What Is Podiatry?

Podiatry is a field of healthcare that focuses on the study, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of conditions related to the feet, ankles and lower legs. Because most people tend to take their feet and ankles for granted, pain and disorders in this area of the body are very common and often neglected. Podiatry can help people of all ages, from young children to seniors.

Why Is Podiatry Important?

Think of the feet and ankles as the foundation of the human body. They carry and support all your body weight. They help you stabilize yourself and maintain balance. They absorb shock. They enable you to propel yourself forward. If you don’t keep your feet and ankles healthy, your gait (the way you walk) and posture can be affected. Unfortunately, many people develop conditions such as flat feet, bunions and plantar fasciitis as they age, which can create a painful downstream effect in the knees, hips and back.

Podiatry can help you restore and maintain proper biomechanics by addressing any structural issues or deformities in the feet and ankles. When your body has a strong foundation, you can stand, walk, run, dance, jump and exercise with little or no pain or discomfort.

What Conditions Can be Treated with Podiatry?

Podiatry can be used to diagnose and treat dozens of painful, uncomfortable and embarrassing foot and ankle conditions – muscle and tendon problems, skin disorders, never issues, toenail conditions, sports injuries, trauma from accidents, and more. Conditions that can be treated with podiatry include but are not limited to:

• Achilles tendinitis
• Arch pain
• Athlete’s foot
• Arthritis
• Bunions
• Corns and calluses
• Diabetic wounds, foot ulcers and infections
• Dry skin (cracked heels)
• Flat feet
• Foot and ankle injuries (sprains, strains and fractures)
• Haglund’s deformity (bony bump on the back of the heel)
• Heel pain
• Heel spurs
• High-arched feet
• Ingrown nails
• Metatarsalgia (pain and inflammation in the ball of the foot)
• Neuromas (pinched nerves or nerve tumors in the toes)
• Plantar fasciitis
• Poor circulation
• Psoriasis
• Skin Cancer
• Sweaty Feet
• Tarsal tunnel syndrome (nerve pain around the inside of the ankle)
• Toenail fungus
• Warts

How Does Podiatry Fit into Our Integrative Model of Care?

At Natural Healthcare Center, we don’t assess a patient’s feet and ankles, or any part of the body, in a vacuum. Our integrated, “bottom up” approach to assessing neuromusculoskeletal health begins at the feet and ankles and goes straight up. Painful or embarrassing conditions can be caused by everything from trauma to poorly fitting shoes to lack of blood flow.

As part of your consultation discussed below, we’ll determine if you should see Dr. Nick Argerakis, our board-certified podiatrist. During a podiatric examination with Dr. Nick, he’ll discuss your history, perform a visual assessment, feel for tenderness in the feet and lower leg areas, and have you perform basic functional tests.

Working in collaboration with our team of specialists, Dr. Nick can diagnose the root cause of painful foot conditions, identify foot deformities, and develop a personalized treatment plan. Podiatry treatment options can involve everything from arch supports and custom orthotics to acupuncture and clinical nutrition. While surgery is always a last resort, Dr. Nick is a podiatric surgeon with experience in the latest techniques if surgery is indeed the best option to achieve the desired result.

Learn more about Dr. Nick Argerakis.

Did You Know…

The human foot and ankle are comprised of 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments. These moving parts need to be working together and functioning properly to maintain good range of motion, flexibility, balance, coordination and posture. That’s why podiatry is such an important service at Natural Healthcare Center.

The First Step: Your Consultation

Healthy feet and ankles are critical to feeling better, functioning better and living longer. Don’t take them for granted. If you feel pain or discomfort or see something that doesn’t look quite right, contact us to schedule a podiatry consultation at Natural Healthcare Center. Bring your healthcare records, diagnostic imaging, test results, prescriptions and nutritional supplements. Dr. Proodian will review your records, discuss your history, answer your questions and determine next steps based on your specific condition – all at no charge.

Contact us to schedule your podiatry consultation at Natural Healthcare Center.