Podiatry

A podiatrist is a specialist who provides medical diagnosis and treatment of foot and ankle injuries and conditions. In addition to undergraduate medical school training, podiatrists also attend graduate school for a doctorate degree in podiatry. Podiatrists are required to take state and national exams, as well as be licensed by the state in which they practice.

Typically, a podiatrist will consult with patients and other physicians on how to prevent foot problems, diagnose and treat conditions, perform surgeries, perform diagnostic procedures such as ultrasound and lab tests and prescribe remedies and more.

You should call a podiatrist for help diagnosing and treating a wide array of foot and ankle problems. Please contact our office if you experience any of the following:

• Persistent pain in your feet or ankles
• Changes in the nails or skin on your foot
• Severe cracking, scaling, or peeling on the heel or foot
• Blisters on your feet
• Signs of bacterial infection

The foot is made up of 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles and numerous tendons. Complex biomechanics keep all these parts in the right position and moving together. Within each foot, the essential structure can be summed up as follows:

• Short seven tarsal bones make up the heel and back of the instep
• Five metatarsal bones spread from the back of the foot toward front and make up the structure for the ball of the foot. Each metatarsal is associated with one of the toes
• Fourteen phalanges form the toe structure
• Tarsal and metatarsal bones provide the structure for the arch of the foot
• Bands of ligaments connect and hold all the bones in place
• A thick layer of fatty tissue under the sole absorbs the pressure and shock that comes from everyday movements

Common foot and ankle problems are symptomatic of:

• Acquired from improper footwear, physical stress or small mechanical changes within the foot
• Arthritic foot problems, which typically involve one or more joint
• Congenital foot problems, which occur at birth and are generally inherited
• Infectious foot problems, which are caused by bacterial, viral or fungal disorders
• Neoplastic disorders, usually called tumors, which are the result of abnormal growth of tissue and may be benign or malignant
• Traumatic foot problems, which are associated with foot and ankle injuries