Nicholas C. Noah, DPM

Podiatrist (Foot and Ankle Specialist)

5226 South College Rd Unit 4 Wilmington NC, 28412 Show map

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About

Dr. Nicholas Noah is a podiatrist practicing in Wilmington, NC. Dr. Noah is a medical doctor specializing in the treatment of the foot , ankle and related parts of the leg. As a podiatrist, Dr. Noah diagnoses and treats conditions of the feet. The feet are key body parts that give a person stability, absorb shock, allow for walking and standing and are necessary for overall well-being. So, the feet need expert care. Podiatrists can specialize in surgery, wound care, sports medicine, diabetic care and pediatrics.

Education and Training

Barry University School of Podiaric Medicine and Surgery

Provider Details

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Nicholas C. Noah, DPM

Nicholas C. Noah, DPM's Expert Contributions

My Answers

Why do I have swollen feet inspite of taking anti-inflammatory medicines?
Hello, if you have been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis I recommend you see a foot and ankle specialist to treat your condition. Plantar fasciitis is a common condition that causes heel pain. I recommend conservative treatment for the first 6 months of treatment. Thank you for your question and good luck to you. READ MORE
I have a bulging bone just below my toe. What could it be?
Hello and thank your for your question. Normally when patients complain of a painful lesion on the toe it is either a corn or callus most commonly which occurs secondary to a hammertoe deformity. I recommend you see a podiatrist for a complete workup. Thank you for your question and good luck to you. READ MORE
I think I have an ingrown toenail. What does this usually look like?
Hello and thanks for your question. An ingrown nail will typically present as redness, swelling, and pain along the nail fold. Sometimes if the infection has progressed, there will be drainage from the affected side of the nail. For patients with an infected ingrown nail or paronychia, I recommend a quick in-office procedure. I wish you luck and God bless. READ MORE
How are calluses treated?
Hello, thanks for your question. Hyperkeratotic lesions, a.k.a. callouses, can be treated conservatively and surgically dependent on the musculoskeletal deformity present. I would recommend urea cream and a ped egg until you can see a professional. Thank you for your question and God bless. READ MORE
I have a recurrent problem of ingrown toenails. What should I do?
Thank you for your question. For my patients with recurring ingrown nails who do not have severe PAD I recommend a chemical matrixectomy which would be performed in office and takes less than 10 minutes. In the meantime, I recommend warm soapy water with epsom salt soaks twice a day. I recommend you see a podiatrist for your condition. I wish you well and God bless. READ MORE
I have a little bone growth just under my toe. Will it have to be treated with surgery?
Thanks for your question. I am sorry you are dealing with an abnormal growth on your toe. It is rather rare to have a true osseous growth on a toe. I would need more clinical information to appropriately answer your question. I have seen patients who self diagnose themselves and have an entirely different problem then what they thought. I would need to examine you to find out what your diagnosis is. Please do not hesitate to contact the office for an appointment. I wish you all the best. God bless. READ MORE
How is a diabetic foot treated?
Hello and thank you for your inquiry. So, what is the standard of care for diabetic foot care? This is actually a great question. So, diabetes is a microvascular disease that can affect the small vessels that supply blood to the retina, peripheral nerves and kidney. This can result in the classic triad of diabetic retinopathy, peripheral neuropathy, and nephropathy. So, when evaluating the diabetic foot, there are certain things to pay close attention to. During a diabetic foot exam, I examine the patient's skin, nerves, blood supply, and their overall foot structure. More common issues I experience in the diabetic foot are infection, wounds, thick fungal nail, callouses, and poor circulation. Uncontrolled diabetics are susceptible to lack of sensation in their feet, i.e., neuropathy. So, these patients do not feel their feet like someone who does not have neuropathy. This will lead to ulcers and infection. The best advice I can give to my diabetic patients is to check their feet daily, wear proper shoes that do not cause areas of irritation, use a moisturizer to combat dry skin, and get a referral from your PCP to see a podiatrist. Thank you so much for your question and I wish you the best! READ MORE
Can a bunion be treated without surgery?
Hello, Thanks for your question. Bunions can be treated conservatively with shoes with a wide toe box, bunion splints, gel pads/sleeves/spacers, OTC orthotics and custom orthotics to name a few options. Unfortunately hallux valgus (bunions) is a biomechanical and structural condition that can not be cured with conservative treatments due to its progressive nature. So with time the bunion can become more pronounced. I do not recommend bunion surgery on patients who do not have pain. I treat each patient on a case by case basis. If you have further questions please do not hesitate to contact the office. Thanks and God bless. READ MORE
What shoes should I wear for hammertoe?
Hello, Patients that are your age and are already developing hammertoes should certainly only wear shoes with a deep and wide toe box and also shoes with stretchable material over the toes. There are a wide array of choices as far a brands are concerned. Orthofeet and Aetrex are some examples that have men's and women’s shoe gear. As far as athletic shoes are concerned, I would use a brand you are comfortable with that has options with a stretchable and accommodating toe box. I hope this helps! Have a great day. READ MORE
My grandfather's wound is not healing. What should we do?
Hello, I am sorry to hear about your grandfathers condition. It sounds like he has a plantar foot ulcer with signs of infection. Your grandfather should see a podiatrist immediately. His wound needs a through workup that would include an x-ray of the foot, a deep wound culture, debridement of the dead tissue in and around the wound and proper offloading of the wound either with a walking cast or walking boot at a minimum. If he is running a fever you should take him to the ED immediately. I wish you and your grandfather well. If you have any further questions do not hesitate to contact my office. Thank you and God bless. READ MORE
I am not able to flex my foot. Why?
Hello, having a painful foot while flexed or plantar flexion can be a number of things. More commonly a condition called PTTD aka posterior tibial tendon dysfunction or posterior tibial tendonitis is the culprit. This tendon is the main plantarflexor and inverter of the foot. It is normally caused by pes planus (flat foot) and over pronation secondary to a tight heel cord and flat foot. If you can not flex your foot at all your condition could be neuromuscular in etiology. You should seek medical advice if your pain continues. I wish you the best. Feel free to contact the office if you would like an appointment. God bless. READ MORE
My foot still hasn't healed after I fell last month. What should I do?
Hello. There can be many reason for a non-healing wound ie. Circulation, pressure, neuropathy ect. A physical exam and review of your medical history would help determine the etiology of your wound. I would recommend you seek medical attention. If you would like to be seen please do not hesitate to contact the office. Good luck and God bless. READ MORE
I have what looks like a blister but it isn't going away. It's also painful. What should I do?
It sounds like you may have an abscess on the bottom of your foot, which is an infectious process that should be evaluated by a medical professional. Your best course of action is to have it looked at immediately. Good luck and I wish you well. If you have additional questions please call the office. READ MORE
Right below my big toe hurts when putting on my shoes. What should be done?
Your condition could be a number of things. I would need to examine your foot to get a clear picture of what is going on. Most commonly at the big toe joint I see bunions (hallux valgus) or arthritis (hallux limitus), both which have specific treatment protocols. Thank you and have a great day. READ MORE
My feet sweat a lot. Is that normal or is it a problem?
Thanks for the question. It is normal for your feet to sweat, it is a natural cooling mechanism for our body. Excessive sweating is called hyperhydrosis which can cause foot problems. I normally recommend Certain Dry which is a medication that is OTC you can purchase over the counter. If that does not help then I consider starting my patients on an oral medication. Hope this helps, if you have additional questions please contact the office. READ MORE
I have a lot of heel pain in the mornings after going for a walk. What can I do to treat it?
Hello, 80-90% of the time heel pain in the morning is plantar fasciitis. I tell all my patients to do plantar fasciitis stretching 10-15 minutes every morning, ice the heel three times a day, take an anti-inflammatory for 2-3 weeks, wear supportive shoes with OTC or custom orthotics and consider anti-inflammatory injections. Most patients respond well to conservative treatments. Thank you for your question. If you have additional questions please call the office. READ MORE
How can I prevent corn in my feet from happening again?
Hello, corns are a condition that occurs due to musculoskeletal abnormalities and ill fitting shoe gear. Hammertoes and shoes with narrow toe boxes exasperate the condition. While you can never guarantee the corns will not come back beacause of the structural deformity in the toes, ways to help keep them from coming back as fast are routine debridements by a physician, toe spacers, toe gel sleeves, keratolytic creams and shoes with a wide to box. These are conservative treatments for corns but they do not address the structural condtion ie the reason you are getting the corns. Thanks for your question and have a great day. READ MORE
I have a blue spot on my heel which looks like a blood clot. What could this be?
It would be extremely rare and unlikely that you have a blood clot in your heel. The most common area to get a blood clot is in the calf. A painful, blue lesion on the heel could be a number of things. I would not be able to make a diagnosis without an exam. I would try a warm compress and take an aspirin and see if that helps. Thanks for your question. READ MORE
I have flat feet and running is becoming painful. What should I do?
I normally suggest over the counter vs custom orthotics for my parents with flat feet. You should try an anti-pronation shoe for running as well, brooks is an example of a brand. Thanks for your question. READ MORE
My feet swell up in the cold. Is this normal?
Unless you have a history of uncontrolled lower extremity edema (swelling) or pain in your legs while in the cold, I would not be concerned with your foot swelling. There is a vaso spastic condition that occurs while exposed to the cold weather called raynauds disease which makes your hands turn purple and painful. It normally occurs in the hands. Thanks for your question. READ MORE

Areas of expertise and specialization

Foot and Ankle Surgery

Professional Society Memberships

North Carolina Foot and Ankle Society

Articles and Publications

Buchman, J. DPM, Noah, N., Aoun, Y., Ashe, K., Shelford, J. \"Modified \"S\" Type Elliptical Excision of a Dermatofibroma\". The Foot and Ankle Online Journal 3(6): 2. June 2010
Botek, G. DPM, Noah, N. DPM, Owings T. D. Eng., Suba, J., ??Evaluating Iatrogenic Complications of the Total Contact Cast (TCC): A 6 Year Retrospective Review at the Cleveland Clinic?. Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association. Jan 2016, Vol. 106, No. 1 (January 2016) pp. 1-6

What do you attribute your success to?

My parents

Teaching and speaking

4/06:   Noah, N.“Recent changes in biotechnology”. Senior Seminar, University of North Carolina at Wilmington

11/08: Noah, N.“SLE and Rheumatoid Arthritis with their common manifestations”. Podiatric Medicine presentation Barry University

11/08: Noah, N. and Britt J.“Case presentation: Johnson RT et al. N Engl J Med. 2005. 353:1042-1050”. Medical Microbiology
            presentation on Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Barry University

10/12: Noah, N.“Talipes Equinovarus”. Oklahoma Fall State Meeting 2012