What do Podiatrists do?
Podiatry is a health profession that treats the foot and prevents foot problems. Just what podiatrists actually do in each country to country does vary and is dependent on the laws of each country and the length of training in each country.
In the USA, podiatry has a long training with a postgraduate degree of 4 years followed by a 2-3 year surgical residency. They have full medical and surgical privileges. Podiatry in the United Kingdom and Australia is a 3-4 year basic degree but does not contain any surgical training. Those who want the surgical qualification take part in a post-graduate surgical program while working a as podiatrist. Some Asian countries have no podiatry at all, or if they do there are a few that were trained in other countries.
Some of the more common problems seen by podiatrists include corn and calluses, ingrown nails, bunions and hallux valgus, flat feet, overuse and foot strain problems, sports injuries, heel pain and plantar fasciitis. They treat all sorts of people from older persons to children, from occupational injuries to sports injuries.
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