Podiatry

Podiatry is a field of healthcare devoted to the study and treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and the knee, leg and hip (the lower extremity).

A podiatrist is a specialist who studies foot pathology from a structural and functional standpoint, and who treats medical problems dealing with the foot.

A podiatrist provides varied treatments including:

• Essential foot care for high risk patients i.e. People with diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, cerebral palsy, peripheral arterial disease and peripheral nerve damage. Podiatrists assess and treat these patients and give them advice in order to reduce the long term and often serious problems that can arise. Podiatry intervention in the care of these patients can reduce amputation rates by 40%.
• Biomechanics, which is concerned with the preservation, restoration and development of the function of the foot and its associated structures. Sports injuries form a large part of this. A lot of biomechanical problems are treated with orthotics or insoles.
• The treatment of children, including biomechanics and general foot care.
• Surgery - in the form of in-growing toe nail removal under local anaesthetic.
• General foot care which involves providing assessment evaluation and treatment for a wide range of patients. Many of these patients have long standing problems, which makes podiatrists an essential part in keeping these people active and mobile.

In the UK any practitioner working under the reserved title podiatrist (or chiropodist) must be registered with the Health Professions Council (HPC).

The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists is the largest professional body and trade union for registered chiropodists/podiatrists and students in the UK. The society represents over 11,000 members working in private practice, the NHS, education and the retail sector.

Podiatry facts...

• An average adult takes approximately 18,000 steps a day
• In a lifetime we walk about 70,000 miles, equivalent to 4 times round the world
• 75-85 percent of adults will suffer from lower limb problems at some time in their life
• 62% of all sports injuries affect the lower limb