James Coughtrey – Specialist Podiatrist for BodiKind
One of the most frequent questions we get asked in our profession is what exactly does a Podiatrist do? The short answer is easy; we are allied health professionals who specialise in the lower limb with a scope of practice that encompasses the foot and ankle, but also the knee, the hip and pelvis.
We are the foremost specialists in the foot and ankle and there is good scientific evidence to support that but to really understand the breadth and depth of our training and skills is a challenging thing to get across, especially in the short amount of time that people usually have to discuss such matters. Often with medical specialties or better known allied health professions like Physiotherapy or Pharmacy the longevity of practice has engrained an understanding in the public of what these people actually do. It didn’t take much time after their inception in the 1800’s for people to know that Pharmacists brought together chemical ingredients in the pursuit of health, healing and wellness and this perception has stuck with them to the point where even young children can tell you that they make the pills that make you feel better when you’re ill.
In Podiatry it is slightly different because our common patient groups sit across a number of areas of practice that are shared with other professions and it becomes hard to know who to see first whether you are the sports patient, the medically unwell patient at risk of loss of limb, the child patient, the patient with an active wound or simply the well but worried individual who wants someone to cut their nails and remove their hard skin. It becomes difficult to clarify for patients what it is that is different about seeing you compared to others beyond telling them that you have spent your whole career studying and researching the lower limb and its structure and function, the variety of assessment techniques and diagnostic tests that help you identify particular disorders and the medical management of common conditions that affect the limbs, we even hold a license to sell, supply and administer prescription only medicines.
I would always urge anyone with lower limb problems to seek the opinion of a Podiatrist and I would always trust a suitably qualified Podiatrist to offer their opinion in good faith and with the patients best interests at heart. Make sure that whomever you see they are HCPC registered and they have a 3-year BSc degree from an accredited university. All of the Podiatrists at BodiKind are qualified and experienced and can offer you support, guidance and effective management for a range of foot and ankle problems and with availability to meet most peoples needs it couldn’t be easier to book in to see us now.
Look forward to seeing you soon – The BodiKind team
I always thought that podiatrists only worked with feet. It makes sense that a podiatrist would need to know all about the ankle and anything else that is involved with the movement of the foot. I’ve been having some pain while running, recently, so I think it might be time for me to see a specialist.
You wrote that podiatrist can help people with a large variety of issues from serious limb issues to problems with hard skin on your feet. My brother has been having a few different pains and issues with his feet, and was wondering who he should go see. I’ll have to sit down with him and see if there are any good podiatrists in the area he could go see. Thanks for the read.
I like that you talked about the importance of visiting a qualified Podiatrist for a consultation should you’re experiencing lower limb problems. My son is part of his school’s running team. He told me this morning that his heel in his left foot keeps aching. It’s important for me to make sure that he’ll get the treatments that he needs as soon as possible. I’ll go ahead and visit a podiatrist with him as soon as possible.