You may not give your feet much thought until you suddenly develop heel pain or get an ingrown toenail. Pain gets your attention fast, but you might still have a tendency to put up with it and wait for the pain to go away. It's probably best to see a foot doctor instead so you can get relief from pain and so you avoid causing further injuries to your feet. Here are four times to consider seeing a podiatrist for a foot problem.

1. When You Have Pain Every Time You Run

Whether you've just taken up running or you've been running for a long time, foot pain should be taken seriously. Pain can be a sign of an injury, wearing the wrong type of shoes, or a gait problem.

A podiatrist can diagnose the cause of your pain and recommend treatments. You may need to rest your foot until it heals, or you may need to wear orthotics in your shoes to help your gait and prevent foot pain.

2. When Your Shoe Heels Wear Down Unevenly

If your old shoes always wear down on the outside or inside of the heel rather than wearing down evenly, you might have a problem with your gait and the way you bear weight when you walk. This could lead to problems with foot pain, hip pain, and even back pain.

This problem can often be corrected by wearing the proper shoe inserts or orthotics that distribute your weight more evenly. A podiatrist can even make custom orthotics from molds and computer scans of your feet if necessary.

3. When Heel Pain Is Worse After Resting

If you can barely walk when you get out of bed in the morning due to pain and the pain goes away once you start walking, you might have plantar fasciitis, which is a leading cause of heel pain.

The condition heals in time if you follow the instructions of your podiatrist for recovery. This might include wearing a soft brace at night that stretches your foot so you have less pain in the mornings.

4. When You've Been Diagnosed With Diabetes

You'll have a lot on your mind when you receive a diabetes diagnosis, and one thing to be concerned about is the health of your feet. Wounds take longer to heal in someone with diabetes due to poor blood circulation.

You might also have a loss of sensation in your feet and pain from diabetic neuropathy. Your podiatrist may want to monitor your feet regularly and provide treatment at the first sign of an injury or infection.

Any time you have pain that doesn't go away, an injury from a fall or playing sports, or a foot infection that won't go away or keeps coming back, see a foot doctor for help.