Why Go To A Podiatric Physician?
Todays, medicine is very specialized. There are medical
practitioners with expert knowledge of the problems and treatments for each
part of the body. We go to opticians for our eyes, skin specialist for skin
problems, cardiologists for heart conditions and so on. The feet are no
different and deserve the same care and specialized treatment. For most of us
our feet are far from our thoughts are we tend to take them for granted. We
expect them to be sore after a long day. We accept the occasional small injury
and pain as a part of life. Our feet are extremely tough and able to deal with
carrying the weight of our bodies, day after day. But they are also highly
engineered and very complex and if problems that do occur are not nipped in the
bud, they can let us down, affect our mobility and alter the way we live our
lives. The feet are also often the place where early signs of other medical
conditions that affect other parts of the body first show up. Caring for the
feet is important for our overall good health.
That’s why visiting a podiatric physician, often referred
to as a podiatrist, regularly, is so important.
What Is a Podiatrist?
A podiatrist is a highly trained specialist and a qualified
Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM). A podiatrist treats medical conditions and
problems affecting the feet, ankles and the related parts of the legs. They
know that the feet often are the first place that symptoms of other medical
conditions appear and in such cases can refer the patient to another specialist
to deal with problems affecting other parts of the body. Regular checkups of
the feet are important not only for the feet but also for the rest of the body.
The Qualifications Of A Podiatrist
A podiatrist is a qualified medical practitioner. He or she
will have completed 4 years of training in podiatric medicine and then 3 years
of residency in a hospital. This is similar to the training that other medical
specialists receive. Many then go on to spend more time increasing their areas
of specialization. These can include such things as sports medicine, wound
treatment, pediatric podiatry, diabetic care and surgery.
Podiatric Certification
As with all medical practitioners, podiatrists must undergo
advanced training and obtain extensive clinical experience and pass a tough
examination in order to be certified. This certification is conducted by the
American Board of Podiatric Medicine or the American Board of Podiatric
Surgery.
Prevention Is Better Than Cure
Having regular pedicures and keeping the feet looking nice
and clean is a good thing. But that does not constitute foot care. The human
foot has 26 bones, 19 muscles and tendons, 33 joints and 107 ligaments. The
bones in the feet constitute almost 25% of all the bones in the body. It is
this complexity that gives them their strength and toughness but it also means
that there is a lot that can go wrong. Only a podiatrist can assess the condition
of the feet, diagnose problems and provide the treatment that will
enable the feet to stay as healthy, strong and mobile as possible.
Comments
Post a Comment