Podiatry is the specialty of medicine dedicated to analyzing, diagnosing and treating various disorders related to the feet. The podiatry specialist (called a podiatrist) can take care of the treatment of different conditions whenever the action does not require a complex surgery.
Podiatrists have knowledge of general medicine, physiology, anatomy and other branches of knowledge. This allows the development of a very wide range of activities related to foot health, analyzing from the way a person walks to structural changes in the lower limbs, through infections and other problems.
It is important to note that the podiatrist has the power to prescribe drugs, just as a doctor does. This allows you to treat different pathologies that require the patient to take medication.
Podiatry is also responsible for designing and developing those supports that some people need to use on the sole of the foot to improve their posture or to ensure that their gait is healthy.
Sometimes, the podiatry specialist must refer the patient to other professionals, as the problem detected in the feet is a consequence or a symptom of a disease or a condition that appears in another area of the body. In this way, the podiatrist can warn that his patient is possibly suffering from diabetes or rheumatism, for example, forwarding his integral treatment to another specialist.
Among the areas of intervention of a podiatrist are: general podiatry that works with the dynamic and static assessment of the feet, pediatric podiatry that works with procedures for the care and prevention of foot problems in children, geriatric podiatry (for the elderly), the sports that works with practitioners of professional sports, the preventive, the work, the one focused on the diabetic foot ( risk foot ), among others.
A podiatrist studies, treats and prevents foot problems in men and women of different age groups.
It is important not to confuse a podiatrist with a podiatrist, as the latter has technical training and only works with problems such as ingrown toenails, chilblains, mycoses, dryness, cracked heels, corns, plantar warts, among other abnormalities.
So, a podiatrist is someone more focused on procedures that pertain to foot injuries, both in treatment and prevention. It also guides patients on care to maintain the good appearance and health of nails and feet, such as hydration, use of shoes, etc. There is a greater search for procedures of this specialty in clinics with the aesthetic objective.
It is also very important to clarify that a podiatrist and a pedicure professional have totally different roles.
Although the podiatrist also treats some aesthetic problems in the feet, he differs from the pedicure, since the latter is not a specialty of medicine, having the pedicure made a technical course and of short duration, where the function of this professional is to leave the feet more beautiful with treatments such as nail cleaning, enamelling, removal of excess skin, cuticle care, etc.
Finally, forensic podiatry is known as the use of podiatry by investigators who must demonstrate/prove certain situations under the law . The forensic podiatrist can help obtain evidence associated with a crime .
List of Acronyms Related to Geriatric
