footDrHorsley: Too many feet, too few hands

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Too many feet, too few hands [ view printer-friendly format ]	Thursday, August 28, 2008

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Too many feet, too few hands

By Victor L. Horsley, D.P.M.
footDrHorsley

Board Certifications

Podiatry is a specialty with over twenty-three board certifications. Some of the disciplines in which Certification is awarded include:

Podiatric Foot Care
Foot And Ankle
Orthopedic Medicine
Primary Foot Care
Ambulatory Foot And Ankle Care
Wound Care,
Office-Based Podiatric Surgery,
Women In Podiatry,
Hospital Podiatrist,
Diabetic Foot Care,
Minorities In Podiatry

In addition to these disciplines in podiatry, other specialists involved in treating foot problems include:

Medical Doctors,
Orthopedic Surgeons,
Nurse Practitioners,
Physician Assistants,
Registered Nurses and
Bathroom Surgeons

Bathroom Surgery

Bathroom surgery is what concerns me most. It's OK to clip or file your nails at home or even get a pedicure on a regular basis, but to dig out ingrown nails and apply acid pads to your corns can be dangerous and may lead to further complications.

Over The Counter Medication

Over the counter products for heel pain, warts, plantar fasciitis (arch pain), ankle sprains and corns between the toes can sometimes aggravate conditions that should be treated under the direction of a Podiatrist. In any event when taking over the counter medication, always pay attention to the fine print that warns you of side effects and complications that can arise from taking the medication if there are other pre-existing conditions.

Read the fine print on some items like acid pads that warn, "...be aware if you have diabetes or suffer from poor circulation". See a podiatric specialist or at least your medical doctor who can order X-rays and give you some antibiotics until you can get in to see a specialist.

Specialists

Just what are your chances of seeing a podiatric specialist when you need one? The US Census reports almost 300 million people in the nation. The American Podiatric Medical Association, APMA, reports there are almost 13,500 podiatrists; 500 (less than 4%) are minorities. Do the math! That's a ratio of 1:23000, i.e. 1 Doctor of Podiatric Medicine for every 23,000 people.

That can mean that some feet will go untreated. If one podiatrist sees 30 people a day, 5 days a week, that's about 8 thousand encounters per year. How much at risk of amputation are the untreated? A big risk! Just like you see a kidney, eye, joint, tooth or any other specialist as needed, you should visit a podiatrist for foot and ankle problems. Don't take chances with your foot care.

Recent studies show that enrollment into colleges of podiatric medicine have declined. This will mean fewer podiatrists for an increasing population. The APMA seems concerned and intends on reversing this current trend.

An article in the IPMA (Illinois Pod. Med. Associations) Memo to the membership states;

"In the continuing effort to boost enrollment at the seven colleges of podiatric medicine, the APMA is looking for the DPM Mentor Network.
Through this network of podiatrists,visits are made to undergraduate universities and colleges, and even high schools, to promote careers in podiatric medicine. "We want the doctors to get out into their own communities and pass along the word that podiatric medicine is truly a great career for those interested in medicine," states Betsy Herman, APMA's National Recruitment Consultant.
"Our aim is to have each of the members visit at least one college per year in order to make sure students know that podiatric medicine is a good medical career option with a great future."

Doctors who agree to participate in this program will be given the appropriate tools to make their college or high school visits effective and productive.
There is a PowerPoint presentation prepared for use by the members, and information from both the APMA and the AACPM can be distributed to the students.
The staff at the APMA will also contact the schools to make the necessary arrangements and to facilitate the process for the doctors."

At footDrHorsley, we support the DPM Mentor Network and the AACPM by promoting information helpful to students considering podiatry as a career. Additional information is available in the Careers & Podiatry section, or by contacting any of the Podiatrists on staff.

Dr. Victor L. Horsley practices from his Belleville office at:

4901 West Main Street, Belleville, IL 62226-4724
Office appointments: (618) 222-1986