You need a General Foot Care Appointment
Full examination, assessment of the feet will be undertaken. Full nail care, debridement of corns and callus will be completed as required. A management plan will be agreed that may include regular foot care appointments, skin care, Footwear advice, pressure offloading using insoles, use of other medicinal products as required. The overall aim is to make you as pain free and comfortable as possible and able to enjoy life to the fullest.
You need nail surgery Assessment
Whilst usually on the Big toes (Hallux) this condition can actually impact any toe. It is a condition where the shape of the nail has distorted so that one or more edges of the nail have impacted on the skin/soft tissue around the nail causing a wound. This will present as a painful red and swollen area that could even be infected. The root cause will be established (natural shape of the nail/ trauma/ poor previous cutting technique) and a management plan agreed. The management plan can range from simple nail care through to removal of part or all of the nail under local anaesthetic.
You need Regular Diabetic Foot Care and Assessment
The percentage of the population diagnosed with Diabetes is ever increasing. The complications associated with the Diabetic Foot are well known and can be very serious for patients. Full examination, assessment of the feet will be undertaken that will include a full Diabetic foot assessment. (Neurological and vascular assessment) Full nail care, debridement of corns and callus will be completed as required. A management plan will be agreed that may include regular foot care appointments, skin care, Footwear advice, pressure offloading using insoles, use of other medicinal products as required. The overall aim is to prevent Diabetic Foot complications through good patient education, regular foot care, and referral into the public health service when issues have been identified.
You need a General Foot Care Appointment
Infections in the Feet are common. They can be caused by either:
Virus
An example would be a verruca or plantar wart
Fungus
Common in the nails or the skin
Bacteria
Usually in wounds/breaks in the skin
Any infections present on your feet will be identified and advice on suitable management provided. Viral and Fungal infections in the feet can be contagious through direct contact or indirect contact such as towels, showers and swimming pools. It is essential that the infection is correctly identified and managed to prevent this.
You need a Biomechanical/ functional assessment
Whilst most commonly associated with sporting activities and injuries a wide range of patients with foot or lower limb pain/problems could benefit from this assessment (heel pain, arch pain etc.)
The assessment consists of a good history, assessment of the lower limbs and feet, range of motion, strength, foot shape, foot position on weight bearing with a view to identify any imbalances or issues that may be contributing to the problems experienced. The management plan could include stretches, strengthening exercises, footwear advice, off the shelf insoles through to casted bespoke Orthotic devices if required.
You need a paediatric foot and lower limb Assessment
A podiatrist’s role in the assessment of children falls into one of four categories:
1
Development Check
The stages of development and growth of the foot and lower limb can oftentimes look worrying to parents of children of all ages. The majority of assessments of children result in good patient advice and reassurance for parents that what they are seeing is within normal limits. In a small number of cases a referral will be made to specialist services as required for further investigation.
2
Sports or exercise related symptoms
Most commonly growth plate syndromes or overuse injuries. The Podiatrist will be able to diagnose and develop a management plan for your child. The management plan could include stretches, strengthening exercises, footwear advice, off the shelf insoles through to casted bespoke Orthotic devices if required.
3
Associated with an existing underlying condition
Conditions such as psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, Raynaud’s Disease, Diabetes and others can impact the foot or lower limb in children that may require assessment and treatment from the podiatrist
4
General Foot Care
As with adults, Children can suffer with pain and discomfort from nails, corns, callus, athletes foot and verruca that need assessment and treatment from the podiatrist.
