Get to Know Your Podiatrist

If there’s anything we know about doctors, it’s that doctors don’t really have all of the answers. They are still people just like us, after all; so we can’t really expect our GP (general practitioner) to be able to give us a cure for every illness and injury under the sun.

That is why we have specialists, doctors who pursue more in-depth studies into diseases that fall into a certain category, or affect a certain part or area of the body. And in the same way that we have hundreds of body parts, there are also hundreds of different medical specializations. In this article, we will be talking about one in particular – the podiatrist.

What is a podiatrist?

The podiatrist, coming from the Greek words for foot and healing, is exactly what the last couples of words implies – a foot doctor. They specialize in diagnosing and curing of illnesses and injuries of the foot, ankles, and lower limbs in general. They can help you deal with pain affecting your legs or feet, and help guide you through a recovery process and recommend certain treatments to get you back on your feet. Podiatrists can also assess how you walk, run, or play sports, and can give you certain treatments or advice to help you prevent or avoid injury and let you keep doing the activities you love.

Podiatrists are one of the few doctors that can recommend orthotics. These are special, sometimes custom-made insoles for your shoes that help guide the foot as it moves to help alleviate pain. Besides some of the more serious injuries and abnormalities, podiatrists can also diagnose and treat the wider range of more common ailments that people suffer from in their everyday lives. These can include:

• Athlete’s foot, an infection caused by a fungus that typically grows in the space between your toes, causing itching and a stinging sensation;
• Gouty arthritis, a form of arthritis that is caused by an abnormally high concentration of uric acid in the blood, causing inflammation and severe pain;
• Bunions, a growth of bone that typically extends from the smallest toe of the foot, causing pain in the area when one wears shoes that are too narrow;
• Abnormalities of the toenails, such as discoloration, abnormal thickness, or an ingrown toenail; and
• Sports injuries, such as sprains and torn ligaments.

What about other foot doctors?

Now, you may have heard of other names that fit the description of foot doctor besides the podiatrist, such as the chiropodist and the orthopedist. What are the differences between the three?

Well, there actually isn’t much of a difference between a podiatrist and a chiropodist – both terms can be and are used interchangeably to refer to the same kind of foot doctor.

The orthopedist, however, is a bit different. More formally known as an orthopedic surgeon, orthopedists are medical doctors that specialize in the treatment of injuries and diseases that affect the bones and soft tissues of not just the legs, but of the entire body. As implied by the name, orthopedic surgeons are qualified to perform surgical procedures to treat these conditions.

When should I go to the podiatrist?

You should see your local podiatry practice as soon as you feel that you have any pain in your feet or ankles, discoloration or unusual growth of the toenails, warts, callouses, peeling or flaking skin, or any other problems you may be having in your feet. Your podiatrist will be able to help you alleviate the discomfort you have because of these conditions.

It might also be a good idea to go to a podiatrist even if you aren’t suffering from any problems, as they can still do a few things to help you keep your lower limbs in good shape. Your podiatrist will be able to assess the condition of your feet and how you walk and play the sports you play, so they can tell you what you can change in your gait or walk cycle to reduce the chance of you getting injured. Regardless of the way you move, there are some characteristics of the feet that can still lead you to injury; a visit to the podiatrist will help you identify those characteristics (such as an abnormally high or low arch of the foot) and recommend certain footwear or shoe inserts and orthotics to help prevent and alleviate pain caused by these abnormalities.

What happens during a consultation?

A consultation with a podiatrist is not that dissimilar to consultation with most other doctors. You will first be asked about any problems that you are currently experiencing in your lower limbs so they can be urgently addressed. If it is still your first visit, your podiatrist will need your medical history and carry out some basic tests on your feet, checking for blood flow and responsiveness. Next, they will assess your lower limb movement to identify any problem areas that could lead to injury. If these problems are found, your podiatrist will carry out a few more tests to properly determine and diagnose the issues you have, then set you on a treatment plan to help you recover properly. If you are suffering from any foot problems that are less severe such as callouses and toenail abnormalities, your podiatrist will treat them during your session.

Conclusion

Out of all of the many body parts we have, we seem to take our legs and feet for granted the most often. We are so reliant on our lower limbs to go from place to place in our everyday lives that we end up forgetting to make sure they are in good condition before we set out, which leads to us getting injured. Going to see a podiatrist every so often, especially when you do a lot of walking, running, or sports, will help you to recover from injury as well as avoid injury in the first place, so you can keep on moving and doing the things you love.