back to foot issues that were dismissed as growing pains years earlier.

The rule I use: if pain is persistent, localized to one spot, changes how your child walks, or shows up during the day (not just at night), it warrants a podiatric evaluation. Don’t gamble with a growing foundation.

Foot pain is not normal so see a podiatrist if your pain lasts more than a few days. Other tips: properly fitting shoes, moisturize, trimming nails regularly, healthy weight and regular exercise can help prevent foot problems.

It depends—if the salon’s sanitization is poor or nails are cut improperly, risk is higher. Corona Foot & Ankle advises using medical spa or professional services, being careful with water temperature, and avoiding cutting nails too low.

Purchase shoes after 5:00 pm as we all swell and this may make a difference in shoe fit. Try a variety of sizes because there is no standardization for shoe size in the industry. It’s important to remember to wear shoes that are appropriate for the activity such as athletic style shoes for walking around the mall or the park, walking sandals while you’re on vacation. Wearing high heels daily is not recommended. Ladies, mix it up with flats!

Toenail fungus can be caused from multiple reasons including fungal skin infection (athlete’s foot), frequent pedicures, frequent use of nailpolish, wearing closed toe shoes for an excessive amount of time. Depending upon the severity of the infection, you will need either a topical solution or oral medication for more severe infections. Antifungal toenail medication work by protecting the healthy nail from being infected. Topicals do not work on severe toenail infections. Rarely do over the counter medications help.

Yes — untreated ulcers, deep infections, or osteomyelitis (bone infection) can lead to amputation. Corona Foot & Ankle focuses on prevention, advanced wound care, early intervention, and ongoing monitoring to avoid those outcomes.

For diabetic blisters, do not puncture them. If you see redness, warmth, swelling, or fever, get professional care. Treatment may include bandaging, antibiotic creams or ointment, possibly draining large lesions, and keeping footwear comfortable.

Healing is slowed by poor circulation (vascular issues), nerve damage (neuropathy), and high blood sugar. Corona Foot & Ankle uses debridement, cleanses, topical meds, proper bandaging, pressure off-loading, and controlling glucose levels.

Because neuropathy may prevent you from feeling pain or a wound, small cuts or blisters can worsen. Corona Foot & Ankle recommends regular foot exams, checking skin changes or wounds, and treating them early.