As a medical specialty, podiatry has come a long way over the past 50 years. However, in some areas, this progress has not been recognized or understood by the public and even the medical community. Podiatry is no longer just a profession limited to the treatment of nails, corns, and calluses, but has become the medical specialty with the greatest expertise in foot and ankle medicine and surgery. This article examines the most common myths about podiatry and the nature of podiatry in 2010.
Myth #1: Podiatrist in hixson tn only go to school for two years.
After graduating from a four-year university, podiatrist in hixson tn go through the same training as a medical doctor (MD) or doctor of osteopathy (DO). In fact, the first two years of podiatry college are largely identical to those degrees. The difference begins in the third year of study, when podiatry students begin to develop expertise in foot and ankle medicine. Although podiatry students work in many of the same hospital departments where they learn general medicine in their third and fourth years of study, they spend most of their time in their chosen field, unlike MD and DO students who have not yet opted for a specialization. Upon graduation, new podiatrist in hixson tn work for two to three years as interns in hospitals, where they learn advanced medical and surgical techniques and generally take on the same duties as interns in those institutions. Only then do podiatrist in hixson tn move into medical offices.
Myth #2: The podiatrist primarily treats nails and corns.
In the first half of the last century, podiatrist in hixson tn (then called pedicurists) treated nails, corns and simple foot pain exclusively. Those days are long gone. Over the past forty years, podiatrist in hixson tn have treated all foot and ankle conditions, from bunions and hammertoes to severe birth defects, infections and serious fractures. Podiatrist in hixson tn treat skin, bone and nerve diseases, injuries and are also involved in blood circulation disorders. And yes, they even treat toenail disease, corns and calluses.
Myth #3: Podiatrist in hixson tn don’t perform surgery.
The specialty of podiatry is usually an operating room, as many of the treatments a podiatrist performs in and out of the office are related to hands-on procedures. Although some of these procedures are non-surgical in the sense that they require an operating room and general anesthesia (such as in-office ingrown toenail treatment), much of the work of podiatrist in hixson tn is related to traditional surgery. Almost all podiatrist in hixson tn perform surgery in hospitals or surgical centers. They are certified in foot surgery, and American podiatrist in hixson tn are recognized worldwide as experts in foot and ankle surgery. Podiatrist in hixson tn perform traditional orthopedic surgical techniques and also pioneer specific procedures that advance modern surgical knowledge of the foot and ankle. Podiatrist in hixson tn perform routine corrective surgery, but also serve on trauma teams and save lives by performing aggressive surgical procedures for diabetic foot infections. Some specialize in pediatric surgery, others in sports medicine.
Myth #4: Podiatrist in hixson tn use expensive insoles to treat everything.
Among the unique advantages of a podiatrist over another specialist in the treatment of foot problems is the podiatrist’s training and understanding of biomechanics. The foot has a unique structural, physiological and technical relationship with the ground when it comes to body movement. Biomechanics is concerned with studying this relationship. Part of a podiatrist’s training is to understand this relationship, how it influences foot disease and injury and how it can be influenced to prevent injury and disease. One of the greatest advances in this area over the past fifty years has been the development of orthotics. Although any store-bought orthotic is now called an orthotic, the traditional and most accurate description of an orthotic is a molded orthotic made of plastic or material
