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Back from the AFLAR Nairobi Rheumatology Updates. Hard work, but enjoyable and successful. I presented my "Foot Problems in Arthritis" talk to the Allied Health Professional's Workshop and the formal Regional Rheumatology Symposium.
An 'on safari' report was intended, but my laptop was attacked by Trojan Horse and worm viruses, after picking them up from the generic computer we used for the workshop. Fortunately the IT expert at my hotel was able to clean the flash drive and I just shut the computer down. Now all is clean and healthy again.
In podiatry, for the child with arthritis, we find that foot problems are not necessarily caused by the arthritis alone. Before the disease is correctly diagnosed, swelling, pain and lack of mobility are the main signs and symptoms. This usually affects the hands, knees, feet and ankles. Malfunctions of the foot, ankle and leg as a result of painful joints usually respond to medication. However, many structural problems [what podiatrists call biomechanical anomalies] remain, because they were present before the arthritis developed.
J.I.A. or juvenile idiopathic arthritis is just one of the manifestations of arthritis in children. Just like adults children get pain, stiffness in the morning that can last for some hours, restricted movement of their joints, swelling of their hands and feet. In other words serious incapacity. Unlike the adult form where we see a pattern of rheumatoid arthritis starting to affect women mainly around the age of 40, in children it can happen anytime.
A diabetes foot screening takes approximately a ½ hour and when it is finished the podiatrist will be able to identify the level of risk for diabetic foot complications. In addition, if referral to another member of the diabetes care team is required it will be done. Because foot problems are one of the main complications of diabetes, the podiatrist is able to manage non-ulcerative problems and foot ulcers.
