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 are well specialized in diagnosing, preventing, and treating foot conditions, diseases, injuries, and disorders. Their work allows them to provide independent judgment and order and/or apply many different diagnostic tests. Most diseases manifest first signs through feet, which puts these doctors in a unique position to identify them on time. In people who lack access to podiatric help, such signs normally go unnoticed.

The scope of practice for podiatrists is very wide and differs from one geographical or demographical area to another. Their job allows them to work with other medical specialists in the community as part of a medical team. Some of the major tasks they carry out include performing surgical procedures, prescribing medications, setting fractures and treating sports related injuries. Podiatrists also perform and/or order physical therapies and prescribe and fit orthotics, customized shoes, and insoles.

Diagnostic techniques used require them to take and analyze the results of X-rays and other imaging techniques. In some cases, they may need to perform full physical examinations and medical histories to understand the nature of a condition a patient is suffering from. These practitioners have the license and authority that allows them to perform medical histories and physical examinations.

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.

Qualifying to become a podiatrist involves training for many years, tests, and hospital-based residency. Admission into podiatric medical school is possible at graduate or undergraduate level depending on the jurisdiction of the institution. In podiatric schools, the first two years involve general courses similar to those of students taking medicine. Specialization starts at third year and extends into the fourth year which is also the final year in most cases.

Hospital-based residency training lasts for at least two years but it can be more. Some of the areas podiatrists have training include general pathology, general medicine, pharmacology, human gait, non-surgical foot care procedures, general anesthesia, and surgical techniques. Surgical procedures learned include enucleation, wound debridement, cryotherapy, partial or total nail avulsions, cutaneous procedures, matricectomy, and electro-surgical methods. With this kind of knowledge, they are able to handle a wide range of problems in people of different ages.

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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