Information To Know About A Podiatrist Near Boulder

By Rosella Campbell


Podiatry falls under a branch of the medicine profession with key area of specialty being human movement and medical care of feet and ankles. The professionals who work in this profession are called podiatrists. These professionals are well distributed in the US allowing easy access to their services. Any podiatrist near Boulder is uniquely qualified to provide professional care for the foot, ankle, and lower extremity in general. These practitioners are sometimes called podiatric physicians or surgeons.

Doctors of podiatric medicine have specialty in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of foot conditions, disorders, diseases, and injuries. Their judgment is independent and they have the authority to order and apply several different diagnostic tests. Since the early stages of most diseases are first manifested through feet, these doctors are in a position to detect them early enough. Some of those diseases and conditions normally go unnoticed in people who do not seek podiatric help.

Podiatrists have a wide scope of practice which varies with the geographical or demographical area one is located in. The job involves working with other medical professionals in the society as part of a team. Some of the tasks performed by a podiatric expert include prescribing medications, performing surgical procedures, treating sports related injuries, and setting fractures. Podiatrists may also perform or order physical therapies and fit or prescribe customized shoes, insoles, or orthotics.

Diagnosis involves taking and interpreting results from X-rays and other imaging studies. A podiatrist may also need to do full physical examination and medical history to get deeper insight into a disease. These practitioners need license to perform full physical examination and medical history.

Further specialization and training allows practitioners the ability to carry out amputations in fullness or partiality. Such amputations prevent loss of life or further damage to the limb. Podiatric physicians are allowed to order or give anesthesia and sedatives. Anesthesiologists or certified registered nurse anesthetists are the primary physicians allowed to administer anesthesia and sedatives. Intravenous (IV) sedation is part of sedatives mostly used.

To become a qualified podiatrist, one must undergo several years of training, take tests, and attend hospital-based residency training. One can be admitted into a podiatric medical school at graduate or undergraduate level. First two years of studying in podiatric schools covers general courses similar to that of medicine students. Training takes four years with specialization starting at the third year.

Although hospital-based residency training takes two years in most cases, it can last longer. Among the areas podiatrists are trained in include general pathology, human gait, general medicine, pharmacology, non-surgical foot care techniques, surgical techniques, and general anesthesia. Surgical procedures include enucleation, cryotherapy, partial or full nail avulsions, wound debridement, cutaneous procedures, electro-surgical methods, and matricectomy. This training equips them with knowledge that allows them to handle a variety of foot problems.

Main branches contained in the field of podiatry include podiatric vascular specialist, orthopedic, rheumatology, medical physician, gerentological podiatrist, sports medicine, and neuro-podiatrist among many others. Some practitioners have specialty in a single branch while others specialize in several. Those with specialty in sports medicine avail themselves on-site where their clients engage in sports.




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