Tag: podiatry

who would be a podiatrist?

Who would be a Podiatrist?

Posted on | by Neil

Without doubt the question I get asked most at work is why would you want to be a podiatrist and look at smelly feet all day?

The question is often a lightly veiled way of saying do you have a foot fetish or something and some people even ask this outright.

This is usually followed by: Have you always wanted to do this since you were at school?

This normally happens about half way through the first consultation. They have already told me what the nature of the problem is I have taken a medical history and asked them questions about their symptoms and I am probably doing some kind of treatment.

I suppose the question is fair enough; on the face of it looking at feet all day is not the most glamorous way to spend your day.

Well in reverse order this is what I normally tell people. I haven’t always wanted to do this. When I left school I trained as a dental technician and made false teeth until I was about in my mid twenty’s.

No I do not have a foot fetish. As to why? Well I really enjoy my work, most people I see come to me in pain and go away feeling better. So there is lots of job satisfaction and people are usually pleased to see me.

There is also a tremendous amount of variation in what I do each day, from nail cutting and corns to looking at people’s biomechanics and gait analysis, minor surgery under local anaesthetic for removal of part of or a whole toe nails, assessment and treatment of diabetic foot problems, wound care, children’s foot problems, sports injuries, treatment of verrucas to name but a few.

Also there is quite a lot of problem solving in my work, clients will come in with a pain in their foot there may be very little to see in the way of obvious signs like swelling and redness and I have to diagnose and treat the problem.

Sometimes a treatment that works for one individual will not be as successful for another with the same condition so an alternative solution tailored to the individual must be found. This all makes my work interesting and rewarding.

Then of course I get to spend at least half an hour a time with my patients and we get to chat, so I get to know people and people are generally interesting. And I know I am not alone, most of my collages are enthusiastic and passionate about what they do. If I go to a conference podiatrists are always keen to learn new techniques and share experience and knowledge.

Don’t get me wrong I don’t get up every morning and leap out of bed and go” great feet again today!” but I do consider myself very lucky to have a job I really enjoy.

Heel pain

Heel Pain

Posted on | by Neil

Heel pain is one of the most common problems that I see in the clinic and can be a very debilitating condition

Probably the most common type of heel pain is Plantar Fasciitis or as it is sometimes known as Calcaneal heel spur syndrome. Although heel spurs are often visible on X-ray this is not always diagnostic as they are also often seen on the non symptomatic foot too, and diagnosis is usually on history and symptoms. This condition is characterized by increased pain with the first steps in the morning or when standing after a prolonged period of sitting. It can be in one or both feet. There are many treatments available for this condition depending on the severity of the condition the length of time the individual has had the problem and level of activity, and can vary from stretching and strapping to orthotics and even night splints.

Achilles tendonitis is usually a sports injury or can be caused by over use or even foot ware. Pain is often worse on rising in the morning and exacerbated by activity. Treatment, laser treatment is very effective here and stretching is important also altering foot ware can also help.

Hagland’s deformity or Pump bumps as they are sometimes known are boney lumps at the back of the heel on the outside. Caused by the foot rubbing on foot ware the body attempts to protect the area laying down more bone. Sometimes there is an associated fluid filled sac called a bursa associated with this condition. The area can become inflamed and very sore in shoes. Treatment, controlling the motion of the foot, padding and laser work well, although surgical intervention is sometimes called for.

Bursa can also be a problem behind the Achilles tendon and in the fat pad of the heel. If these bursa become inflamed they can be painful on activity. Once again laser can be very good here as can padding or an accommodating insole.

Sever’s disease is a heel condition only seen in children and adolescents, eight to about 16 years old and is quite common. Usually seen in very sporty individuals, pain is exacerbated by exercise and often is only present when running or jumping. Often Sever’s coincides with a grown spurt as the leg bone grows and the Achilles tendon pulls on the heel bone pulling the growth plate of the bone away and causing localized avascular necrosis with resultant pain on exercise. Orthotics and stretching work very well here enabling the child recover fully and return to the sports they enjoy.

There are many conditions which cause heel pain from tumors, fractures to simple splits. I have just covered a few examples here.