What is Chiropody & Podiatry?

What is Chiropody & Podiatry?

Chiropody & Podiatry is the care of the human foot. “Chiropodists and Podiatrists are highly skilled health professionals who have been trained to prevent, diagnose, treat and rehabilitate abnormal conditions of the feet and lower limbs. They also prevent and correct deformity, keep people mobile and active, relieve pain and treat infections”. (Society of Chiropodist & Podiatrist 2009).

What is the difference between Chiropody & Podiatry?

Chiropody and Podiatry are essentially the same thing.  Podiatry is simply the modern name for Chiropody as the profession has evolved to include extensive training over 3-4 years full time course and industry regulation.

Podiatrists are fully trained to treat a wide range of foot conditions…..from biomechanical assessments of the feet to diabetic treatments and removal of hard skin.  Therefore if you are used to visiting a Chiropodist feel reassured there is no difference visiting a Podiatrist and knowing that your feet are in safe hands.

What is our aim?

Our aim is help you maintain healthy feet so if you’re having difficulty cutting your nails,  keeping the hard skin under control or if you’re suffering any pain in your feet then you would benefit from one of our treatments.

What does a Chiropodist/Podiatrist treat?

At The Abbots Langley Clinic our Chiropodist treats and diagnoses conditions of the feet, some of the more specialist treatments are covered in later pages.

What we treat:

  • Nail Cutting: Ideal if you are unable to cut your own nails, or have nails that are difficult to cut.
  • Callus: This is an area of hard or rough skin and can appear on areas of the foot where there is excess pressure. Some people are more prone to developing calluses. Formation is a normal process whereby the body tries to protect itself. If left untreated calluses can become unsightly and uncomfortable and can also split, leading to infection. At The Abbots Langley Foot Clinic,  we gently remove hard skin, apply moisturising cream and give advice on the prevention of return.
  • Corns: These are small areas of callus that have formed into a conical shape and can appear on areas of the foot where there is excess pressure. Corns can also appear between the toes – these are known as soft corns. There are many reasons why corns occur, but foot shape and ill-fitting shoes are very common causes. At The Abbots Langley Foot Clinic we gently remove your troublesome corns. This is typically a pain-free procedure and we always give advice on the prevention of their return.
  • Cracked Heels: A common condition around the edge of the heel, pressure can build up and a callus can appear. As the callus enlarges the skin loses elasticity and can split. This can be extremely uncomfortable and also unsightly if wearing open-toe shoes. To treat this we remove hard skin around the heels, apply creams and give advice on the management of this condition.
  • Athlete’s Foot: An area of redness and irritation, usually between the toes, but also often seen on other areas of the foot. We give advice on the management of this condition.