Podiatrist Help For Foot Problems

Podiatrist Help For Foot Problems
By: Allan Tan

Published: October 13, 2009

Though many foot problems are treatable, numerous people live with foot pain unnecessarily. People who have foot pain may be able to get relief with the help of a proper medical treatment for their foot problems.

The medical specialty that is focused on foot care is podiatry. Podiatrist help can treat and correct a variety of foot problems. Podiatrists are licensed physicians who are knowledgeable about the complex structure of the feet.

Podiatrists treat a variety of foot problems like corns,  ingrown toenails, plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, bunions, foot injuries, foot deformities, and ankle injuries. Diagnostic tests may be performed by the podiatrist when diagnosing a foot problem.

Podiatrists also treat foot problems for people with diabetes. Diabetes complications such as poor circulation and impaired nerve functioning can cause foot wounds to be dangerous. A foot wound can become infected and lead to gangrene. If this occurs, the parts of the foot affected by gangrene or the entire foot may need to be amputated.

Podiatrist help can be in the form of prescription drugs, surgery, orthotic devices, and physical therapy. For some foot problems, the podiatrist may design and fit the patient with different types of orthotic devices like shoe inserts, casts, strapping devices, or custom-made shoes.

A person with a foot problem can get podiatrist help by being examined by their physician. The physician may evaluate the person’s foot problem and provide a referral to a podiatrist.

If a person gets a referral from the family doctor that the health insurance company has listed as the primary care physician, the podiatric treatment may be more likely to be covered by the person’s health insurance. People may find a podiatrist without a doctor referral by consulting a phone bookor a directory of podiatrists on the Internet, but the listed podiatrists may not be covered by the person’s health insurance policy.

If the person secures a referral from their primary care physician, the person may want to contact the health insurance company to make sure that the podiatrist services will be completely covered or if the person will have to pay part of the costs. Questions about coverage of the podiatric treatment should be able to be answered by the health insurance company.

Olga Garcia Luepschen, DPM, of the Gentle Foot Care Center
2 Ryant Blvd. Sebring, Fl.  33870 Phones: 863-314-9255.
Visit www.gentlefootcarecenter.com