Address Any Foot Issues Or Pains With An Austin Foot Doctor

By Annabelle Holman


There are 26 bones, multiple muscles, tendons, and many ligaments inside a human foot. The complexity of your feet should lead you to visit an Austin foot doctor, also known as podiatrists, in order to keep them as well maintained as you can. Since your feet support all your weight, weakened bones or muscles in them can lead to certain disorders or injuries.

Podiatrists can help with a number of different types of problems. Elderly people, pregnant women, and athletes are susceptible to feet injuries due to weaker bones and more pressure on them. People who wear shoes all day may get infected feet from the skin being in a dark and moist environment for so long. Also, people with congenital defects related to the feet, such as clubfeet, may require a podiatrist's help.

Fungal infections caused by people wearing shoes for long periods of time are the most common issue people have with their feet, along with people who don't take proper hygiene measures for them. Podiatrists are skilled and frequently diagnose and treat these issues. In addition to infections, they treat a number of disorders, diseases, and foot defects.

Going to a general practitioner about your foot problems will prompt him or her to give you a referral to a podiatrist. The podiatrist will listen to your problem and give you a diagnosis with treatment options. If it's needed, you will be given a biomechanical test to analyze gait.

Your walking posture is examined during gait analysis. Posture is very important when examining feet injuries, especially in athletes. More times than not, wearing the wrong shoes can cause incorrect gait, and therefore lead to injuries and even disorders.

Orthotics or physiotherapy are usually recommended for feet problems. Orthotics are a great treatment option for people with abnormal feet structure such as high arches or flat feet. The orthotics, often insoles, will usually be custom made by the podiatrist, and will fit to your specific feet perfectly.

Although podiatrists can help with congenital defects, these will have to be dealt with surgery. Diabetes mellitus can also be treated by doctors, since the problem is usually the loss of sensation in feet including feelings of any injuries. Additionally, podiatrists will prescribe medication and offer cleaning methods for your infections. Other problems like bunions, calluses, corns, warts, blisters, heel spurs; and foot disorder-related problems in thighs, back, and hips can all be helped by podiatrists as well.

Basically, podiatrists are foot doctors. They go through four years of a study in medicine, two to three years in postgraduate studies in podiatry, and often an extensive residence program. However, different educational requirements and job profiles vary in each country.

Podiatry education is quite extensive in the U. S., and these skilled doctors are able to perform a variety of procedures. This is unlike other countries that allow podiatrists to merely obtain an undergraduate degree in podiatry, and thus only allow them to perform certain procedures. A podiatrist in the U. S. Can expect varying salaries, based on where he or she works and the state of residence.




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