So you are a chiropractor…that’s feet isn’t it?

NO!!! I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been asked ” what can you do for my corns? and other such feet related questions. There is a clear and marked difference between chiropractors and chiropody. Chiropody is for feet and quite different from chiropractic. That said, there are some things that the two professions have in common and both deal with musculoskeletal problems. I often refer patients with difficult foot problems to a podiatrist as they really are the experts in feet! Whether is addressing the problems from fallen arches, fitting custom made orthotics for sports people or improving foot mobility to ease foot pain in worn out arthritic joints, specialist treatment from a podiatrist in combination with chiropractic treatment can yield excellent results.

A recent piece of research into podiatry care in the British Medical Journal this week caught my eye (see link below or http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.d3411.full.pdf). The study by Spink and colleagues found that podiatry intervention resulted in a 36{8c34c0d03372d798e22443fa1cd79a4c0c458739bec8c1532104b8390ef42220} reduction in the rate of falls in older people over a 12 month period. Podiatry “treatment in this study involved a variety of interventions including foot orthoses, footwear advice, a home based foot and ankle exercise program and routine podiatry care for 12 months. Helping people stay active, fit and mobile is what I try to do so maybe we are not that different after all? But I don’t treat corns!! You podiatrists can keep your feet.