Posts tagged foot concerns
On The Foot
A blog for people with foot concerns.
The first thing I see are my father’s feet!
I remember waking up one morning and swinging my legs out from under the sheets and placing my feet on the carpeted floor. Wiping the sleep away, I leaned forward, head down, and there they were. Feet that looked more like my father’s than mine. Feet, with changes in color and shape with a new kind of stiffness I hadn’t felt before. Some changes to our feet come from traumatic events but the majority of foot problems come from imbalances, repetitive harmful motions which cause microtrauma, and our foot type—predispositions we may get from our parents. In other words, we are the inheritors of our parents feet. Having said that, I should add that with thought towards prevention and early intervention, we can improve our muscular imbalances, cut down on microtrauma and mitigate our otherwise predestined foot problems. The old “ounce of prevention” adage, being worth a “pound of cure” certainly applies to foot care because once a foot problem gets bad enough or reaches a certain threshhold, we begin to alter the way we walk, whether we know it or not. Exercise, proper foot wear and hygiene will go along way to promote long term foot health. Also, a well visit to the Podiatrist could uncover emerging issues undetected by a lay person but evident to the skilled professional.
Where to go, when you don’t know.
The Podiatrist is a Doctor Of Podiatric Medicine, a degree which takes four years of Specialty Medical School after completing undergraduate studies. The Podiatrist course load includes Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Microbiology and Emergency Medicine like other medical schools but have specialty classes such as Podiatric Surgery, Biomechanics and Podopediatrics. Rather than concentrating on a specific body system like a Neurologist or Dermatologist, the Podiatrist is an expert on all body systems in their region which focuses on the foot and includes the ankle in some states. So, if it’s a problem with the foot, whether it’s a rash, broken bone, plantar warts, pain, nail concerns or trouble walking, don’t get cold feet, consider visiting the Podiatrist for answers.
