What’s the difference Chiropodist and Podiatrist?

Really there is no or very little difference, everything a chiropodist can do can also be exercised by a Podiatrist. The international term for a foot care professional is ‘Podiatrist’ which the UK has now adopted. Chiropody is no longer taught, all graduating Podiatrist undergo a three year bachelors science degree and must be registered with the HCPC to license them to work. What has changed in the past 20 years especially is now Podiatrist have the power to administer local anaesthetic and supply certain medications under the POMs (prescription only medicines) annotation.

Will you treat me during the first appointment?

Yes of course we do. If you are having nail or hard skin troubles we like to first identify the cause in order to focus on long term management, before the session is complete you will receive treatment.

If however you are booked for a biomechanics session the attending Podiatrist will provide you with tailored advice and discuss further options such as bespoke insoles.

Does nail surgery hurt?

We get asked this a lot. To put simply and honestly it is a ‘yes’ and a ‘no’ answer. Whilst you are being administered local anaesthetic in order to ‘numb’ your digit you may feel a sharp scratch as with getting any needles. This can last up for 10-20 seconds and we encouraged you to be relaxed by concentrating on your breathing. After administration and the digit is confirmed to be numb (we do the relevant test), the procedure itself is pain free. At most you feel only touch or pressure but no pain. Should you require more local anaesthetic or a ‘top up’ it generally does not hurt second time round.

Do you provide home visits?

Yes we do provide home visits under our domiciliary branch. We mostly serve Bradford however can at times venture out to surrounding areas. Please call or message for further details.

I don’t like to show my feet, what if I’m shy?

Do not worry if you are shy whether this is due to the amount of pain you experience or if generally you do not feel confident with exposing your feet. At Open Podiatry we are professionals, the consultation is without any prejudice and we do not share your clinical notes with anyone else.

As Podiatrists we come across a whole variety of foot related problems, it is what we do and we enjoy our work. If you are nervous or shy we like to make you feel at ease.

Will my corns come back?

Without attending to the cause (aetiology), corns and calluses can reoccur. We encourage you to benefit from the initial consultation with an assessment where we can identify the cause of any hard skin lesions. We do treat the areas during the consultation, and also leave you with advice focusing on prevention. Sometimes it may require you need insoles or specific types of footwear.

My doctor said I have a verruca but it’s not going away?

Without an adequate assessment verrucas and corns can be misled for each other, at times they can look very similar. As foot care specialist we can distinguish between the both (verrucas and corns). The cause (aetiology) and treatment for both these conditions is different, so for example if you revert to treating corns with verrucas medicaments it will actually make it worse in the long run. At Open Podiatry we can provide tailored advice to help you ease out of pain and overcome these lesions.

Can you do late appointments?

At times we can offer late appointments however these are pre-arranged in advance or subject to availability.

Can you see children?

Yes we can assess children whether it is foot pains, verrucas, or if you are concerned about their growing up and require some reassurance. Children though are a younger version of an adult, their growth and component of their biological 'make-up' such as bones, connective tissuse, etc. is very much different.

I’ve got flat feet should I be worried?

Flat feet or also known medically as ‘pes planus’ can be with or without pain. If you are in pain this can be a contributing factor and at Open Podiatry we will conduct a biomechanical assessment to establish how your feet are behaving. If you think you may have flat feet and are worried, we can still offer you an assessment and even possibly prevent problems for the future such as knee or lower back pain.