What is a Podiatrist?

• A podiatrist is a health professional who deals with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of medical and surgical conditions of the feet and lower limbs.
  
• A podiatrist provides a medical service for the feet and foot related conditions.
  
• A podiatrist has skills in general foot treatments, nail surgery, biomechanical assessments/gait analysis, injury management, orthotic prescription (arch supports) from temporary and "off the shelf" inserts for your shoe through to custom made, prescription orthoses made from a plaster mould of your feet.
  
• Although chiefly concerned with foot problems, podiatry services can often also assist with systemic diseases and postural related problems of the lower limb, hips and back.
• Chiropody / podiatry is a medical treatment, not a cosmetic service. After treatment, however, the feet will often look so much better, and feel more comfortable as well.

What is the difference between a chiropodist and a podiatrist?

Nothing. The terms 'chiropody' and 'chiropodist' are unique to the UK - in other parts of the world, practitioners specialising in foot problems are usually known as podiatrists.

Conditions commonly treated include:

"Bunions" and toe deformities
Foot injuries / pain including "tendonitis", stress fractures, heel spurs / pain
Ingrown toenails or other nail pathology e.g. thickened nails, fungal nails
Skin disorders / infections including "athlete's foot", blisters
Routine nail care
Corns & callus
Cracked heels
Verruca (plantar warts)
Chilblains
Posture related problems - E.g. flat feet, high arched feet, feet that roll in or out, having one leg longer than the other, abnormal shoe wear

Other pain in the body contributed to by the feet including:

• Chronic ankle sprains / instability
  
• "Shin splints"
  
• Knee pain
  
• Chronic hip or back pain

Treatment, assessments & advice related to systemic diseases such as:

• Diabetes
  
• Arthritis
  
• Neuropathy
  
• Circulation problems

Do I need to be referred by my doctor?

Although your GP might suggest you should seek treatment from a chiropodist/podiatrist you do not need approach your doctor first. If you think that you have a problem with your feet you can seek the advice of a chiropodist. A properly qualified chiropodist/podiatrist will be able to diagnose any problem that they can treat as they are specialists in this area. If you require alternative medical attention you will be referred to your own GP or other suitable practitioner.

What is Podiatric Biomechanics ?

Biomechanics is the science of how we move, how our muscles, bones and joints combine to provide human motion. Understandably this is a complex process and is such, fraught with the potential to go wrong.
Podiatric Biomechanics is a specialist area which diagnoses how problems with movement in the feet can adversly affect our motion. This knowledge is useful to treat problems which predominantly involve the legs, knees and feet.

What types of problems may be biomechanical in origin?

Conditions regularly treated include joint pains, recurrent sprains, sports injuries, knee pain, recurrent corns / callus, flat feet, bunions, gait (walking) problems, and persistent aches and pains.

What does a consultation involve?

A full lower limb biomechanical assessment can take up to 60 minutes. It will involve a medical history, full history of the presenting problems, and then examination of the feet and lower limb to assess if there is any abnormality which could be related to the symptoms described.
Following this assessment a treatment plan will be devised in agreement with the patient. Treatments vary from person to person but often involve stretches and/or exercises, footwear advice and use of an in-shoe device to control the foot position. These can be simple insoles, pre-formed or bespoke orthoses.

Insoles

Palliative insoles are designed specifically to reduce pressure from painful or ulcerated areas of the foot. They are usually made from foam or rubbers glued to a flat insole. Insoles are useful for treating severely deformed feet with a limited range of motion and mobility or extremely painful conditions that do not require control of foot posture. They are often an appropriate choice for elderly people with significant soft-tissue atrophy and/or circulatory disease or for simple pressure relief cases including localized callous, corns or other painful lesions.

Pre-formed orthoses

These devices are produced to provide moderate control. As they are mass produced for specific shoe sizes and types they have the advantage of being ready to wear quickly and are relatively inexpensive. They can also be altered to provide further or more specific control. The devices usually need replacing after a few years.

Prescription/custom made orthoses

Functional orthoses are prescribed after a biomechanical assessment/gait analysis and plaster casting (taking a mould) of the feet. They are made at a laboratory from your podiatrist's prescription to align the structure of the foot in its most functionally efficient position. The orthotic, moulded from the cast, is designed to stabilize the foot and to prevent it from moving into an unbalanced position while walking or running. Prescription orthotics are usually made of a long lasting thermoplastic or carbon fibre. This is the most specific and accurate way to have a controlling orthotic made. They are used for foot deformities, severe foot posture disorders and for those wishing to have a custom made orthotic. Devices last for several years.

Jennifer Royle BSc (HONS), SRCh ,MChS

I graduated from Northampton School of Podiatry in 1993 with a 2:1 degree. Following this, I joined the podiatry team in North Derbyshire NHS Trust. During my 11 years with the NHS I developed a special interest in biomechanics and education. I was actively involved in education and training within the chiropody and podiatry departments and also spent an academic year as a clinical supervisor for the undergraduate podiatrists at Huddersfield university.

I joined the team at Alderbank Therapy Clinic in October 2004, when I made the decision to move back to Lancashire (where I was brought up) and move entirely into private practice.

I am registered with The Health Professions Council as a Chiropodist / podiatrist. The Health Professions Council has been set up to protect the public interest by overseeing professional standards of practice and training over a wide range of therapies within healthcare including that of Chiropody and Podiatry. After 2005 only those registered with the Council will be permitted to call themselves a Chiropodist or Podiatrist.

I am also a member of the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists. The society ensures proper practice and development of its members through a strict code of ethics, continuing professional development and full professional indemnity insurance.

Post Graduate training history includes: