Problems Handled By a Foot and Ankle Doctor

 

The expert in health care who specializes in the ankle and the foot is normally referred to as a foot and ankle specialist or a podiatrist. The work of these specialists mostly involves diagnosing, preventing, as well as treating foot problems such as fracture, sprains, misaligned toe joints, warts, heel pain, enlarged nerves, corns, calluses and any other cases that are related. For one to qualify as a podiatrist, you have to first of all finish the 4-year bachelor's degree at the university, and then join a podiatry medical school, which offers a podiatry doctorate degree. After achieving the doctorate degree, you also go through a two to three year program that includes that you have hospital-based residency. Once the 2-3 years program is over, you are then required to have surgical and medical privileges to treat foot and various other related problems, although this varies from state to state.

 

All the foot and ankle specialists deal with all kinds of people, ranging from children to adults, athletes to couch potatoes and various others. A podiatry can be explained in other categories such as diabetic foot care, pediatric Gentle Foot Care, wound care, surgery and bio-mechanics. Most diabetics eventually end up in podiatry hospitals as effects like ulcerations and peripheral homeopathy, which involves feet, may catch up with them in the future. The good thing about podiatrists is that they make use of the most advanced and modern machines in healing and helping people with wounds that may result to infection later.

 

Foot and ankle specialists from www.gentlefootcare.biz will mostly apply ointments and dressings to the foot that is wounded. Pediatric patients who experience trouble in toe walking can also consult the foot and ankle specialists. Any problem involving the foot and the ankle such as any abnormal foot function causing pain due to heel pain, tendonitis, bio-mechanics and others, a podiatrist assists in reducing the foot deformities. Foot and ankle specialists are licensed to perform surgeries such as on ingrown toenails, hammertoe, bunions, and amputations of the foot's infected part.

 

So unlike the other medicine specialists, podiatrists have to be knowledgeable about neurology, dermatology, pharmacology, surgery and radiology as these specializations are in a way concerned with the ankle and the foot. They also treat nail diseases, fractures, tumors, ulcers and skin diseases, and they normally read their patient's x-rays, write their own prescription, and also do their own surgeries. Another duty they have is to perform diagnostic procedures like laboratory examinations and ultrasound as well as prescribing therapies. Read http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/article-9276476/podiatry to learn more about the basics of podiatry.