Speciality Services
First Step Foot & Ankle Center offers a full array of podiatric services to help you maintain healthy feet. You can read more on this page about specific services.
Common Problems Treated By Our Physicians:
Foot Ulcers
Fractures of Foot and Ankles
Fungus
Gangrene of the Foot
Gangrene of the Toes
Ganglion Cysts
Gout
Hallux Valgus
Hammer Toe
Heel & Arch Pain
Heel Spur
Ingrown Toenails
Metatarsalgia
Morton's Neuroma
Nail Fungus
Neuromas
Numbness/Tingling of the Foot
Numbness/Tingling of the Toes
Plantar Fasciitis
Prescription Foot Orthotics
Running Injuries
Sesamoiditis
Stress Fractures of the Foot and Ankle
Sore Feet
Sport Injuries
Swollen Ankle
Swollen Foot
Tendonitis
Tendonitis of the Foot
Toe Fractures
Toe Infections
Toenail Fungus
Warts & Wart Removal
Ankle Injuries
Ankle Pain
Ankle Sprains
Ankle Strains
Ankle Swelling
Arthritis (of the foot & ankle)
Athlete's Foot
Blisters
Broken Foot
Broken Toe
Bunions
Bunionette Deformity Correction
Burning Feet
Bursitis
Calluses
Capsulitis
Club Foot
Congenital & Acquired Foot Deformities
Corns & Callouses
Diabetic Foot Exams
Diabetic Foot Problems
Diabetic Neuropathy & Ulcers
Fallen Arches
Flat Foot
Foot & Ankle injuries
Foot Bone Spur
Foot Care
Foot Fungus
Foot Infections
Foot Pain
Foot Sores
Foot Surgery
MRI Examinations
MRI: A Fast, Simple Examination
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a safe, totally painless way for your physician to look into your body. The pictures created during the exam look at the soft tissue and provide information that can improve the diagnosis. This brochure is provided to answer the questions most frequently asked by people scheduled for an extremity MRI examination.
What Is MRI?
MRI is a way of looking inside the body without x-rays. The exam uses radio waves and a magnetic field to create images of the soft tissues of the body.
How Long Will The Exam Take?
Most exams take about 30 minutes to complete.
Will I Feel Anything?
No. There is no pain, vibration or unusual sensation. The MRI will produce a mild tapping sound during the exam.
What Do I Need To Do During The Exam?
Nothing! Just recline in the exam chair and relax. You will be free to read or sleep during the exam.
What Do MRI Images Look Like?
MRI images look a lot like a conventional x-ray; however, they provide much more detailed information. The images will be provided to your physician or radiologist for interpretation.
How Is The MRI Performed?
You will be asked to recline in a comfortable chair and the technologist will position you. The chair will be moved toward the magnet opening and you will insert the body part to be scanned. Only the extremity being imaged will be inside the magnet, so your head and body will remain outside at all times. You will be asked to remain still during the examination.
What If I Have More Questions?
Your physician or the MRI technologist will answer any questions you may have.
How Should I Prepare For The MRI Exam?
You can eat, drink, and take regularly-prescribed medications prior to the exam. If you will be having a leg exam, you can bring some shorts to wear. Otherwise, you may be asked to change into a hospital gown to avoid any possibility of interference from metal in zippers and fasteners.
You will be asked to remove your watch, credit cards, jewelry, keys, pocket knife, hearing aid, or any other metal objects before approaching the MRI. The magnet could affect the items of this type or the items could affect the magnet.
Please DO NOT bring the following (or any metal items) into the examination room:
Jewelry
Money Clip
Credit Cards
Keys
Pocket Knife
Watch
Tell the doctor if you have:
Aneurysm clips
Cardiac pacemaker
Metal plate
Joint replacements
Metal pins
If you think you are pregnant
Advanced MLS Laser Therapy
Don't let foot and ankle pain stop you from living your life! First Step Foot Care offers the most advanced MLS Laser Therapy in the office, and it is an effective, proven, pain-free treatment for foot and ankle conditions such as plantar fasciitis (heel pain), foot and ankle pain, knee pain, arthritis, foot and ankle sprains, gout, neuropathy, and more! We will even customize a treatment program for you.
The Laser Produces a Healing Response From Your Body
Class IV lasers work by flooding the tissues with photons, energizing inflamed and damaged cells. The laser produces a healing response in the body, which reduces inflammation, decreases or eliminates pain, and speeds your recovery.
MLS Laser Painlessly Treats a Variety of Ailments
Heel Pain
Bunion Pain
Sports Injuries
Neuromas
Toe Nail Fungus
Plantar Fasciitis
Tendon and Ligament Injuries
Knee Pain
Tendonitis
Foot and Ankle Arthritis
Neuropathy Pain
Muscle Sprains and Strains
Chronic Non-Healing Wounds
Post-Operative Pain and More
Benefits of MLS Laser Therapy
Analgesic Effect
Anti-Inflammatory Effect
Accelerates Tissue Repair of Strains and Sprains
Reduces Scarring
Improves Nerve Function
Improves Blood Circulation
Quicker Wound Healing
MLS laser treats all parts of the body to alleviate pain. If you have an order from your physician for MLS laser therapy, our trained laser technicians can treat your pain, whether it be back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain - any pain! Call 847-487-2827 for details.
Say hello to SWIFT. Finally a solution for your warts.
Are you tired of dealing with pesky warts? We at First Step Foot Care are very excited to announce that we have a brand new and effective treatment for surface based skin lesions, primarily warts.
Plantar warts; a common and stubborn Viral Infection
“Plantar” means “Of the sole” in Latin. Unlike other types of warts, plantar warts are typically quite painful as the pressure from walking and standing forces them to grow into your skin. Like all warts, Plantar warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) virus, specifically types 1, 2, 4, 60, and 63. Underneath the skin, the wart can have finger-like roots that reach down and grow, making them very difficult to treat effectively from the surface.
What is Swift?
Swift is a cutting edge, FDA Cleared technology that has proven to be highly effective in the removal of plantar warts. It delivers low dose microwave energy through a specialized probe that targets and effectively treats the underlying HPV virus by stimulating a natural immune response in the body. We like to say that we’re addressing the root cause; not the symptom.
What to Expect
Swift protocol involves between 3 and 4 treatments, spaced 4 weeks apart; aligning with the body’s natural immune cycle. Each treatment lasts only 5-10 minutes and is what we call a “sock off - sock on” treatment: Limited debridement, no breaking of the skin, no bandages. No home treatment is required between treatments and patients are able to resume daily activities immediately post treatment.
How effective is Swift?
The Swift technology treatment feels similar to the pain of a small scratch or injection, lasting only a few seconds before immediately subsiding. Some may experience some soreness after the treatment, but not anything strong enough to impair normal day-to-day activities.
Does it hurt?
While pain is variable and patient/lesion specific, most patients typically feel some level of discomfort as infected tissue temperatures are rapidly elevated over a 2 second dose of energy. The pain immediately subsides following cessation of energy delivery and there is very limited post procedural pain, in fact some report an immediate reduction in pain levels. All patients are about to continue on with day-to-day activities immediately following treatment.
When you should come to see us
It’s important to visit a podiatrist if you suspect or feel that you have a plantar wart and are seeking removal. The longer you wait to seek treatment, the more likely the wart is to persist. Here are some common symptoms to look out for:
You may get the feeling of “painful pebbles” in your shoes.
You may experience pain when you compress the sides of the wart.
You may see a circular flat spot on the skin with a depressed area in the middle.
They may appear “yellowed” with a crust; small black dots can be an easy give away.
The lesion on your foot is painful, bleeding, or has changed color.
Treatments you have tried do not work, and the wart reoccurs or multiplies.
Discomfort that prevents you from doing regular activities.
Poor sensation in your feet.
You are unsure if the lesion is a wart.
What to do Next?
If you would like to (a) get rid of your warts and/or (b) explore Swift Treatment, please book a consultation with us by calling us on 847-487-2827. One of our specialists will be happy to help.
Extracorporeal Pulse Activation Technology (EPAT)
First Step Foot Care offers an effective noninvasive FDA approved technique to safely and effectively treat bone and soft tissue disorders around the foot and ankle. Known as Extracorporeal Pulse Activation Therapy (EPAT), this method is proven to be effective in treating foot conditions especially plantar fasciitis (heel spurs), tendonitis of the foot and ankle, Achilles tendonitis, neuroma’s and joint injury.
EPAT provides results by administering pressure waves pulses into the affected injured area which in turn, stimulates your body’s own healing reaction with improved blood circulation. By stimulating the body’s own natural response and encouraging new blood vessel formation to allow healing cells to migrate to the injured tissue, EPAT treatment can be a fundamental component of the non-surgical treatment process.
Typically, the weekly EPAT treatment lasts around 15 minutes and should be repeated once weekly for a total of five weeks. The patient does not need to be immobilized during treatment and can maintain a reduced athletic and/or essential daily activity load during the course of treatment. This innovative non-invasive treatment has been proven to provide effective non-surgical relief of pain over 85% of the time
The benefits of EPAT:
No anesthesia
No side effects
No incision means no risk of infection
Faster healing
Immediate weight bearing, no need to be placed in a cast
A return to normal activity within 24-48 hours
What to do Next?
If you would like to explore Extracorporeal Pulse Activation Technology (EPAT), please book a consultation with us by calling us on 847-487-2827. One of our specialists will be happy to help.