Education
Most of us don't give much thought to our feet until something goes wrong, but your
feet are one of the most important parts of your body. They support you. They get
you places. And they take a lot of abuse: The average person puts about 5 million
pounds of pressure on his or her feet each day and typically walks about 115,000
miles in a lifetime! Three-out-of-four people will experience problems with their
feet at some point in their lives. But you don't have to take foot discomfort lying
down. Thanks to modern podiatric procedures, there are cures for most problems.
A podiatrist is a highly trained medical professional who specializes in disorders
of the foot and ankle. A podiatrist earns his or her Doctor of Podiatric Medicine
(DPM) degree after completing studies at one of seven colleges of podiatric medicine
in the U.S. Those specializing in foot and ankle surgery also complete up to three
years of additional training through an accredited hospital residency program.
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You have many choices of doctors and it's important to choose one with the most
knowledge of your particular problem and one whom you trust. Your feet make up 1/4
of all the bones in your body, and include 33 joints and 107 ligaments. Your primary
care physician may be able to address many foot and ankle problems. But podiatrists
focus more of their education, training and day-to-day experience on these critical
body parts than any other type of physician. They are experts in the diagnosis,
treatment and prevention of problems of the feet and ankles.
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Your primary care physician should include foot examinations during routine physicals
and may alert you to certain problems for follow up by a podiatrist. You may experience
a break or sprain and decide to visit a podiatrist for guidance on treatment and
after-care. And regular foot pain isn't normal. It may be a sign, for example, of
a serious underlying medical condition that inhibits circulation. It may indicate
a deformity from birth or one that has developed due to ill-fitting shoes, or it
may result from overuse during sports or dance activities. These are just a few
possibilities, but a general rule is if it hurts, something is probably wrong.
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Some foot and ankle problems are resolved successfully using non-invasive treatments
such as orthotics (custom molded inserts that fit in your shoes) and prescribed
medications. Specific treatments will be outlined by your podiatrist following a
thorough examination. At other times, surgery may be the best way to eliminate long-term
discomfort or correct a specific ailment. Podiatrists certified by the American
Board of Podiatric Surgery have passed rigorous qualification standards for performing
foot and ankle surgery. In most cases, surgeries are performed on an outpatient
basis and under local anesthesia. Problems that might be subject to surgical solutions
range from sprains, fractures and other types of trauma, to birth deformities, malignant
and non-malignant tumors, and very common in-grown toenails, corns, bunions or warts.
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