The study, diagnosis and treatment of the feet, ankles, and lower leg is known as Podiatry.
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 specialist branches of podiatry such as surgery, biomechanics, geriatrics, sports medicine etc. 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
fasciitis is a painful condition affecting the thick fibrous tissues that begin at the heel bone and continue along the sole of the foot towards the toes known as the plantar fascia. This condition which is usually caused by long hours of standing related to occupation is said to affect nearly two million Americans. It is thought to affect over two million Americans. The condition which starts with a pain in the heel is usually more intense when taking the first steps in the morning. 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. The condition also increases the likelihood of pains in the knees mainly amongst runners but not just 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 cause of the condition is overuse of one muscle which can occur in athletes specialising in a particular activity and putting too much stress on the shins. If the condition is untreated it can lead to a stress fracture. It is usually diagnosed as increasing pain that worsens rather than eases during exercise when warmed up. Cold compresses, rest, and anti-inflammatory drugs may be recommended by the podiatrist to relieve such pain.
Barefoot running is little practised today though there are some famous athletes, like Zola Budd, who were renowned for it. With the advances in running shoes design the general belief is that wearing shoes is more beneficial than running barefoot. When running barefoot the pressure is centered around the balls of the feet but in wearing shoes it is changed and the stress is on the heels and the area around the back of the heels which it is thought could lead to repetitive stress problems. 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.
