Frequently Asked Questions
What is Podiatry?
In 1993 the name podiatrist replaced the name chiropodist as it is the recognised international name for a foot specialist, however both names are interchangeable and refer to the same profession.
Podiatry is the medical discipline concerned with and specializing in treating ailments of the foot, ankle and lower limb. Podiatrist's are concerned with the structure and function of both the normal and abnormal foot. They take into account the biomechanics of ambulation and gait and consider the aetiology of a pathology in order to diagnose and treat an abnormality and thereby help to improve the independence, mobility and general quality of life of their patients.
The titles Chiropodist and Podiatrist are both regulated by the Health Care Professionals Council (HCPC) and both names are protected by law so that only those registered with the HCPC can use them. The HCPC ensures that the practitioner maintains the appropriate standards of practice. The resident podiatrist Mr. Jim McNamara is a member of the Society of Chiropodists & Podiatrists and is registered with the HCPC (Reg No. CH31238). The details of all Health Care Professionals registered with the HCPC can be checked on their website (www.hpc-uk.org).
Who needs a Podiatrist?
Many people do not know when they should be asking for the advice of a foot specialist and due to this can end up waiting longer than needs be before seeking help. Pain is the body's way of telling someone that something is wrong. It is not normal to experience constant foot pain and it can be extremely debilitating.
Sometimes the problems in your feet and lower limb can diminish with time, rest or medication. However, on occasion this may not be the case especially as we get older. It is important at these times that someone suffering from problems with their feet should seek the help and expertise of a specialist in this area.
When you consider that the average moderately active person will walk the equivalent distance of over 4 times around the planet in a lifetime it's no wonder you need to seek specialist advice about your feet.
It should also be noted that foot problems can be prevented by regularly visiting a podiatrist for foot health check-ups.
Remember prevention is always better than cure!
What happens at my first visit?
For your first visit the podiatrist will take a full medical history and assess your condition before your treatment. If you are taking long-term medication then please bring your prescription with you in order to help provide the podiatrist with the information they require to treat your medical needs.
Can I claim through my medical insurance?
Most medical health insurance companies provide cover for chiropody or podiarty. Most clients visit us directly, although some insurance policies require your GP to authorise treatment so please check with your insurance company first.
The podiatrist can provide you with an invoice after each appointment so that you can claim the amount back from your insurance company.
Podiatric Glossary
Arthritis:
Artho means joint and itis means inflammation. There are approximately 38 causes of arthritis and most of these conditions affect the human foot. The most common of these conditions is osteoarthritis. This is the simple wearing and tearing away of the cartilage of the joints. Age, excessive weight, ill-fitting shoes and trauma (injury) are the basic causes of osteoarthritis. Fortunately, this condition is very treatable.
Bunion: A bunion is a common term for a medical condition known as Hallux Valgus. Hallux Valgus if the tilting of the toe away from the mid-line of the body. It is usually characterized by a lump or bump that is red, swollen and/or painful on the inside of the foot in and around the big toe joint. There are many causes of bunions, but the primary one is tight, ill-fitting shoes, shoes that constrict the forefoot over a long period of time. High heels and constricting forefoot shoe gear are the primary causes of Hallux Valgus.
Corns, Calluses, IPK:
Corns and calluses are the most common conditions on the skin of the foot. A corn which is a thickening of the outer layer of skin usually occurs on the tops of the toes. Calluses which are the same condition on the bottom of the feet are caused by sheering pressures. A severe form of callus is considered an IPK (Intractable Plantar Keratosis). These conditions are usually painful and can respond to conservative care.
Diabetes:
Diabetes is probably the most damaging disease that a patient can encounter with regards to their feet. Diabetes comes in two basic types; type 1 and type 2. Type 1 is usually associated with juvenile diabetes and is usually a hereditary type of disease. Type 2, commonly referred to as adult onset diabetes, is usually characterized by elevated blood sugars by people who are overweight and have not attended to their diet as they should.
Dry Cracked Heels:
Dry cracking heels (xeorosis) is a condition of thickening and fissuring (cracking of the bottom part of the heels). In most people this is a nuisance and a cosmetic problem. But when the problem persists, especially in diabetes or people with impaired vascular sufficiency, this can lead to a serious medical problem.
Foot Ulcers:
Foot ulcers are generally a breakdown of the skin on the plantar aspect (bottom) of the foot. They have many causes, but the most common are diabetes, and vascular insufficiency. Diabetes or vascular insufficiency should be taken very seriously as a good warning sign of impending loss of limb.
Fracture:
A fracture is a break in a bone. Fractures are divided into Traumatic Fractures (those fractures that occur as a result of an injury) and Stress Fracture (those fractures that occur as a result of repeated micro-trauma). Fractures take several weeks to heal properly and in some cases, fractures can fail to heal (they develop a “non-union”).
Fungal Nails:
Fungus nails are thickened, deformed, and often painful toenails that are caused by an infection of fungus. The fungus infects the nail, decays it, and causes the nail to become thick. [ Further information ]
Gout:
Gout (hyperuricemia or elevated uric acid) is generally thought to be a hereditary disease, but there are many causes: increased purine intake (*see diet), sudden weight loss due to dieting, and/or diuretics can cause elevated uric acid and mimic the symptoms of gout. In rare cases, leukemia’s and/or blood dyscrasias can cause elevated uric acid. Gout can be a serious disease and needs medical intervention, generally by an Internist.
Haglund’s Deformity:
Haglund’s Deformity is a condition of pain and discomfort on the posterior (back) aspect of the heel at the area of the insertion of the Achilles tendon.
Hallux Varus:
Hallux varus is a surgical over-correction of a bunion. The big toe splays away from the second toe and the foot can look like a “money’s foot.”
Hammertoes / Bone Spurs:
Hammertoes, exostosis (bone spurs) could also be grouped under arthritis. Hammertoes, bone spurs, and exostosis are all a result of an imbalance of the muscle structures of the toes, when the toes become crooked, bent, or buckle under causing joints to protrude. These are all descriptions of a biomechanical imbalance.
Heel Spur / Plantar Fascitis:
Heel spur / plantar fascitis affects men and women equally. It is a condition in which the bottom of the heel is extremely painful. A heel spur is a bony overgrowth on the bottom of your heel bone. The heel spur is usually a result of an inflamed ligament (plantar fascia) on the bottom of the foot that attaches to the heel bone. Constant abnormal pulling of this ligament irritates the heel bone and the body lays down a bone spur as a protective mechanism.
Ingrown Nails:
An ingrown toenail is a condition in which the nail is cutting into the flesh. This condition is usually very painful and is usually associated with infection of the toe. A nail is ingrown when one or both corners or sides of the nail grow into the skin of the toe. Irritation, redness, uncomfortable sensation of warmth, as well as swelling, pain and infection can result from an ingrown toenail.
Metatarsal Problems / Callus / IPK:
In severe cases of calluses, which usually occur on the plantar aspect (bottom) of the foot, an IPK can develop. An IPK is, in medical terminology, an Intractable (meaning that it will not go away,) Plantar (meaning bottom of the foot), Keretosis (meaning a deep seated painful callus) that usually occurs under a weight bearing metatarsal (long bone of the foot).
Neuroma:
A neuroma is an irritated, swollen nerve in the ball of the foot, classically described as a pain in the ball of the foot located between the base of the third and fourth toes. The involved nerve is sometimes squeezed and irritated by these adjacent metatarsal heads causing the painful neuroma to develop. Many people with this condition report feeling a painful catching sensation while walking, and many report sharp pains that radiate out to the two toes where the nerve ends. You may actually be able to feel a swelling between the toes, or a feeling similar to a rock in the shoe. This can feel like electric shocks, similar to hitting your funny bone on the elbow. Current research with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) has shown a potential relationship between neuroma surgery and RSD. [ Further information ]
NSAID
- Non-steroidal anti- inflammatory drug. They are called nonsteroidal because they are not steroids, which treat inflammation by suppressing the immune system (inflammation is one of the body’s healing responses to trauma). Instead, all NSAIDs treat inflammation in a way similar to the mechanism of aspirin, the most well known and oldest member of the class.
Orthotics:
Orthotics are devices that are used to control abnormal foot function. When the foot is not functioning correctly, it will produce painful areas. The signs and symptoms of altered biomechanics of the foot are usually registered as pain. An orthotic can relieve that pain by supporting the ligaments and the osseous (bone) structures of the feet. Orthotics are devices that are used to control abnormal foot function. When the foot is not functioning correctly, it will produce painful areas. The signs and symptoms of altered biomechanics of the foot are usually registered as pain. An orthotic can relieve that pain by supporting the ligaments and the osseous (bone) structures of the feet. Orthotics are devices that are used to control abnormal foot function. When the foot is not functioning correctly, it will produce painful areas. The signs and symptoms of altered biomechanics of the foot are usually registered as pain. An orthotic can relieve that pain by supporting the ligaments and the osseous (bone) structures of the feet. Orthotics are devices that are used to control abnormal foot function. When the foot is not functioning correctly, it will produce painful areas. The signs and symptoms of altered biomechanics of the foot are usually registered as pain. An orthotic can relieve that pain by supporting the ligaments and the osseous (bone) structures of the feet.
Osteomeylitis:
Osteomyelitis is an infection involving a bone. The condition is serious because treatment often requires several weeks of intra-venous treatment with potent antibiotics and often involves surgery on the affected bone.
Shin Splints (Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome):
A shin splint is technically the tearing away of the anterior tibial muscle from the bone. Shin splints, or tenosynovitis of the anterior tibial muscle (the muscle that runs from the mid portion of the foot up the front of the leg, just below the knee, on the inside front of the calf) is usually caused by over-use. Beginning runners or other people who engage in sport activities who have not sufficiently allowed their muscle tone to build up over a proper conditioning program, or whose conditioning program is too rigorous in the beginning, develop shin splints. However, people with biomechanical, excessive pronation or supination of the foot also develop shin splints.
Stress Fractures:
Stress fractures are usually the result of altered biomechanics, in that the structures of the foot are either mechanically not stable and/or the bones of the foot are subjected to repetitive micro trauma.
Sweaty Feet / Foot Odour:
Sweaty feet (hyperhydrosis) and smelly feet (bromohydrosis) are two very common, annoying conditions of the feet. While some cases of excessive smelling or sweating of the feet are systemic (throughout the whole body) in nature, such as anemia (low blood count) or hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid), these conditions are usually of a local cause.
Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome:
Tarsal tunnel syndrome -- tarsal: meaning the lower ankle area of the foot -- is a condition that usually affects the medial (inside) aspect of the ankle. There are many structures that run through this area, including tendons, veins, arteries and nerves. Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome occurs when the posterior tibial nerve, as it courses under the ligament at the ankle, becomes inflamed for a variety of reasons, namely: excessive pronation, arthritic problems such as rheumatoid arthritis, trauma, and even obesity.
