A podiatrist Blackburn has a handful of them, is more important to your well-being than you think, especially if you are an athlete who work with your feet and lower extremities. Podiatry is a branch of medicine that focuses on the diagnosis, treatment as well as rehabilitation of patients with disorders of the foot, ankle and lower extremities. Podiatrists are trained in medical fields such as surgery, biomechanics, geriatrics, pediatrics, primary care and even psychology. Clearly, the training of podiatric physicians and health providers is designed in such a way that enables podiatrists to deliver a holistic approach to treatment and therapy.

The podiatric practice is further divided in into divisions, or into specializations as they are referred to medically, as an example here are some of the most common specializations of podiatry:

PODIATRIC SURGERY

Podiatric surgery is the surgical treatment of conditions which affect the feet, the ankle and all other related structures of the lower legs. The treatment is administered by an accredited and certified podiatrist. In a nutshell, it is the objective of podiatric surgery to restore and ensure continued functionality of the feet, ankle and lower extremities through by using surgical means. Patients who complain of damage or deformity in their bones, muscles, ligament and tendons can choose from an array of surgical solutions that the podiatrist can offer. The solutions can range from non-invasive surgery or full on reconstructive surgery.

SPORTS PODIATRY

Podiatric sports medicine is a sub specialization of podiatry that addresses foot and lower limb overuse injuries and mechanical performance enhancement. For patients diagnosed with foot and lower limb problems a sports podiatrist may offer any of the following treatments:

• Joint Mobilisation Exercises
• Trigger Point Therapy (to ease pain and inflammation)
• Orthotic Therapy
• Rehabilitation through strength training and conditioning

In addition to all that podiatrist Essendon may assess patients using state of the art biomechanical assessment machines to be able to more fully understand the extent of the effect of a patient’s injury. Footwear prescriptions may also be given to athletes and people who have sustained injuries.

PODOPEDIATRICS

Children’s feet, especially of babies’ and toddlers’, are different from adult feet in that they are less developed. Their feet contain more adipose tissue, have less developed muscles, ligaments and tendons. As a result they are more malleable and are somehow less structurally sound. On the bright side, deformities that occur during childhood can be treated. This way, long term chronic mobility issues may be resolved and avoided. Saving the child from great emotional and physical discomfort as well as saving the family from future expenses.

PRIMARY PODIATRIC CARE

Primary podiatric care refers to the intervention, assessment, diagnosis and treatment of podiatric conditions as they relate to the total health and well-being of the family unit.