Podiatry

Podiatry is the medical science that studies the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of problems to do with the feet and their repercussions to the human body.

The Podiatrist is the professional that treats problems to do with the feet.  His main aim is to prevent and treat the cause of the disease by reaching a correct diagnosis.

As in other medical sciences, a great deal of progress has been made as far as the quality and type of services provided in this area, where new means and methods are now available.

This evolution was also possible thanks to new technology in the methods of diagnosis and application of new treatments, making Podiatry highly specialized areas of medicine. Contrary to what some people think, mainly due to lack of information, podiatry   is not related to simple aesthetic treatment of the feet. 

The feet are the only part of the body that keep the human body in an upright position, with the help of the muscles.

Alterations to the feet can affect the dynamics of the whole body.

Feet are the base of support of the human body, they support the weight of the body and are subjected to enormous tension. In addition to supporting the weight of the body, the feet are subject to enormous wear throughout the day.

The different areas of podiatry are:

• Dermatology - Treatment of nails or skin;
• Orthopaedic - To correction foot positioning;
• Biomechanics - Functional problems of foot support and gait;
• Sports Podiatry - Sports performance improvement and injury prevention;
• Podology and inherent risk - Specialized treatment in diabetics (diabetic foot);
• Geriatric podiatry - Problems of the foot due to age;
• Preventive Podiatry - Prevention of pathologies and foot relapses.

Treatment Highlights:

• Skin Alterations:
• Callosities;
• Mycosis;
• Ulcers;
• Warts;
• Cracks;
• Wounds;
• Dry and scaly skin;
• Hyperhidrosis (increased sweating);

Nail Alterations:

• Onicocryptosis (ingrown nails);
• Onychomycoses (mycoses of the nails);
• Onychogrifoses (poor nail formation).

Foot Alterations:

• Biomechanical changes;
• Walking studies;
• Deformities of the toes;
• Differences in leg size;
• Plantar supports (custom made Insoles), prostheses and orthopaedic aids.

Diabetic foot:

• Wounds and ulcers;
• Structural alterations;
• Plantar support (custom made insoles) for prevention and compensation.

Children’s Feet:

• Incorrect foot support;
• Knee Alignment;
• Excessive feet Tiredness;
• Alterations of the Skin;
• Congenital malformation;
• Corrective aids (custom made insoles).

Diabetic foot:

• Wounds and ulcers;
• Structural alterations;
• Plantar support (custom made insoles) for prevention and compensation.

Children’s Feet:

• Incorrect foot support;
• Knee Alignment;
• Excessive feet Tiredness;
• Alterations of the Skin;
• Congenital malformation;
• Corrective aids (custom made insoles).

Sportsman’s Feet:

• Injuries and trauma;
• Gait Studies;
• Foot support Studies;
• Preventive, corrective and plantar support aids (custom made insoles).

Podologists, in addition to dealing with all these problems, also rely on other medical specialties, which is the case with imageology and its complementary diagnostic facilities (X-rays, eco-doppler and MRI) and biophysics (force and pressure platforms).

These health professionals are also able to perform surgeries such as onicocryptosis (ingrown nails), helomas (calluses) and papilloma virus (warts).