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Podiatry - Treatment For Your Foot
Podiatry is a branch of medicine that is devoted to the study, diagnosis and treatment of the foot, ankle, and lower leg.
The term podiatry originated in the USA and refers to a Doctor of Podiatric medicine who is qualified to diagnose and treat conditions that involve the feet. There are specialist branches of podiatry such as surgery, biomechanics, geriatrics, sports medicine etc. In many countries podiatry is still known as chiropody, and the practitioners as chiropodists and though there are some variations the two are generally the same. Plantar fasciitis is a painful condition affecting the thick fibrous tissues that begin at the heel bone and continue along the sole of the foot towards the toes known as the plantar fascia. It is often caused by too much stress on the feet from long periods of standing at work or by too much stress on the feet caused by a person being overweight. It can also be caused by obesity where there is a lot of weight bearing down on the feet. It starts with a pain in the heel and is usually more intense in the morning when taking the first steps. Another symptom of plantar fasciitis is that the sufferer has difficulty bending the foot so that the toes are bent upwards towards the shin which restricts movement in the ankle. The condition also increases the likelihood of pains in the knees mainly amongst runners but not just runners. A podiatrist will usually examine the foot and how a patient stands and walks before deciding on a diagnosis and recommend treatment such as resting, stretching or wearing special shoes and in some cases will recommend taking corticosteroids. Medial tibial stress syndrome is the formal name for a painful condition of the shins known as shin splints.
The usual cause of such a condition is running, sprinting or jumping. One cause of the condition is overuse of one muscle which can occur in athletes specialising in a particular activity and putting too much stress on the shins. If the condition is untreated it can lead to a stress fracture. It is usually diagnosed as increasing pain that worsens rather than eases during exercise when warmed up. Anti-inflammatory drugs, rest, and the use of cold compresses are the usual treatment for this. Barefoot running is not the norm in modern times though famous athletes such as Zola Budd were well known for it. The advances made in shoe design have tended to indicate that running with shoes is a better alternative to running without. When running barefoot, the emphasis is based on the balls of the feet whereas the emphasis is changed to the heel and the area around the back of the heel when wearing running shoes. It has been argued that wearing running shoes with the stress on the heels may cause repetitive stress problems but barefoot running is thought to be healthier because the weight distribution is more evenly spread.
There is no concrete evidence as to which is better though most sports authorities recommend that running shoes be worn.

Additional Resources

Podiatric Medicine

Podiatry