An ill-fitting pair of footwear can cause serious discomfort. Longer working hours can trigger heel pain. A basketball player can twist their ankle and get injured. All these conditions require a foot doctor for a personalized treatment plan. Ever wondered what to call such doctors?
To get your ankles, heels or toenails treated, you search for a podiatrist in Tustin, CA. Don’t get confused if you hear someone recommending a chiropodist. These are also the same specialist. Chiropodist and podiatrist are two technical terms that are used interchangeably for a foot doctor. Both are foot specialists, and no matter what term you use to address these doctors, they are required to treat a variety of foot conditions.
Chiropodists and podiatrists are the same
Chiropody is considered to be a historic term. A chiropodist was used to describe an individual who specializes in the well-being of feet. However, nowadays qualified individuals who studied medicine to become foot doctors are recognized with the term podiatrist.
In simple words, if you are searching for a podiatrist in Irvine and someone recommends a chiropodist, don’t get confused, they both are the same.
What does a podiatrist do?
Podiatry is a brand of medicine that focuses on abnormalities and injuries to the lower extremities. Podiatrists are foot doctors that specialize in treating a variety of foot conditions and disorders such as:
- Heel pain
- Sports injury
- Diabetic footcare
- Toenail care
- Corns and callus
- Gait disorders
- And more
Are podiatrists similar to nail technicians?
A person can schedule an appointment with a podiatrist for toenail infections and ingrown toenails. They treat a variety of toenail related conditions with professional medical qualification.
On the other hand, nail technicians don’t work with specialized qualifications at a foot and nail clinic. They work to beautify nails but they are not qualified enough to perform surgery to remove ingrown toenails.
You may find a medical nail technician near you but keep in mind they are only medical pedicurists and they cannot perform full-scale medicaltreatments and surgery for heel pain, foot abnormalities, bunions or corns.
Are podiatrists the same as orthopedics?
Both podiatrists and orthopedic surgeons can prescribe suitable treatment options for foot disorders. However, these are not the same specialists. An orthopedic surgeon has the experience to treat the entire musculoskeletal system, whereas a podiatrist only specializes in the lower extremities.
To put it simply, if you need custom orthotics, you can either choose to schedule an appointment at an orthopedic clinic or seek recommendations for the best Podiatrist in Huntington CA. Both can prescribe you a suitable orthotic device, be it custom or off-the-shelf.
The benefit of visiting a podiatrist is that they not only perform a foot biomechanics assessment but can also take care of other foot related disorders like thickening nails, dry skin, corns, calluses, bunions, hammertoes and more.
Heel pain is very common, and the foot care regime is often neglected by many, resulting in various skin or toenail conditions. Hence, if you need a custom made orthotic then scheduling an appointment with a podiatrist makes the most sense. You can save time and get multiple things checked by the same doctor.
How often do you need to see a podiatrist?
A podiatrist can be your family doctor, so regular appointments are always helpful. Similar to routine dental check-ups, a periodic appointment with a podiatrist is highly recommended.
- Healthy individuals should see a podiatrist at least once a year.
- Those with a history of foot and ankle conditions should see a podiatrist more often.
- Diabetics must go to a podiatrist to get the level of nerve damage checked at least once a year.
- Monthly appointments are also beneficial for routine diabetic foot care.
- Children should start seeing a podiatrist by the age of two to get their arch and gait development analyzed.
- Older children dealing with growing pains should see a podiatrist more often.
Closing thoughts
To summarize, your entire family needs periodic consultations with a foot specialist. Whether you call in a podiatrist or a chiropodist, you are referring to the same qualified individual who has studied medicine to help you maintain the optimum health of your feet.
From basketball injuries and diabetic foot care to laser treatment of fungal toenails and ankle surgery, a podiatrist can perform them all.
Share your concerns about the well-being of your feet with the best Podiatrist Orange County. You can find one at the Orange County Foot and Ankle Group. Here, you get personalized treatment from eight highly skilled foot doctors who use the most advanced technology. Same day appointments are available for the treatment of a variety of foot disorders including heel pain, ankle surgery, laser nail fungus treatment, diabetic foot care and orthotics. Further, specialist treatment at OCFA is absolutely affordable as their services are covered by several Medicare arrangements.