Podiatry medicine is a specialised branch of medicine dedicated to the study, identification, and subsequent treatment of leg, ankle, foot, and lower limb disorders. The word comes from the Greek words pous meaning “foot”, and iatreia, meaning “to heal.” Podiatrists diagnose, treat, and prevent disorders of the feet, legs, toes, and ankles.
The scope of work for a podiatrist from www.thesapodiatryclinic.com.au is seemingly endless. They treat various conditions, such as ingrown toenail foot problems, bunions, hammertoe, plantar fasciitis, corns and calluses, patellar malformations, fractures, orthopedic injuries, hand and foot pain, heel spurs, metatarsal bones and ligaments, and fractures of the vertebrae. Patients suffering from traumatic injuries such as whiplash or a broken bone may need to undergo surgery, but podiatrists often treat such patients without surgery. Instead, they use physical therapy, diagnostic imaging, and therapeutic exercise techniques to help their patients recover.
The first step to becoming a podiatrist is attaining a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. A bachelors degree in this field requires a minimum of a year of graduate school, although a certificate program may be completed in two years. An advanced degree takes about three years. The medical specialty of podiatry requires a doctor to have both a graduate degree and a Doctorate. However, a podiatrist with a Master’s degree may specialise in their area of expertise.
After becoming a podiatrist Adelaide, they will attend medical school and complete a foot and ankle surgery residency. During the residency, the podiatrist will perform a wide range of tasks, which include preparing patients for surgery, removing sutures, performing minor foot and ankle surgery, instructing patients on activities that will increase their ability to move comfortably, and instructing podiatrists and other podiatric physicians on the care of upper limb disorders.
Podiatrists can practice independently, or they may join a podiatry team, which consists of physicians, surgeons, physical therapists and others who work together in a team to provide patients with the best possible care. Podiatry is one of the few fields that does not require an advanced degree. However, persons interested in becoming podiatrists should take courses on diagnosing and treating lower limb disorders at an institution that offers podiatry.
As one can imagine, podiatry and podiatric surgery is quite broad and cover a wide range of practice. It includes both foot and ankle surgery as well as various other areas of the lower body. One of the areas of particular interest is podiatry footwear.
Australia has a thriving podiatry industry, which has caused a growth in the number of medical specialists practising this specialty. Because of the demand for podiatrists to treat foot pain and conditions including arthritis, corns and calluses, it is no wonder that Australia has one of the highest ratios of podiatrists to physicians. Other podiatry specialties that are becoming more popular include podiatry sports, such as ski and snowboarding podiatry. Podiatry in the sports arena covers a wide variety of sports, from ice skating to snowboarding.