ST_F_SUNDAYTRENDS

PODIATRY
But why
Feet?!
By Clinton Schembri Francalanza
– that is rarely invading inside the foot
i.e. surgery; however there are instances
which would require minor surgeries.
Next on the list is nail care and removal
of excessive skin – both of which do
cause a lot of discomfort and people,
suffering from such problems can easily
relate. Foot Dermatological problems
also fall under our realm: so the next
time you see a lump, bump or funny
looking lesion on your foot do not
hesitate to seek podiatric advice.
I get asked this question a million times;
and at the start of my career I used to
hesitate, trying to find the coolest way
to answer such awkward question –
because lets face it – feet aren’t the
most attractive thing in the world.
However, now I find pretty comfortable
answering this question, since with what
I do I make people happy!
I am Clinton, a Podiatrist with a keen
interest in Sports and fascinated by
movement analysis and biomechanics.
Going back to “making people happy“,
it’s not what you’re thinking, so you
can rub that cheeky smile off your face.
One of the biggest instant rewards in
my profession is the fact that after a
treatment the vast majority of my clients
leave pain free and gets to continue
with their everyday life – hence the
happy part. I am no miracle worker, and
52
sometimes treatments might cause some
discomfort, but all is for a good cause.
The foot is an intricate piece of
machinery, which supports the whole
body, be it when standing in a queue
line, running with your friends or
walking around in Valletta, and so on.
All of these situations exert different
forces on the foot, which sometimes
can be the cause of pain. This could be
due to ill wearing shoes, wrong shoes,
or else foot problems, which would
need professional care. As a podiatrist
I help people to prevent these painful
situations and that’s just the beginning
of what I do.
Socrates once said that if your feet hurt,
all your body hurts – and anyone who
has ever had a foot problem can relate
to this quote. As a podiatrist I treat foot
problems, with conservative treatments
Lower back pain – wait aren’t you just
a foot specialist, what does the back
have to do with feet? Our body is made
up of a series of linkages– so a slight
misalignment in the foot might have a
significant impact on the rest of your
body – especially in the knees and
lower back areas: and we are the go
to persons when such problems arise.
I work with a multidisciplinary team
of physiotherapists, sports masseurs
and Coaches to help achieve the best
result for my clients’ needs. Keep in
mind that one must always build on a
strong set of foundations; so if your feet
aren’t sustaining your body well your
penthouse might be in trouble.
And one last minor thing – the
professional nomenclature is Podiatrists
and not podologists – it sounds sexier
too :)
The author is a State Registered
Podiatrist ST
All rights reserved - Copyright 2018