Medicine, as a living organism, is constantly evolving and encompasses more and more new directions. Sometimes in a conversation they use the specialization of a doctor, but you have no idea what problems they are facing. For example, a podologist, what is treating? The answer to this question may interest people with leg problems.
Who is a podologist?
The word "podolog" is formed of two parts. It has Greek roots and is translated as follows: podo - "foot", logos - "knowledge". Based on this, we conclude that the podologist specializes in eliminating foot problems. These include:
- ingrown nails;
- fungal lesions;
- corns;
- corns;
- hyperkeratosis;
- cracks and other troubles.
It must be understood that the podologist is a specialist with a higher medical education. This means that you need to look for a professional not in beauty salons and pedicure rooms, but in medical clinics.
Who does the podologist collaborate with?
If a person is bothered by corns or rough skin on the heels, this may be not just a cosmetic problem, but a symptom of a foot disease. In this case, a pedicure with mechanical removal of rough skin does not solve the problem, but disguises the problem. Therefore, it is worth contacting the podologist.
First of all, the doctor disinfects the feet with a special solution, then proceeds to the examination. Problems associated with warts on the feet or calluses, the podologist resolves on the spot. More complex issues will be addressed with specialized specialists. So, for example, a common corns may be a symptom of longitudinal or transverse flatfoot. In this case, treatment is carried out in conjunction with an orthopedist or traumatologist.
Coarsening of the skin of the heels and deep cracks are often one of the symptoms of diabetes. This means that the podologist will call for the help of the endocrinologist, and treatment will take place under his patronage.
If a specialist detects a fungal infection of nails or skin, a dermatologist is called for help, and treatment is prescribed after analysis and determination of the type of fungal infection. The cooperation of these two specialists speeds up the solution of the task, since the podologist additionally affects the nail plate and the skin of the feet, facilitating the penetration of antifungal drugs.
Appeal to the podologist with unaesthetic, bumpy nail plates on the legs will require a consultation with a gastroenterologist. Do not be surprised, but tubercles and thickenings on the nails are evidence of problems with the digestive system. In this case, treatment must be carried out in two directions. Not only the nails themselves, but also the digestive tract. Only in this way will it be possible to bring the toes in full order.
The podologist's arsenal: preventive pedicure
First of all, the specialist suggests performing a hardware pedicure. Such a manipulation in the hands of a podologist turns from a hygienic to a treatment and prophylactic procedure. The hardware differs from the usual edged pedicure in the absence of exposure to cutting tools and soaking feet in hot baths. To soften coarsened areas, the doctor uses special means, and abrasive nozzles to remove them. The procedure helps to identify hidden foot diseases and eliminate them.
It is especially worth emphasizing that patients with diabetes are contraindicated in circumcised pedicures. They can only do the hardware procedure.
Nails correction
Often a podologist is treated with an ingrown nail. These problems are quite common and have the medical name “onychocryptosis”. The cause of ingrowth may be unnatural or uncomfortable shoes, errors when performing an edged pedicure, mechanical injury, impaired growth of nail plates, deformity of the feet, or hereditary predisposition. The doctor-podologist evaluates the possibility of treatment without surgical intervention and performs the necessary manipulations. One of the correction procedures is the application of special staples that painlessly straighten the nail plate and solve the problem.
Removal of warts and calluses
Most often, the podologist, who treats plantar warts, uses liquid nitrogen. The method of freezing in this case is most suitable.
Removing corns should also be taken seriously. The callus affects the deeper layers of the skin, right down to the periosteum. This can cause severe pain. The podologist uses special drills and burs that allow you to remove the shaft, and then prescribes medications to eliminate the problem.
In many cases, corns are formed due to improper placement of the feet. The specialist develops individual corrective orthoses that protect the toes and prevent the appearance of new corns.
Treatment of hyperkeratosis and fissures
Hyperkeratosis is called strong keratinization of the skin surface on the feet. It is localized on the fingertips and heels. For treatment, the specialist uses cutters and grinding stones, which makes the skin soft.
If hyperkeratosis is in an advanced state, then dry or wet cracks appear on the heels. The professional selects the optimal treatment and, if necessary, makes interdigital inserts for the prevention of the problem.
Diabetic foot
It is useless to use a regular pedicure master with diabetic feet. A qualified doctor is needed here, since this is a serious complication of diabetes. With such a lesion, the feet become insensitive, crack, swell and become covered with keratinized growths. The skin has an unhealthy color and is covered in abscesses. Any damage to the diabetic foot leads to a fungal infection or ulcerative lesions. In this case, foot care can only be entrusted to a high-class specialist in collaboration with an endocrinologist. It is impossible to solve the problem yourself.
Modern medicine is designed to save a person from many large and small problems. One of the assistants is the podologist. Moscow and other big cities allow you to choose from the huge list of specialists exactly the doctor who will help you cope with your problems and thus improve your well-being, quality of life and self-esteem. Problems such as diabetic foot, hyperkeratosis, ingrown nails, warts, are easily eliminated using effective modern methods.
The Podology Center in Moscow ( Podology Clinic ) offers treatment for people with various kinds of foot diseases. Clinic specialists undergo training and advanced training in the most famous Western schools and leading podology centers in Russia. The sooner treatment is started, the easier it is to fight the disease. Do not neglect your health. The clinic is located on Michurinsky Prospekt, 19, bldg. 1.