Nail fungus is an embarrassing issue that may cause you to hide your feet in your shoes, even during nice weather. In some cases, it's even painful and interferes with your ability to walk. Fortunately, at Emerald Coast Podiatry, serving Fort Walton Beach, Crestview, and Niceville, FL, and the nearby regions, Dr. Cosimo Ricciardi and Dr. Neil Patel can diagnose the problem. To put your mind at ease, let's discuss how he does it.

Taking Your Medical History

To provide an accurate diagnosis and specifically tailor your treatment to your needs, our podiatrist will need to gather information about your medical history. We'll ask you about the conditions you have, such as diabetes, any previous foot problems or surgeries you had, and other relevant information.

Evaluating the Toenail

Determining if you have nail fungus involves us visually assessing your nail. For this part of the test, we'll look to see if the nail has any of the following:

•    Discoloration
•    Is separating from the nailbed
•    Is brittle or cracking
•    Has thickened
•    Is misshapen

Our podiatrist will also assess the area around your toenail for swelling or any appearance changes. At this stage, we will ask you questions about any symptoms you have noticed, such as odors. Our practitioner will also ask if the affected toe is impacting your ability to walk or causing you pain. We will want to know about any recent foot injuries you had. Often, this is enough for us to tell if you have a fungal infection. 

Sending a Sample to the Lab

Sometimes, we'll collect a sample of the affected toenail by scraping or clipping it. We'll then send the sample to a lab for further testing. In the lab, a technician will check the nail under a microscope for spores or fungal filaments (hyphae).

Culture testing is another possible evaluation a lab will perform on the sample. For this, a technician will encourage fungal growth using a medium to speed up the growing process. After time has passed, the tech can look at the fungus more vividly, and evaluate its characteristics more accurately to diagnose it.

Molecular testing is another option, which consists of taking a sample of RNA or DNA from the clippings or scrapings. The tech will then amplify the RNA or DNA, so it's easier to analyze. Testing can diagnose a fungal infection or rule out other causes, like psoriasis, which can mimic a toenail fungus.

Contact Emerald Coast Podiatry

Diagnosing your nail fungus at Emerald Coast Podiatry, serving Fort Walton Beach, Crestview, & Niceville, FL, is a relatively straightforward process that begins with an appointment with Dr. Ricciardi and Dr. Patel for an exam. Call us today at (850) 682-6522 for our Crestview office and (850) 862-4119 for our Fort Walton Beach office for an appointment.