Podiatry Arena - Foot Diagnosis

Podiatry is a branch of medicine covering the diagnosis, study and treatment of the foot, ankle and lower leg.
The term podiatry originated in the US where it now refers to a Doctor of Podiatric medicine who is qualified to diagnose and treat conditions affecting the feet. There are many branches of podiatry including surgery, geriatrics, sports medicine and biomechanics. In some English speaking countries podiatry is still known as chiropody and the doctors as chiropodists and though there are some differences the two are generally the same. Plantar fascia is a thick fibrous mass of tissue that originates in the heel bone and goes along the sole of the foot towards the toes and the painful condition that occurs in this tissue is known as plantar fascists. This condition which is usually caused by long hours of standing related to occupation is said to affect nearly two million Americans. It can also be caused by too much weight constantly bearing down on the feet. The condition starts with a pain in the heel which gets stronger, rather than eases, when the muscles are warmed up, but is more intense in the mornings when taking the first steps. Another symptom of plantar fasciitis is that the sufferer has difficulty bending the foot so that the toes are bent upwards towards the shin which restricts movement in the ankle. This condition can cause knee pain which applies mainly, though not solely to runners. A podiatrist will usually examine the foot and how a patient stands and walks before deciding on a diagnosis and recommend treatment such as resting, stretching or wearing special shoes and in some cases will recommend taking corticosteroids. Medial tibial stress syndrome is the formal name for a painful condition of the shins known as shin splints.
It can occur when jumping, sprinting and running. One reason for the problem is the overuse of one muscle which is often suffered by athletes repeating a particular activity regularly thus putting too much stress on the shins. It is important to treat this condition as soon as possible. It is usually diagnosed as increasing pain that worsens rather than eases during exercise when warmed up. The usual treatment for this condition is rest and the application of cold compresses and anti-inflammatory drugs. Barefoot running is not the norm in modern times though famous athletes such as Zola Budd were well known for it. The advances made in shoe design have tended to indicate that running with shoes is a better alternative to running without. When running barefoot, the emphasis is based on the balls of the feet whereas the emphasis is changed to the heel and the area around the back of the heel when wearing running shoes. It has been argued that wearing running shoes with the stress on the heels may cause repetitive stress problems but barefoot running is thought to be healthier because the weight distribution is more evenly spread.
Barefoot running tends to spread the weight on the foot more equally. Sports authorities tend to favor running shoes but there is no hard evidence to suggest which is really better.
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