TV
Never ignore foot pain. A recent case of tibialis posterior tendon rupture is a case in point.
A 76 year old lady was brought to me by her daughter because she could barely walk and was in constant pain. She had been prescribed anti-inflammatories and sleeping tablets for 'the arthritis.'
In just under 7 hours time South Africa will welcome 2009. Will you make a resolution to become a podiatrist? Maybe one of your family or friends will?
Are you sitting with your 'Matric' results and not sure what to do next? South Africa has a serious shortage of podiatrists and as I wrote the other day even our new graduates are emigrating. There are fewer than 200 registered podiatrists for our population of about 48 million people.
I diagnosed a sesamoid fracture in a young woman this week. The presenting complaint, on Wednesday, was of "pain in the ball of the foot under the big toe joint for nearly 9 months, but 3 days ago (Sunday), whilst doing a long day shift the pain got really bad and only stops when I take weight off the foot."
Bunions create as much comment and discussion as they do pain for their 'owners'. Let's assume that your bunions are bony lumps. First ask yourself are they getting bigger and more painful? Being disappointed with the look of your feet is not reason enough for surgery. Possibly you have some underlying arthritis and the joint is painful at every movement and it is seriously affecting your quality of life. Rheuma-surgery,as it is known is becoming more appropriate nowadays. Another cause for concern is if the big toe is deviating away towards the smaller toes so much that your foot is beginning to look like a tennis racquet.
