Chiropodists are Medical Footcare Clinicians who can prescribe oral and topical medications and can perform soft tissue surgical procedures and injections into the feet. Let’s learn how a Chiropodist can help you today!
Fungal Toenails
Fungal nails can be thick, discoloured, crumbly and smelly and are treated with topical or oral antifungals. Photodisinfection therapy (PDT) is a topical treatment that uses light to increase its anti-fungal effect. For topical solutions to be effective, the nail must be thin enough for the treatment to penetrate to the nail bed where the fungus resides. A Chiropodist can significantly reduce the thickness of the nail plate or remove the nail plate altogether. If the nail is removed completely, once it has fully healed, a topical treatment is applied directly to the nail bed where the fungus resides.
Ingrown Toenails
A nail that digs into the surrounding skin causing pain and discomfort is considered an ingrown nail. This can occur when there is an exaggerated curvature of the nail or when a spike of nail punctures the skin. Ingrown toenails usually respond well to consistent nail care and properly fitted footwear. Education on the cause of an ingrown toenail is key and can help guide care at home. Select BioPed locations offer Onyfix® nail correction, which helps alleviate pressure at the sides by improving the shape of the nail. Chiropodists can also perform partial and total nail avulsions to remove the offending nail and reduce the likelihood of recurrence.
Callus & Corns
These lesions appear as thickened skin on the bottoms of the feet, top of or in between the toes. Calluses and corns are often painful and to offset the pain experienced, a person may alter how they walk. Chiropodists are trained to remove calluses and corns using a scalpel blade and can also prescribe custom foot orthotics to help correct gait and offload high pressure areas. Chiropodists will assess footwear and recommend a style that is suitable for foot type and chosen activity.
Plantar Warts
Warts typically have a cauliflower-like texture, contain black dots (blood vessels), and may be painful when squeezed. They can occur suddenly and unlike calluses and corns, can appear anywhere on the foot, not just weightbearing areas. Caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), warts can be challenging to eradicate. Chiropodists debride wart tissue to allow chosen topical treatments to work better. Common treatments include liquid nitrogen, silver nitrate, salicylic acid and cantharidin. In addition to these more conservative treatments, Chiropodists can also perform dry needling and wart excision. Dry needling relies solely on an immune response in the body and is one the most effective treatments available.
Toe Deformities
Hammer toes, claw toes and bunions, oh my! These toe deformities can cause pain and discomfort and make finding the right footwear a seemingly impossible task. Chiropodists can fabricate toe props using a mouldable material to help straighten toes when standing. Custom foot orthotics can be modified to lessen the pressure on toes and rebalance muscles around the toes. Footwear must always be wide and deep enough to accommodate toes and feet.
Diabetes & Feet
People who have diabetes are more susceptible to complications, such as peripheral neuropathy or altered protective sensation, and infection. To maintain healthy feet, it is important to see a Chiropodist regularly for routine nail and skin care treatments. Diabetes Risk Assessments are performed to determine the risk for complications and provide advice on how to inspect and care for feet at home between appointments.
Biomechanical Treatment
Chiropodists are trained in assessing gait and the range of motion quality of joints in the feet. Depending on lower body mechanics and presenting issue(s), a Chiropodist might prescribe custom foot orthotics to correct the way a person walks or runs and improve alignment and balance.
Whether you’re an elite athlete, a recreational runner or someone who wants to stay active, a BioPed Chiropodist can help you move and function better, which can prevent injury and alleviate pain and discomfort!
