WHAT IS A CHIROPODIST?
A Chiropodist is a health care practitioner often referred to as a “foot doctor” or “foot specialist”. They have extensive training in the assessment, treatment, and prevention of many types of acute and chronic foot conditions and injuries using a variety of therapies as well as custom orthotics.
If you are dealing with foot or ankle pain, you can find relief with a chiropodist in Toronto for treatment.
What does a Chiropodist do?
A chiropodist will perform a detailed assessment that includes:
- Detailed physical and biomechanical exam of your foot to assess the muscles, ligaments, nerves, tendons and circulation.
- Gait analysis to assess your foot, knee and hip alignment and movement when you walk or run.
- Detailed health history, including any previous injuries or surgeries you may have had, and also look to rule out any other issues or identify any underlying contributing factors.
- Balance & Falls Risk Assessments: A fall risk assessment checks to see how likely it is that you will fall. It is mostly done for older adults. The assessment usually includes: An initial screening. This includes a series of questions about your overall health and if you’ve had previous falls or problems with balance, standing, and/or walking.
- Diabetic Foot Screens to assess, monitor and prevent sensation, circulation or skin changes in your foot that can happen due to diabetes.
Your individualized treatment plan may include:
- Pain relief treatment using various methods to reduce acute or chronic pain
- Footwear advice
- Custom footwear or footwear modifications and sole lifts
- Custom orthotics to correct alignment and reduce pain
- Stretching, strengthening or balance exercises can be helpful when you have knee, hip, or back pain due to abnormal gait (walking) caused by muscle tightness, weakness or adhesions.
- Shockwave therapy is sometimes used to promote healing in a number of soft tissue injuries such as plantar fasciitis and tendonitis.
- Foot & Gait Assessment: Fix foot and walking problems.
- General Foot Care for problems such as corns, calluses, ingrown toenails, nail fungus, cracked heels.
Common Conditions Treated by Chiropodists and Podiatrists:
The following conditions are commonly treated by a registered chiropodist at PhysioPlus Health Group:
- Heel pain
- Plantar fasciitis
- Tendonitis
- Overpronation
- Arthritis
- Bunions
- Flat feet
- Conditions affecting walking (diabetes, arthritis, nerve disorders)
- Arch pain
- Morton’s neuroma
- Work-related foot problems
Our foot care services provided by our Chiropodists and Podiatrist can also treat the following conditions:
- Ingrown toenail
- Nail fungus
- Cracked heels
- Corns & callus
- Wart removal
- Diabetic foot assessment & treatment
- Wound care
- Neuropathy management
Our skilled chiropodists use the latest techniques to give you the best care. We’re here to make sure your feet stay healthy and comfortable.
What else can a Chiropodist or Podiatrist help with?
Chiropodists and podiatrists play an important role in improving your lower body alignment and function, and proper foot assessment and treatment act as a foundation for the rest of the body. Structural foot problems can result in compensations that cause pain beyond the feet and ankles into other areas such as your knees, hips, and back. Regular foot care is essential in maintaining healthy feet and preventing complications such as calluses, corns, ingrown toenails, and infections.
Through a detailed biomechanical exam and gait analysis, a chiropodist will be able to observe how your feet, ankles, knees, and hips are aligned and moving. They’ll be able to identify or rule out any other underlying factors in your lower body that may be contributing to your pain.
Foot care is an important part of what chiropodists and podiatrists do. They help prevent and treat various foot problems that can affect your overall health. They can treat issues like ingrown toenails, corns, calluses, warts, and also provide diabetic foot care to keep your feet healthy and avoid complications, especially if you have diabetes. Regular foot check-ups and treatments help prevent infections, ulcers, and other serious issues.
They also provide wound care, help manage nerve damage (neuropathy), and assess how your feet and legs move to ensure everything is working properly. For people with arthritis, chiropodists can offer treatments to reduce pain, improve movement, and enhance your daily comfort.
In addition, chiropodists can recommend orthotics, and proper footwear, and offer tips on maintaining good foot hygiene to keep your feet healthy and pain-free.
What’s the difference between a Chiropodist and Podiatrist
There is no significant difference between chiropodists and podiatrists in Ontario. Both professions are regulated by the College of Chiropodists of Ontario and both must pass comprehensive board exams and provincial licensing exams to be licensed to practice.
Chiropodists and Podiatrists are also the only regulated health professionals in Ontario whose legislated scope of practice includes the provision of orthotics.
The main difference between the two is where (which country) and when they were trained and educated. Practitioners in the US, or those who came to Ontario before 1993, are referred to as Podiatrists while those who came after 1993 or are educated in Ontario are called Chiropodists.
Since 1993, all podiatry graduates have been registered as chiropodists in Ontario, regardless of their degree designation. There have been no new podiatrists registered in Ontario for the past 25 years.
Chiropodists represent the largest number of foot specialists in Ontario. Currently, there are 600 Chiropodists and 60 Podiatrists in Ontario.
WHAT ARE CUSTOM ORTHOTICS?
A custom orthotic is a prescribed, corrective, and removable device that is placed in your shoes to hold your foot in the proper position and allow the joints, muscles, and ligaments of your feet to function closer to their normal limits. This allows your foot and leg to move more efficiently with less strain, thereby reducing foot and leg ailments, such as plantar fasciitis, heel spur syndrome, bunions, calluses, shin splints, runner’s knee, etc…
Custom orthotics can be prescribed by a chiropodist, podiatrist, or medical doctor. Custom orthotics are made from a 3-dimensional scan of your feet after a biomechanical examination, stance, and gait analysis are performed.
Just like prescription eyeglasses, custom-made orthotics come in different materials (soft & hard), styles, and shapes, Custom orthotics can be made for all types of shoes including casual and dress shoes, running and athletic shoes, as well as cleats, skates, and work boots.
Chiropodists and podiatrists have the highest level of standards of practice to ensure that you receive competent and safe care through a thorough assessment to first determine if you need orthotics, and then proper prescription custom foot orthotics.
Chiropodists and podiatrists take a number of factors into consideration when prescribing custom orthotics such as your alignment/biomechanics, your past medical history, footwear type, the activities or sports you do and your work demands and environment.
PHYSIOPLUS CAN HELP YOU WITH FOOT PAIN!
If you are searching for a Chiropodist in Bloor West Village and The Kingsway, your search can end here.
Contact us for more information on how one of our specialists can help you by reducing or even eliminating the pain in your feet.
