Have you ever thought about visiting a Podiatrist and wondered what they do?

And what is the difference between a Chiropodist and a Podiatrist? Read on to have our most commonly asked questions answered.

How many Podiatrists are there at Maidenhead Podiatry?

We currently have eight Podiatrists working at the clinic. Not everyone works at the same time or same number of hours but between us we provide clinic based treatments, home and nursing/care home visits.

Which governing bodies are our Podiatrists a member of and how are we regulated?

Our Podiatrists are all HCPC registered and Insured Members of the College of Podiatry. The HCPC is our government regulating body and the College of Podiatry provides our professional registration and insurance. It is vital to ensure that anyone who provides you with such an essential service is qualified, insured, registered and regulated.

What is a Podiatry?

Podiatrist comes from the Greek ‘pod’ meaning foot and ‘iatreia’ meaning healing, hence one who heals feet. The term originated around 1914 in an attempt to separate an emerging profession from its perceived humble roots. Chiropody developed as a profession in the UK while being called Podiatry in almost every other country. In the mid-1990s, our profession changed it’s name from Chiropody to Podiatry to bring us in-line with the rest of the world, but the skill set remained the same.

In the last thirty years, Podiatry has developed considerably as a profession with today’s Podiatrists capable of providing a wide ranging and comprehensive service in every health care aspect of the lower leg and foot.

Podiatrists are skilled healthcare professionals who have been trained to degree level to prevent, diagnose, treat and rehabilitate abnormal conditions of the feet and lower limbs. We can also prevent and correct deformity helping to keep people mobile, active and relieve pain.

What symptoms can you help treat?

Podiatrists can help a number of common conditions including but not limited to

• gait analysis
• bio-mechanical assessment
• musculo-skeletal assessment
• corns
• callus
• shockwave
• verrucas
• fungal nails
• ingrown  nails
• cryosurgery – verruca freezing
• flat foot
• hammer toes
• diabetic assessment
• heel pain
• foot pain
• Swift verruca microwave

What could your clients expect on their first visit?

Every patient journey at Maidenhead Podiatry begins with a consultation.

We take a comprehensive history including underlying medical conditions and medication. We then discuss the reason for attending followed by an examination. At this point treatment options are presented and following informed consent, we formulate a treatment plan and proceed with the best solution.

Depending on your reason for attending, your treatment plan could include

• treatment
• diabetic assessment
• modalities such as Shockwave and Swift
• advice
• rehabilitation
• sonography
• surgery
• ongoing assessment
• onward referral

What do you use for assessment?

Most important are visual clues such as hair growth pattern and colour of the skin. Depending on patient requirement, we could use any of the following

• observation
• examination
• palpation
• 10g monofilament – to test for neuropathy
• 128Hz tuning fork – for sensation testing
• reflex hammer
• Doppler – to help assess blood flow
• Tip Therm – for assessing temperature perception

Who could benefit from a Podiatry visit?

Anyone who has feet. Our youngest patients are under 1yr old and our oldest is over 100yrs old.

Different age groups tend to present with different issues because of the effects of the ageing on the feet but conditions such as diabetes can affect all ages.

How accessible is the Maidenhead Podiatry?

We have our own private car park immediately next to the clinic, with wide, flat, no threshold doorways for easy wheelchair and disabled access. We have two treatment rooms downstairs. If you have any special access requirements, please let us know and we will make every effort to accommodate them.

What do I do now?

For more information about Podiatry or to make an appointment, please call: 01628 773588 or email  info@maidenheadpodiatry.co.uk.