Feet are an important part of our body, however people don’t often think about their feet. Your feet support your entire body and help you walk, run and dance. In fact, the soles of your feet a lot of separate muscles that work together to make walking comfortable!
What is podiatry and what is my role as a podiatrist?
Podiatry is the study of the lower limb. I have studied podiatry at the University of Northampton(UK) for 3 years. I am trained to evaluate, diagnose and treat foot problems.
My aim as a podiatrist is to improve the mobility, independence and quality of life of my patients. A thorough examination of the foot is carried out to diagnose or keep an eye on specific problems such as diabetes, bunion, Morton’s Neuroma and ingrown toenails.
In addition to that, I provide footwear advise and recommend orthotics to patient. Treatment for some foot conditions can vary from patient to patient due to different medication, surgery or medical history.
Most common foot problem that I treat + how can foot problems impact people’s daily lives?
- Ingrown toenail – It is a condition in which a piece of nail pierces the flesh of the toe. It can be extremely painful and get infected. It can usually be treated conservatively or through a nail surgery which is more of a permanent fix.
- Corns and Callus – When we walk or stand, our body weight is concentrated mostly on the heel and then on the ball of the foot where the skin is thicker to withstand the pressure. When this pressure becomes excessive, some areas of skin thicken and form corns and callus, as a protective response to the friction of skin rubbing against a bone, shoe or the ground. It can be eased through debridement or by the use of insoles.
- Musculoskeletal conditions – are the most common form of physical disability worldwide, with a suggested range of 3-26% of the population experiencing foot related musculoskeletal pathologies.
Musculoskeletal pathologies include:
Generalised foot osteoarthritis
Inflammatory disease
Paediatric growth and development
Sports injuries
Fragility and falls risk
Neurological conditions
- Long and thick nails – A lot of patient, mostly the older ones or diabetic ones got dystrophic nails and have trouble trimming them.
- Fungal nail infection – Fungal nail infection is very common and it may affect up to 14% of the general population. The nail can look discolored, thick, fragile or cracked.
- Athletes foot (Tinea Pedis) – fungal infection of the skin that can lead to intense itching, cracked, blistered or peeling areas of skin, redness and scaling. It can occur on moist, waterlogged skin, usually between the fourth and fifth toes initially, or on dry, flaky skin around the heels or elsewhere on the foot.
What are the warning signs someone should look out for to detect a possible foot problem?
- Cold Feet, Many Culprits
Cold toes could be a sign of poor blood flow – a circulatory problem sometimes linked to smoking, high blood pressure, or heart disease. The nerve damage of uncontrolled diabetes can also make your feet feel cold.
- Foot Pain
After all, eight out of 10 women say their shoes hurt. But pain that’s not due to sky-high heels may come from a stress fracture, a small crack in a bone. One possible cause: Exercise that was too intense, particularly high-impact sports like basketball and distance running.
- Swollen Feet
This is usually a temporary nuisance caused by standing too long or a long flight — especially if you are pregnant. In contrast, feet that stay swollen can be a sign of a serious medical condition. The cause may be poor circulation, a problem with the lymphatic system, or a blood clot.
- Burning Feet
A burning sensation in the feet is common among diabetics with peripheral nerve damage. It can also be caused by a vitamin B deficiency, athlete’s foot, chronic kidney disease, poor circulation in the legs and feet.
- Yellow Toenails
Your toenails tell a lot about your overall health. A fungal infection often causes thickened yellow toenails. Thick, yellow nails also can be a sign of an underlying disease, including lung problems, psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis.
Tips for maintaining healthy nails and foot skin?
Following a simple daily foot hygiene routine is usually effective in dealing with sweaty feet. This may include:
- Washing your feet with anti-bacterial soap
- Applying cream and/or using an absorbent foot powder
- Not wearing the same footwear every day
- Rotating what shoes you wear so they have a chance to dry out.
- Dry properly between your toes
- Wearing socks is also essential especially those that absorb moisture like wool, cotton or a wool/cotton mixture.
- Avoid applying cream between toes
- When selecting shoes, make sure that there is 1.5cm of extra space in front of the big toe.
What are the most common challenges I face as a podiatrist, and how do I overcome them?
The biggest challenge I face as a podiatrist is to educate people about foot health and to make people feel comfortable having their feet seen by a practitioner.
A lot of individuals feel complexed by their foot structure or the condition of their foot that even though, they might be having underlying conditions, they will not get it seen by a practitioner.
I believe that a lot of communication with my patient does help them overcome their fear and embrace their physique.
How can diabetes affect foot health, and what special precautions should people with diabetes take to avoid foot-related complications? The importance of regular foot care for people with diabetes
Diabetes is a disease that develops from high blood glucose levels which can cause damage to the nerve systems in your body by stopping important messages getting to and from your brain. The nerves most likely to be affected are the longest ones – those that reach all the way down to your legs and feet. This nerve damage is sometimes called neuropathy.
High blood glucose levels can also damage your blood vessels and thereby circulation to your feet and legs, due to less blood getting to your skin, muscles and tissues.
One of the early changes can be loss of sensation (peripheral neuropathy) in your feet, often starting at the toes. The onset of neuropathy is gradual and often people who develop this complication are unaware of it at the start. Very occasionally pain or a burning sensation may accompany loss of feeling (painful neuropathy).
Everyone who has diabetes should also have their feet checked regularly with a healthcare professional (podiatrist, nurse or doctor) and at the very least once a year at their annual review. However, if you are at increased risk of complications, these inspections may be done more frequently.
Simple self-care measures include:
- Always check your feet every day
- Clean and dress any cuts, scratches or wounds
- Always wear footwear
- Always wear shoes that fit properly
- Never sit with your feet too close to a fire
- Visit a podiatrist for corns and calluses
- Avoid using corn plasters
If you see any of the following in your feet, you should also seek medical attention or consult your podiatrist:
- Walking becomes more difficult
- Applying or wearing shoes becomes more difficult
- Tingling sensation or pins and needles
- Part or all of your foot becomes swollen
- Breaks in the skin, opens sores/blisters or a discharge
- Skin colour changes (redder, bluer, paler, blacker) over part or all of the foot
- Swelling in your feet and/or an unusual odour
- Part or all of your foot feels much hotter or colder than usual
- Hard skin (callus)
- Cramp in your calves
By Zahra Chouthy
(A simple introduction on myself! I am Zahra Chouthy and I come from Plaine-Magnien in Mauritius. I am an enthusiastic young podiatrist and I am looking forward to make podiatry well known in Mauritius. I have studied podiatry for 3 years at the University of Northampton and I have worked for 2 years as a podiatrist in United Kingdom. I am now consulting at Wellkin, C-care in Moka. Contact me on: 58053802)
