Foot issues are one of those things we try to ignore. Your toe has an ingrown nail, but it doesn’t really bother you, so you leave it. There are hard callouses on your heels but aside from making you a little self-conscious in sandals they do no harm, so you leave them. The issue with this strategy is those small problems can become big, painful issues. Even if they don’t, you’re still walking through life dealing with something unpleasant and unnecessary.
Booking a standard podiatry appointment is the first step to ensuring your foot health, addressing those niggling issues, and guaranteeing you always put your best foot forward.
What Happens At A Standard Podiatry Appointment?
Your initial consultation will see your new podiatrist assess your needs subjectively. They will listen to your concerns and details of any issues you’ve noticed. If it’s your first appointment they will also document your medical history, and also ask a few questions about your lifestyle and health in general.
Your podiatrist may also perform an objective assessment and a biomechanical assessment.
The former involves assessing the tone, colour and texture of your skin, as well as your temperature. It may also involve a neurological and vascular assessment. This will allow them to identify any underlying and linked medical issues, as well as any defects you may have.
A biomechanical assessment, on the other hand, involves observing how you stand, walk, and your range of motion.
From this, your podiatrist will tell you their findings, any diagnosis they have made, and discuss the best ways to treat the problems that brought you in, and any additional issues they may have discovered in the course of your appointment.
What Issues Can Be Treated In A Standard Podiatry Appointment?
While there are some issues that require an extended or complex podiatry appointment, a lot of issues relating to your feet can be solved in a standard appointment.
Your feet will encounter a lot of routine issues throughout your life, which can be easily treated during a standard, 20-minute appointment. The time can also be used to diagnose more complicated issues which may require specialist treatment.
Here are the common issues that can be treated in a standard 20-minute appointment:
Foot And Nail Care…
The basic care of your feet should include a wide range of general maintenance tasks. This includes ensuring your nails are properly cut and filed on a regular basis, as well as reducing nail thickness, removing any hard skin, and offering general advice on foot maintenance.
These tasks become increasingly important as we age, particularly if mobility is reduced, or they are difficult for you to perform yourself.
Corns…
Weight-bearing parts of your feet are prone to corns, due to the high pressure experienced in these areas. While some corns can be passive and don’t cause any real issue, others can be incredibly painful. Even if your corn isn’t causing you a practical issue, it’s a sign of a specific problem that needs to be diagnosed and treated.
Calluses…
We’ve all experienced those uncomfortable, unsightly, thick yellow patches of skin on our feet. Calluses not only look bad, but they can also be very painful. Usually caused by that area of your foot being exposed to an excessive amount of friction pressure, calluses are easily dealt with.
Verrucas…
General caught in communal areas like changing rooms and swimming pools, verrucas are caused by a type of the Human Papilloma Virus. Similar to corns with the addition of a small black dot at their centre, they can be painful and embarrassing.
Fungal Nail Infections…
Another very common issue, around three in every 100 people in the UK experience fungal nail infections. Characterised by the yellowish-brown colour nails turn when infected, you will notice a thickening and then crumbling of affected nails. While it’s not painful in the early stages, as the nails thicken they place too much pressure on the nail bed, becoming painful.
Athlete’s Foot…
Another common foot infection is Athlete’s foot. Caused by a fungus that appears where your toes meet your feet, it causes red skin that becomes flaky and itchy. As indicated by the name, athletes are particularly vulnerable to this infection. With proper diagnoses, this is easily treated in a few days.
Need A Standard Podiatry Appointment?
If you need to book a standard appointment to deal with any of these minor issues or discuss a greater problem, we’re ready and waiting to help. Simply book online and we’ll see you in the surgery for your appointment – we’re located in the heart of Northwich…
