Foot Health Week (14 – 20 October) is dedicated to raising awareness of the scope of the podiatry profession and educating the community of the diverse ways podiatrists can support our health.

Leonardo da Vinci described the human foot as a “masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.”

“The human foot is indeed a complicated structure composed of 26 bones that interact with a variety of muscles, tendons, ligaments and connective tissue to keep us moving upright throughout our lives. A healthy functioning of all these structures is required to engage in work, exercise and sport,” said Robert Beavan, Clinical Lead, Foot Procedure Unit at Northern Health.

Podiatry is an Allied Health profession that exists to address problems with the human foot when disease or injury occur. Northern Health employs over 20 podiatrists across multiple sites, programs and services. Working alongside allied health, medical, surgical and nursing colleagues, Northern Health podiatrists contribute to the care of patients through clinical skillsets focused on the assessment, diagnosis and management of foot problems.

Four examples of how Northern Health podiatrists support our health include:

Foot Procedure Unit (FPU)

The Northern Health Foot Procedure Unit (FPU) is a National Association of Diabetes Centres (NADC) core-level accredited high-risk foot service, primarily focused on foot ulcerations complicated by infection, diabetes, peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and foot deformity.

A cornerstone feature of the FPU is sharps debridement – a skillset honed over many years by podiatrists that utilises a scalpel blade to intricately remove non-viable tissue from a wound surface to promote new skin formation.

Falls & Balance Services (FABS)

Our podiatrists work collaboratively with a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, and a geriatrician within the FABS clinic. They screen and address foot related causes of falls through ankle/toe strengthening exercises and footwear education.

Nail Surgery Clinic

Painful, infected ingrown toenails can blight the lives all affected by this commonly seen issue. Caused by misshapen nails growing into the skin fold, nail surgery provides a permanent solution with the removal of the offending portion of nail under local anaesthetic.

Once removed, a chemical to stop the portion of nail from regrowing is applied to the nail bed. After several weeks of managing the post-op wound with cleansing and dressings – new skin forms where the nail use to be with no more pain or infection.

Musculoskeletal Clinic

Injuries affecting the bones and soft tissue of feet commonly occur through prolonged and repetitive trauma that leads to conditions that cause chronic pain, i.e. osteoarthritis and plantar fasciitis. Podiatrist-led biomechanical assessments that identify the cause of foot pain and are an important feature of our musculoskeletal clinic. Once identified, non-surgical therapy can be discussed to reduce pain and preserve function of the feet.

Featured image: Podiatry team across Northern Health sites.