This is a question we get asked on a daily basis.
All the members of our team are qualified Podiatrists, but what does that mean and why aren’t we called Chiropodists?
I find the easiest way to remember it is that Chiropody is anything to do with the skin or nails and Podiatry is pain or discomfort coming from inside the foot.
When someone wanted to become a Chiropodist, they would train for 1 or 2 years and specialise in treatments involving nail care, calluses, corns and verrucas.
In recent years, there are no Chiropody courses available as the name was changed to “Podiatry”.
Podiatrists spend 3-4 years in university and specialise in all treatments related to Chiropody, along with lower leg pain, foot pain and gait analysis.
So, here at Active health Scotland we have two main appointments; “Chiropody” and “Podiatry” which involve a wide range of lower-limb and foot conditions.
I have broken down some of the common conditions that we treat for both categories.
Chiropody Appointments
Thickened nail
Fungal nails
Ingrown nails
Hard skin/ Callus
Fissures
Corns
Verrucas
Dry skin
Athletes Foot
Blisters
Diabetic foot assessments
General foot care advice
Podiatry Appointments
General foot/ ankle/ leg pain
Plantar fasciitis
Turf toe
Heel pain
Bunions
Metatarsalgia (pain on the ball of the foot)
Gait analysis
Toe and foot deformities
There are a lot of conditions related to the feet and I have only mentioned the common ones that we see.
If you have any concerns about your feet be sure to give us a call or pop in to get more information from one of our Podiatrists