Podiatry
What is podiatry?
Podiatry is the medical specialty that studies diseases and disorders affecting the feet. Health professionals of this branch responsible for diagnosing and treating the different conditions and deformities using therapeutic techniques typical of podiatry, or referring to the appropriate specialist.
What diseases does do podiatrists treat?
The most frequent foot treatments performed by podiatrists are:
- the correction of pathologies, such as bunions or hallux valgus, hammer toe or metatarsalgia.
- the performance of specialised treatments, for fungal infections of the toenails (onychomycosis) or hardened toenails.
- the study of feet for the preparation of orthotic insoles
What subspecialties are there within podiatry?
Podiatry comprises different areas of action:
- sports podiatry
- podiatric surgery
- orthotics
- oncological podiatry
- dermatological podiatry
- rheumatic podiatry
- paediatric podiatry
- geriatric podiatry
- occupational podiatry
When would you need to see a podiatrist?
An annual foot check is advised for patients of all ages, even if there is no discomfort. It is simply to confirm that everything is fine and detect any conditions early on.
On the other hand, whenever a foot hurts, you should always see a podiatrist. A podiatrist can help people of any age because different problems can occur at any stage of life.
What is the difference between a podiatrist and a chiropodist?
There is no difference between a podiatrist and a chiropodist. ‘Podiatrist’ is simply a more modern name.