Know Everything About General Podiatry

Overview:

General podiatry is a branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and research of diseases related to the ankle, foot, and lower legs. A podiatrist, therefore, is a specialist that addresses problems with the lower regions of the human body. Podiatrists can help with disorders and infections such as ingrown toenails, as well as with complications that might result from chronic illnesses such as diabetes.

Podiatrists vs traditional doctors:

Even though podiatrists are called doctors or physicians, they do not acquire their education from a conventional medical school. Instead, there are separate schools for podiatrists. Moreover, they also put 'DPM' (doctor of podiatric medicine) instead of MD (medical doctor) after their names.

 Podiatrists perform a range of functions, including drug prescription, mending damaged bones, doing surgical procedures, and assessing X-rays and lab reports. In many cases, they collaborate with other specialists.

 

Conditions that podiatrists address:

 Podiatrists help people of all ages, and can treat a wide variety of foot issues:

 Sprains and fractures: These are the most commonly occurring foot problems and are regularly treated by podiatrists. They also, help athletes with their foot conditions and also recommend ways to prevent such situations.

 Hammertoes and bunions: These are issues related to the bones on the feet. When the joint, present at the base of the largest toe, is enlarged or out of place, it causes the toe to bend towards the other toes irregularly. This situation is called a bunion. A hammertoe, on the other hand, is a toe that does not bend in the right manner.

 Verruca: Verruca is a painful and contagious wart, present on the foot's sole. It is caused by a virus and can be transmitted through skin contact or contaminated surface. A verruca may show up after many months of contracting the virus. Recently, a SWIFT treatment for verruca has been developed in England. This treatment uses a special probe to transmit microwave energy to the skin, which helps treat the wart.

 Nail conditions: Such conditions mainly involve a nail infection, such as one caused by an ingrown toenail or a fungus. Ingrown toenail treatment will usually include the application of oral antibiotic cream. The best treatment for fungal nails is the drugs terbinafine and itraconazole. These drugs allow the new nail to grow free of infection, but it takes around six to twelve weeks to see the full impact of the treatment.

 Diabetes: With diabetes, people's pancreases either stop producing insulin, or their bodies stop using insulin effectively. Either way, the glucose in the patient's body does not absorb correctly, resulting in abnormally high blood sugar levels throughout the body. Over time, excess sugar in your feet can damage its nerves, resulting in an insufficient amount of blood flow towards the area. Diabetes can lead to severe foot complications, the result of which is often amputation. Regular visits to a podiatrist can help prevent that outcome. With diabetes, you should take every bruise or callus on your feet very seriously and get it checked immediately.

 

What to expect when visiting a podiatrist:

 A trip to the podiatrist will very much resemble a trip to any other type of doctor. A podiatrist will begin by taking your medical history, asking if you are allergic to any medications, or have a history of any diseases or surgeries.

 They'll assess your walking gait and how you stand, check the extent of motion within the joints, and examine the fitness of your footwear.

 Depending upon your condition, the podiatrist might recommend physical therapy, orthotics, or padding. Specific, mild situations might be treated in the podiatrist's office. For example, pain medication administered through syringes, or ingrown toenails removed through a nail anvil or nail splitter. Many podiatrists also use liquid nitrogen (cryotherapy) to lower the temperature of plantar warts, causing them to freeze.

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