Feet Deserve Care

Feet Deserve Care For The Work They Do
By Dr. Brian Richman

Your feet are biological masterpiece. They are designed like a truss of a roof or an arch of a bridge, able to support the human body; they easily adapt to uneven terrain and meet the demands of daily use. No two feet are alike. The human foot contains 26 bones, 33 joints, and a network of tendons, muscles and ligaments. In fact, your two feet contain 25 percent of all the bones in the human body. Many people will have some type of foot problem sometime in their life and may require professional foot care. So don't neglect your feet, they have to last you a lifetime.

Many foot and ankle problems respond well to conservative care. Some examples of conservative care are orthotics, or custom-made arch supports, routine nail care, steroid injections, physical therapy, insoles, change of shoe gear, heel cups, padding, ankle braces, and Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication.

Common foot and ankle problems a podiatrist treats include: Diabetic foot care, ingrown toenails, bunions, hammertoes, corns, callouses, fungal toenails, biochemical abnormalities, heel pain, foot and ankle fractures, warts, ankle instability, peripheral vascular disease, tendonitis, pediatric deformities, in toeing, edema, tarsal-tunnel syndrome, infection, bone spurs, ankle sprains, peripheral neuropathy, gout, ulcers, neuromas, ganglionic cysts, tailors bunions, athlete's feet, arthritis, blisters, foot odor, Achilles tendonitis, puncture wounds, and stress fractures.

Some foot problems may require surgery. Examples of minor surgery are ingrown toenails, and warts that have not responded to conservative care. Other foot problems such as bunions, neuromas, hammertoes, removal of bone spurs, fractures, and tailor's bunions may require outpatient surgery at a local hospital and / or surgical center. Occasionally some problems may require inpatient admission and surgery, like infection, trauma, and lower extremity burns.

Doctors who specialize in treating foot and ankle disorders are podiatrists. After receiving an undergraduate degree, a podiatric physician will go to an additional four years of podiatric medical school. Classes include functional gross anatomy, biochemistry, histology, lower extremity anatomy, physiology, neuroanatomy, microbiology, pathology, pharmacology, biomechanics, general medicine, neurology, emergency medicine, radiology, physical diagnosis, podiatric surgery, podiatric medicine, geriatrics, and public health. Students rotate through numerous clinics and hospitals including diabetes clinic, general podiatry clinic, surgery, general medicine, biomechanics, and radiology. Upon graduating from podiatry school the student will obtain a doctor of podiatric medicine degree. Most podiatrists have one to three years of additional training in an organized residency program.