As a Podiatrist it can be time consuming having to explain what we do, but we’re a relatively young profession so people often don’t know what we do. Yes we look at feet, but there’s more to it than meets the eye and we offer many treatment options.
Nail Surgery
Were you aware most Podiatrists give local anaesthetic injections and often perform minor surgical procedures on ingrown toenails? We also do it better than Medical Practitioners and Orthopedic Surgeons? Why are we so good at nail surgery? It’s because we perform nail surgeries on a regular basis, and it’s part of our university training.
[Some Podiatrist’s go on & undertake significant extra study & training to perform more major foot & ankle surgery. Footmed has their very own Podiatric Surgeon Angelo Salerno who can advise you on surgical options for your foot or ankle condition].
Callus & Corns
Podiatrist do remove hard skin from patient’s feet. It’s not the most exciting part of our job, but it does have an interesting aspect. When excessive force is placed on the foot, the skin begins to thicken as a protective mechanism, and when it becomes too thick it can be painful. A biomechanical assessment can help determine why this is happening , and if children develop hard skin on their feet, they should be assessed immediately, before it becomes a major concern.
Ugly Feet Are Not Our Concern
You may think you have ugly feet, but that’s not important, what is important is how they function. The human foot is a complicated, and it’s comprised of 26 bones and even more joints, ligaments and tendons, and it’s specifically designed to function a particular way, however this is not always the case.
Poor foot function (over pronation or over supination) can lead to symptoms in the heels, ankle, knees, hips and lower back, and only a Podiatrist is trained at evaluating proper foot function.
Fungal Nails
In the past if you had ugly, thickened toenails you either lived with it or, tried one of the over-the-counter treatment options. These rarely worked & people just assumed they had to live with it. We can extremely effectively now use Laser to treat fungal nails. Two to three treatments with Laser clears the vast majority of infections.
Orthotics
It’s true; Podiatrists prescribe a lot of orthotics, but that’s because we know exactly how and why they work, and after treating thousands of happy patients, we can assure you that we know how to make them correctly. We also utilise clever technologies such as F-scan, Gaitscan & treadmills to help us identify the cause of your foot or leg pain.
Are premade orthotics any good? Premade orthotics do have their place, but only if they’re prescribed for the right reasons, by the right person. Podiatrist’s are the experts in assessing & diagnosing your problem & then advising the very best treatments for you.
True Foot Health Professionals
A Podiatrist is the only health professional trained in diagnosing and treating all foot related problems. Our training is very specific and after four years of university we know more about the foot than any other profession. We are the true foot health professionals. To make an appointment call any one of our clinics by visiting www.healthylifefootclinic.com.au
