When should I see a podiatrist?

A lot of people come into their appointment and say ‘I’ve never been to a podiatrist before’ and ‘I’m not sure if I should even be here!’

Quite often, they’re absolutely in the right place. If the concern has anything to do with your feet, ankles or legs, then you’re in good hands.

Podiatry is a specialised allied health profession that assesses, diagnoses and treats conditions affecting the foot, ankle and leg. Whether the concern is regarding your skin or nails, muscle or joint, walking patterns or even what shoes you should be wearing for exercise or work - a podiatrist is your go to.

Podiatrists have a unique perspective on conditions affecting the foot and ankle. We approach things in a slightly different way to what a GP, specialist, physiotherapist or osteopath might. We take into account all factors that could be causing the issue, and treat accordingly.

For example, a callus around the front of your foot isn't just a callus that has just appeared. It will have formed because there has been an additional load on that area when you walk. That additional loading can be caused by either a lack of function relating to your big toe joint or even your smaller toes retracting back. In some instances, it might be because your foot excessively pronates.

When treating that callus, a podiatrist can not only remove the build up and make the skin smooth and soft again, but we can look at those joints in your foot, send you for some diagnostic imaging as needed, watch you walk and assess your gait, and develop a plan that might stop that callus building up again, make your joints work better and remove any developing pain.

With this in mind, what you may have considered to be an ‘unnecessary appointment’, actually turned out to be extremely beneficial and an important step in helping you live an active, healthy life.

The main takeaway - don’t hesitate booking an appointment. You won’t be wasting our time and if it turns out that you actually are in the wrong place, we will at least have had a nice chat and learnt something from each other!