Need a good foot doctor in Illinois?

Do I need to see a doctor for my foot?

• Well about a month ago I got a pain in my foot. At the time I didn't think much of it because I was in the musical and there was no way I was going to let a sore foot get in my way of dancing on stage. I was limping all the time (Still am), trying to walk with my left foot and only the very right side of my right foot or keep my right foot straight, not moving it when I walk because it causes a lot of pain. I disregarded the pain for a while and although I was still limping, I almost forgot it was there but recently I can feel it more. The pressure that walking puts on my foot causes a sharp pain in it. Then yesterday I was trying to find out where exactly the pain was coming from and I found that it was coming from the big toe. The toe doesn't look swollen but applying pressure hurts. The big joint of that toe is, what I think, seems to hurt the most. I also found the injured toe is not as flexible as the big toe on the left foot at the moment. I still don't know exactly how I hurt it but I think it was sometime during the musical. The pain doesn't seem to be going away, just seems to stay the same. I tried looking up what it might be and the only possible things I could find were Turf Toe or Hallux limitus, although I feel Turf Toe is more likely. Does what I'm describing seem ike Turf Toe or some other condition you know of? But my main question is, should I see a doctor? I don't want to waste money if it's just gonna heal by itself eventually but I don't wanna do nothing and let it get worse if it does need treated in some way. Also do you think she would need to take an X-ray since the toe does not appear to be swollen? Thank you.

• Answer:

  Toes are notorious for developing calcium deposits and bone spurs. As a dancer, it could be either. If you wear shoes that scrunch your toes, that exacerbates the condition. It is worth it to see a podiatrist, particularly if you want to keep dancing. Bear in mind that favoring one foot/leg can cause issues in your spine and other leg, so you really do want to get this resolved.