Gone are the days of people thinking that podiatrists simply treat bunions or clip toenails. This health profession offers SO much more. Podiatrists can potentially help to save a life or a limb. In fact, the impact of a podiatrist on your overall health can be nothing short of staggering.
Your feet hold the key to so much more than you may realise. These overlooked extremities not only support your mobility, but they can play a role in your longevity. Did you know that your feet can even give vital clues into the overall health of your neurological and vascular systems – and a whole lot more?
With that in mind, what does a podiatrist do?
Podiatrists assess, diagnose and manage a vast range of foot pathologies, which often relate to diseases that can affect the whole body, such as diabetes.
Since health conditions can affect the feet (and even show up there first!), podiatrists are often the first health practitioners to identify an issue that needs addressing.
As an essential member of any health care team, podiatrists care for people with chronic disease. This includes people living with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and degenerative neurological conditions. A podiatrist’s work can involve advanced wound care, referral for advanced assessments, exercise prescription, manufacturing orthoses and sourcing specialist footwear.
In a nutshell, your local podiatrist is a university-trained, registered healthcare professional, and a key member of the allied health workforce.
Here’s one example of how your feet can be the first part of your body to wave a red flag. Consider peripheral arterial disease (PAD), when narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the lower limbs. When you think about it, if blood has a tough time pumping all the way down to your feet, then it may indicate a potential health issue such as PAD.
Your podiatrist can carry out tests to investigate this, which could lead you to a diagnosis and treatment – particularly since people may show no symptoms otherwise of a cardiovascular disease such as PAD, such as this patient story.
Keep on top of your foot health because this is about much more than your feet. Treat your local podiatrist much like you would any other health professional who you see yearly, or twice a year.
A podiatrist is extensively trained in wound management, so they can not only diagnose and treat foot and leg ulcers (and other wounds), but they can provide support to help you prevent them. An ulcer left to develop can necessitate amputation. Access to a podiatrist in these circumstances can quite literally make all the difference.
Podiatrists can refer you onto high-risk foot clinics if they believe further intervention is required. Always start with your local podiatrist when it comes to diagnosing and treating wounds on your feet and lower limbs.
Conditions managed by podiatrists also include sports and musculoskeletal disorders, injuries, growth and development conditions, chronic disease such as arthritis, dermatological pathologies, and neurological disease.
Podiatrists manage a wide range of conditions, such as stress fractures, muscle sprains and strains, ingrown toenails, and joint conditions. They use a combination of medical, surgical, and other techniques to provide personalised care to alleviate pain, restore mobility and improve a person’s quality of life. Podiatrists can independently request radiological imaging, administer local anesthetic and perform minor surgical procedures.
Podiatrists can undertake credentialled study pathways to focus on areas such as paediatrics, or sports and biomechanics. The scope of practice is considerable and if your feet or lower limbs need attention, a podiatrist should be your first point of contact. Since your feet house a quarter of your body’s bones, along with numerous muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints – the stakes are high.
Regardless of your reason for seeing a podiatrist, you don’t need a referral. Chances are, a member of the Australian Podiatry Association already works in your community.
Ultimately, podiatrists are responsible for the diagnosis and management of disorders, injuries and pain that affects the foot, ankle, and lower limbs. They are one of the few allied health professions who can work within advanced scope of practice, such as prescribing medicines as an Endorsed Prescriber and even performing advanced surgical procedures, such as a specialist Podiatric Surgeon.
Book in with your local podiatrist to experience first-hand why podiatrists are so much (much…) more than you may think.
Find a podiatrist near you.
© Copyright 2021 The Australian Podiatry Association
