In general, a podiatrist is a foot specialist doctor. They are dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of issues stemming from disease or injury in the feet. A more definitive definition as defined by WebMD, “officially known as a doctor of podiatric medicine (DPM), is trained to treat issues in the foot, ankle, and lower leg. They can help your limb work the way it should, reduce pain, and speed healing after an injury or surgery.” A podiatrist is to feet what a dentist is to the mouth or a chiropractor is to the back, joints and spine.
What Do Podiatrists Do?
Most podiatrist start by assessing and treating a patient’s feet or lower leg issues. They have the capabilities of helping with fractures, they write prescriptions and many times recommend physical therapy to help encourage strength and healing. They may also work with other doctors in treating health issue while also performing as needed surgeries on their own. They also:
- Diagnose a multitude of foot issues such as nail and skin diseases, deformities and other underlying foot and lower leg issues.
- Treat common foot problems such as corns, heel spurs, bone disorders, bunions, hammertoe and more.
- Discuss preventative care while helping to create a plan that will encourage the patients to be aware of common foot ailments that may be causing pain or discomfort.
- Refer patients to other doctors in the instance that the symptoms may be related to other parts of the body.
Subsets
As with most in the professional medical industry, there are different subsets to the podiatric field and different focus that each doctor may choose to concentrate on. Here are a few of them briefly explained:
- Sports medicine: some podiatrist chooses to work with foot care in athletes or other active individuals to help those who get hurt during their training or activities, on or off the field.
- Pediatrics: Younger patients are also in need to foot care. If a child is complaining about foot or leg pain, their primary may make a recommendation to see a specialist. Common symptoms and issues for child foot care include:
- Athlete’s foot
- Ingrown nails
- Warts
- Flat feet
- Bunions
- Radiology: These doctors use imaging test to help diagnose issues in the lower limbs using equipment like x-rays, ultrasounds, MRIs and CT scans. They use these tests to assess the situation and determine a diagnosis.
- Diabetics: Problems with feet and lower legs are common in people with diabetes. It typically happens over a long period of time as high blood sugar and nerve damage results in neuropathy, causing tingling or loss of feeling. Diabetic foot care is essential to good health.
Training and Education
The traditional educational requirements include a bachelor’s degree which is then applied to an accredited podiatric medical college. The four-year medical program consists of classroom instructions and laboratory work in basic medical science followed my specialized medicine knowledge and a residency where they will focus on their preferred subset specialty.
Reasons to Visit a Podiatrist
Feet are extremely important in everyday life as they act as the shock absorbers for our entire body during normal daily activities. Any noticeable pain or discomfort in or around your feet should be cause for concern as we use them for everything we do. You may also want to visit a podiatrist if your physical activity has or will be increasing. They can check to ensure that the extra stress on your feet, and legs are up for the task.
If you or anyone you know is having concerns regarding their feet, ankles or lower legs be sure to encourage them to seek out professional help. Living a long, independent, stress-free life starts with the health of our mind and body, including the feet. Be vigilant daily of any changes or pain and find a license professional if you should experience or see changes which may indicate future problems.