What does podiatry and podiatry do?
Podiatry – a few years ago, this term was surprising not only for clients, but also for pedicurists dealing with foot care. And today it is heard in all the speeches of specialists, in articles in professional magazines, and people are increasingly asking the question: where does a podologist go? Overall, podiatry is firmly established in daily practice. Translated from Greek: “under” – “foot”, therefore podiatry is a science that examines the foot. This science consists in cosmetic and hygienic care of the nail plate and skin of the feet. He combines knowledge in the field of traumatology, orthopedics, neurosurgery and vascular surgery.
What is the difference between pedicure and podiatry?
Podiatry received the status of science for the first time in Germany. The Germans are distinguished by a very meticulous approach to their health, so they even try to study the minimum discomfort in the body. Thus, their attention attracted the interest problems, which in principle are not a disease, but unpleasant sensations they bring their owners . For example, ordinary corns, as a rule, do not cause severe pain in the initial stages, but can cause a lot of problems over time. Basically, with the right instrument with a blade, any pedicure specialist can solve this problem. But over time, it turned out that this approach was wrong and there were many nuances in solving this problem, and besides, prints, it is the least nuisance that can happen to the foot. There are many other, more serious problems that cannot be solved without good knowledge.
Who is a podiatrist?
It should be remembered that a podiatrist is not a doctor, he should not make a diagnosis, let alone make appointments to treat diseases. His competences include paying attention to pathological changes in the feet and referring the client to a dermatologist. If the podiatrist has identified the disease and prescribed treatment, it must not be forgotten that the foot still requires treatment of the problem area.
The problems that a podiatrist solves include: corns, ingrown toenail, cracks in the foot, thickening of the nail plate, excessive dryness of the skin, unpleasant smell of the feet, exfoliation of the nail plate, excessive sweating of the feet. The podiatrist is competent to prescribe special preparations for further use at home.
Unfortunately, people don’t pay enough attention to their feet. At best, they use a moisturizing or nourishing cream for the skin of the feet, but these products are not able to solve the problem, for example, hot or vice versa cold legs. Therefore, as in the case of facial care, it is necessary to choose the means for the feet for the given problem, not to underestimate the importance of this part of the body.
Directions and methods in podiatry
Podiatry deals with foot problems related to nail diseases, foot deformities, complications of chronic dermatological, orthopedic, surgical and hormonal pathologies. It helps to improve the quality of life of people complaining of pain while walking, ugly appearance of nails. Apart from the already mentioned areas of podology, it is important to: treat onychomycosis, correct and prevent foot problems with orthoses, interdigital insoles, orthopedic insoles, shoe changes, preventive foot care, sparing treatment of ingrown nails, i.e. staples, titanium threads, correction systems that maximize the preservation of the plate fingernail. Foot care of people with diabetes and diabetic foot syndrome, suffering from circulatory insufficiency of the lower limbs, treatment of deformities, discoloration of the nail plate (onychodystrophy,
Treatments in podiatry
For the treatment and care of feet in podiatry clinics, equipment medical pedicure, massage, foot treatment with cosmetics and pharmacological agents are used. Treatments do not cause pain and are performed in 100% sterile conditions. The offices are equipped with modern equipment, tools and devices. Tapping is used for various deformations of the foot. Indications are valgus deformity of the big toe, hammer-like deformation of the toe, flat feet, heel spurs. This helps to relieve pain, muscle and joint discomfort, and improve cushioning when walking.
Today, podiatry is a promising, sought-after and constantly developing field of aesthetic medicine. The feet perform important functions in the body: they hold the body weight, they keep the body moving. Owing to the relatively small area to support the normal load of walking every day experience 1.5 times greater than the weight . Proper foot care, regular visits to the podiatrist, prevention, timely treatment of diseases are the basis of their health.
The problem of many patients suffering from nail plate disease is that they do not believe in recovery, they do not know where to go for advice and treatment. The greatest difficulties arise in the elderly, who have numerous contraindications to treatment with systemic drugs. An important role is played by the high cost of drugs on the domestic market, intended for both general and external treatment of onychomycosis. A visit to a podiatrist can solve most of their problems.
