The field of podiatry London medicine comes with its fair share of limitations and this has been an oft documented fact that. In most practices, podiatry treatments get limited to the various diseases of the feet and ankle. Then again, there are some practices where the field is much more expansive and spans surgeries dealing with various leg conditions. Some practices often specialize in either medical or surgical fields or go on to combine both.
Podiatric consultants are typically required to deal with relatively minor foot conditions such as corns and calluses. These conditions are characterized by a thick, hard skin that often turns flaky and dry. The podiatrist is skilled in getting rid of the excess tissues especially in the event that a presence of infection or persistent ulceration has been detected. The patients are provided with proper awareness and education on the condition so that there is no further injury caused to the tissue.
Patients are also advised to get in touch with the specialists if they are faced with conditions such as athlete’s foot or fungal nail infection that are caused primarily by a fungal strain that is similar in characteristic. The best and easiest way to manage the outbreak is usually administering oral or topical antifungal medications and it could be months before patients finally get rid of the condition.
Bunions are bony protrusions occurring specifically at the base of big toes and are a major challenge to deal with. In this condition, the big toe is found going inwards to the second toe and is referred to as hammer toe or hallux valgus in medical terms. Bunions and the hammer toe condition that they lead to are both painful experiences for those affected and will require consultation from a podiatrist to manage and cure. The treatment procedure usually calls for a change in footwear, administering injections with corticosteroids, and large amounts of exercises. It is only in the rarest of cases that surgery will be called for.
Another condition that can be dealt with some help from a podiatrist is plantar fascilitis. This is an inflammation and irritation of the thick tissue that surrounds the heel. Some of the typical symptoms include severe heel pain with the best procedure for dealing with it being the use of anti-inflammatory medications, placing orthotics, and physical therapy. Once again surgery is called for in only the most extreme of situations. Patients will be subjected to a number of tests in order to come up with a final diagnosis before being subjected to the multi-treatment approach so that they can get quick and early relief from the symptoms.
A podiatric can also look at and evaluate injuries occurring on the foot or ankle. They have specialized equipment to provide diagnostic imaging which can be used to diagnose the type and extent of injury so that a suitable treatment plan may be put in place. Splinting or casting is the typical treatment method with the choice of one or the other depending largely on the case available at hand.
It’s not often that we give much thought about the role of our feet in our daily lives, thus forgetting the fact that we would be helpless without them! Regular visits to a podiatric will help understand the stresses and strains that are feet and lower legs are regularly subjected to. Looking after the feet can also help deal with the issues of back pain. By making an appointment with their nearby podiatrist, individuals can also learn more about dealing with foot problems in the future.