Podiatry is that branch of the medical profession which deals specifically with injuries and ailments of the feet, ankles, and related leg structures. Once known as chiropodists (not to be confused with chiropractors), practitioners of foot medicine go as far back as Ancient Egypt. Bas-relief carvings depict physicians attending to the feet of Pharaoh. Hippocrates first described corns and calluses and how to reduce them in his medical texts 2300 years in the past.
Podiatry was once its own profession but now is a specialty discipline of medical practice. Podiatrists are trained surgeons who undergo four years of special education in colleges dedicated to podiatric medicine in addition to four years of medical school. They serve their own periods of residency in the field, and carry the degree of DPM to denote their specialty. What this means is that patients seeking podiatrists in Racine WI are going to specially trained professionals who know the foot and its various ailments and defects as thoroughly as the oncologist knows cancer or the neurologist knows the brain and the central nervous system.
Far beyond the mere treatment of corns, calluses, warts and foot fungus, podiatrists treat deep injury to the foot muscles, defects in the bones which make the structure of the foot, and the peripheral nerve damage suffered by diabetes patients. The health of the foot not only makes a difference when it comes to comfortable walking but also the general health and well being of the patient. Foot disorders can be indicative of other, more serious conditions. The podiatrist can identify and treat these conditions, and when necessary coordinate with other specialists in a comprehensive plan of health management for their patients.
Most podiatric patients see the foot care specialist for the more mundane conditions such as warts, foot fungus, ingrown toenails, or ankle and foot injury. Podiatrists in Racine WI quickly treat these ordinary ailments and short-term injuries with the same degree of attention to medical detail as they devote to the more serious conditions mentioned above. Because we depend upon our feet as much as we do, even little conditions can be seriously inconvenient and uncomfortable, as anyone who has suffered an ingrown toenail can attest to. The podiatrist can solve these problems with just one or two office visits. Contact us if you have any kind of foot condition which needs professional attention, and arrange an appointment as soon as possible.
