4 Benefits of an Annual Foot Assessment

Take better care of your feet by seeing a qualified clinician that can help assess and recommend a tailored foot care treatment for you.

We are more aware than ever that we need to take care of ourselves throughout our daily lives. From eating better, brushing our teeth, getting more exercise, taking care of our mental health and looking after our bodies, it can get a bit overwhelming at times. That’s why we seek expert advice in areas that we may not fully understand.

When we need to check our teeth, we go see a dentist; and when we need to check our eyes, we go see an optician. Therefore, if we need to check our feet we should go see a lower limb specialist, such as a Podiatrist.

What is Podiatry?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Podiatry involves the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions related to feet, ankles and lower limbs. It also includes simple footcare plans to help nurture and maintain our feet. Clinicians in the field are available both via the NHS and privately.

So, what are the benefits of visiting a clinician and having regular checkups?

1. A Lifetime of Care

Taking care of our bodies requires a lifetime of care. Our feet support our bodies from the moment we take our first steps. Our lower bodies allow us to stand, walk, jump and run, but they also receive the most wear and tear as our feet hit the ground. They are critical in our quality of life, health and wellbeing, and therefore should be cared for.

That’s why you shouldn’t wait to see a clinician only when you feel pain and discomfort. Clinicians will offer advice for maintaining and nurturing healthy feet, and provide a regular service of nail and skin care such as treatment for calluses blisters and corns. Furthermore, they can perform a biomechanical assessment to advise on the perfect footwear, orthotics and exercise tailored for you.

"Taking care of our bodies requires
a lifetime of care.”

2. Pain and Discomfort

Foot and leg pain aren’t limited to sports people and aren’t always just because we are getting older. Have you ever experienced a foot pain so great that it stopped you from doing an activity that you loved? There are many reasons for this pain, such as trauma, poor fitting shoes, or weakness in the foot. Perhaps you’ve noticed a strange blemish or mole on your leg or foot, a clinician can help assess and diagnose the cause. If it is a malignant melanoma, this may catch it early and offer lifesaving treatment.

Seeking expert advice from an annual visit to your clinician could get an early diagnosis and offer intervention treatment, preventing conditions to worsen and keeping your feet healthy and you doing the activities that you love.

3. Extra Support

Diabetics are recommended as part of their care to have a foot check every year, this is because they are at higher risk of suffering loss of feeling in their feet (peripheral neuropathy) and [poor circulation](https://www.simplyfeet.co.uk/foot-health/foot/poor-circulation.html) (peripheral arterial disease). These conditions can cause risk of ulceration or amputation if not treated.

However, we are all at risk of having changes in our blood flow through everyday causes such as diet, obesity, high blood pressure, back injuries or smoking. Having the extra support from the experts will offer assurance that you’re doing the correct footcare routines and treatments, as assuming a treatment without the necessary advice could do more harm! This is why an annual assessment with a clinician is a good move, this is even more important if you have already suffered from a heart attack, angina or stroke.

“Have you ever experienced a foot pain so great that it
stopped you from doing an activity that you loved?"

4. Good to Know

Like with dentists and opticians, you shouldn’t wait until there is a problem before visiting the specialist, instead plan to have at least a yearly appointment for a check up on your feet. If you have any calluses, corns, in-grown toenails, or athletes foot  then you may need to visit more frequently.

Annual foot checks are for all of us, not just for Diabetics, through undertaking a thorough assessment of your legs and feet, the clinician can educate you on how to treat simple conditions at home, advise more regular treatments or refer you back to your GP if they think there are any issues that require further guidance e.g. dermatology, vascular, or cardiology.

Book an appointment with a Podiatrist / Chiropodist / Clinician for their help, assessment and advice. Look for the following “HCPC” logo as this means that this is a registered Podiatrist and is working to set standards.