It does not matter where you happen to live, it could be anywhere in Chicagoland or elsewhere, at one time or another you will have most certainly said – “My feet are killing me”. It would be a very strange and unusual problem if your feet were literally taking away your life. But, to anyone with sore or painful feet it can feel a bit that way. Usually, they are exaggerating and simply resting (or maybe soaking) their feet will effect a full recovery. However, this is not always the case and the painful discomfort might come from an underlying medical cause. This is when the sufferer should consult some sort of specialist.
Who Specializes In Feet?
At a more day to day level, there are chiropodists, pedicurists, reflexologists and the like. However, much of their work is more cosmetic than medical in nature and none of them would consider calling themselves a foot doctor in Chicago or anywhere else. This description is reserved for someone who has undergone full medical training which includes additional studies at one of the nine colleges of podiatric medicine in the United States. Successful graduates earn the title of Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (or DPM).
What Do Podiatrists Treat?
Their area of specialization covers both our feet and lower extremities (approximately from the ankle to the knee). Our feet are quite a complex feat of anatomical engineering. There are 26 bones in each of our feet along with 33 joints and over one hundred muscles, ligaments and tendons. All of these control the mechanics of our standing, walking and running. When something goes wrong with any of these, the affects can be painful and, in more serious cases, crippling.
Bunions, hammer toes, ingrowing toenails, etc might not be life threatening but they can all make anyone suffering from them want to cry out that their feet are killing them. More serious problems resulting from arthritis, infection, or traumatic injury could lead to a person becoming bed or chair ridden simply because it has become too painful for them to walk. In the majority of cases, consultation, diagnosis and treatment by a qualified podiatrist can get the sufferer back on their feet again.
Should you be in need of a good Foot Doctor in Chicago, Dr. Milton Kondiles is a licensed podiatrist & board certified foot surgeon, he practices out of Kondiles Chicagoland Footcare Chicago.
