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What is Podiatry?
Podiatry is a specialty that focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and management of diseases, defects and injuries of the foot, ankle and lower limb. This includes ankle and foot injuries, problems with gait or walking, complications related to medical conditions such as diabetes and arthritis and diseases of the skin or nail such as cracked heels, ingrown toenails, neuromas, warts and other fungal conditions.
A podiatrist is a medical professional devoted to the study and medical of disorders of the feet, ankles and lower extremities.
Podiatrists are the only medical professionals who exclusively specialise in treating the foot and ankle.
What can Podiatrists do?
Podiatrists are specialists of the foot, and as such treat all manner of conditions which affect the skin, nails, muscles, joints, tendons, nerves and circulation of the foot. As you can imagine that is quite a lot, which is why to become a Podiatrist a degree in podiatric medicine is required.
The most common conditions treated by podiatrists are problem nails (including ingrown toenails), corns and callus, verrucae and heel pain. The majority of people will suffer from foot pain at some point in their life, and podiatrists are always keen to tell us that foot pain is not normal and is something we shouldn’t put up with.
We spend a third of our days at work, so it’s important to stay comfortable on our feet while we’re there - regardless of whether we’re sitting down at the office, on our feet as a personal trainer, or anything in between.
Podiatrists can help you stay comfortable on your feet at work, as well as help you manage the stress that repetitive movements performed at work may place on your bones, joints and muscles. Your Podiatrist can:
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Help you recover from pain or injuries that affect you at work
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Help you manage injuries sustained at work
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Apply appropriate management strategies to reduce the likelihood of the pain or injury coming back in the future
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Optimise your comfort and the way you move at work
They can do this by:
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Performing tailored biomechanical assessment of your lower limbs
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Using orthotics to alter your foot biomechanics
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Retraining the way you move
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Prescribing physical therapy (strengthening and stretching) exercises to promote healthy lower limb function
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Recommending work-specific footwear that adds support and stability
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Referring appropriately where further investigations are required
If you want to feel more comfortable and less tired during work, book in with your Podiatrist to see how they can help you specifically.