After a regular appointment with my sports therapist, who I see to try and prevent any soft tissue or overuse injuries I have become reflective about the importance of preventative foot health.
Pain, is the usual reason for booking an appointment. Pain alerts us to ‘something being wrong with my foot’, and persistent pain is usually a marker, that ‘something’ is not getting better.
It is well documented that for medium or high risk diabetic patients, that a regular appointment with a Podiatrist can prevent a serious health issue, infection, ulceration from occurring. Podiatrist, being the professional of choice, due to the vigorous training you can be confident that they will have the knowledge you require to prevent those serious foot problems, and the network of professionals to refer to if you do present with a serious concern.
However, for those of us not diabetic- is preventative Podiatry a good choice for our health? Should we have appointments regularly, without that pain marker. After 11 years post graduate experience, I have become a strong advocate for the term ‘Prevention is better than cure’.
Not just for foot health, but in all realms of life.
Focusing back to Podiatry, preventative Podiatry may be able to help you. After all, we are only provided with one set of feet. They are our only free method of transport, and once we are in pain with our feet, quite frankly not only can they loose us days at work and stop us socialising it can make you extremely miserable.
Now, not every foot is the same- and depending on your dedication to self-care, some may benefit more from preventive Podiatry than others. A Podiatrist can guide you through an effective self-care regime, based on your presenting conditions + medical history, and how often you would benefit from a check-up with a professional.
Regulated by the HCPC, you can also attend an appointment with a guarantee that person is suitably qualified to give you all the advise you need for your foot health requirements.