John Balchin

Podiatry is a fast evolving healthcare profession concerned with the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of lower limb and foot injuries, diseases and abnormalities. The foot is a highly complex structure comprising 26 bones, and together the feet make up over a quarter of the bones in the adult body. So like any complex mechanism feet are prone to mechanical problems and benefit from regular maintenance.

There is often confusion between what is a ‘podiatrist’ and a ‘chiropodist’ but they are the same. The word ‘chiropody’, in use since the 1700’s with regards to footcare specialists, is actually a misnomer. It derives from the Greek ‘chiro’ meaning ‘hand’ and ‘pous’ meaning foot (plural ‘podes’). In the US, ‘chiropody’ was used until 1958 when it was officially changed to ‘podiatry.’ Now ‘podiatrist’ is becoming universally adopted.