Frequently asked questions

General

What is a podiatrist?

A podiatrist is skilled, trained and educated to assess, diagnose and treat problems of the foot and associated structures.
Podiatrists are able to provide advice on foot care, health education, gait analysis and footwear advice. Your Podiatrist can advise on workplace footwear the right type of shoes for you, or the most suitable shoes to prevent foot problems.

Why see a podiatrist?

Annual foot checks are recommended for all members of the family. Podiatrists are skilled in screening and health education, so a visit to the Podiatrist need not always be about sore feet. Your feet and your family's foot health are important.
Much of the work of a podiatrist is aimed at prevention and education. If you are diabetic you should be having an annual diabetic foot check. Your Podiatrist can perform this diabetic foot check and provide you with the necessary Diabetic foot care advice.

How often do I need to see a podiatrist?

Treat your feet as you do your teeth, a yearly check up is healthy, but if you have pain then seek treatment. A frightening number of people think foot pain is normal! It isn't!! If your feet hurt, seek advice.

What sort of assessment do I need?

Patients generally attend for an initial consultation, at which point a treatment plan is formulated.

Home remedies (corn plasters, verruca treatments, athlete's foot creams and powders)

 Always ask the chemist and read the instructions or telephone us for advice. Some treatments can cause damage to your skin in certain conditions.

Treatments

What sort of treatments do you offer?

 Before initiating treatment, the assessment process is aimed at understanding the mechanical factors which may have caused an injury or interfered with the normal healing process. This is key to the development of an effective treatment plan.

The practice uses many forms of treatment to resolve a condition, including: 
- orthotic therapy/off loading therapy 
- hard skin and corn removal 
- chemical therapies 
- verrucae management and treatments 
- ingrowing toe nail therapies 
- diabetic foot assessment and treatment 
- rheumatoid foot assessment and treatment

Footwear

What shoes or trainers are best for my feet?

 Very little good advice is given to the public in regard to footwear; we believe this is an essential part of our job. Just having the facts of what constitutes a good shoe would save a lot of foot pain and does not mean that they will be dull and 'sensible' either! 
A number of sports shoes are available which have specialised features to control abnormally functioning feet. 
Some shoe manufacturers make all sorts of claims about their shoes and we do see many patients with "shoe inflicted" injury. It is therefore important to get this essential piece of equipment right!

Orthotics

What are functional foot orthoses?

An orthotic (orthosis) is a device fabricated for individuals who have abnormal joint alignment. The practice specialises in "functional foot orthoses", highly complex devices that are made to manage foot abnormalities.

How much do orthoses cost, and can I get them on my insurance?

Orthoses vary in price from as little as £45 for off the shelf devices to £300+ for complex computer-designed and generated devices. A few insurance companies will cover orthoses.

Diabetic foot

The diabetic foot

Diabetes affects many structures within the body including nerves, blood vessels and soft tissues structures. Damage to these can lead to ulceration in the foot.

To prevent this, the N.I.C.E (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) guidelines for diabetes states that everyone with Type I and Type II diabetes should have at least one annual foot assessment, to evaluate blood flow and sensation in the foot and any deformities within the structure.
All diabetic individuals attending any of the practices will be offered a full assessment as a matter of course.
From the results a risk level is determined and appropriate treatment and care of the foot is established. All diabetic individuals should be aware of their risk level.