Wart you need to know about Warts

“Would you like to stick your toe into the mains socket !?!”

"Eww! I couldn’t do that job!" We have all been there, admit it, you know you have. You look at the person opposite you, and you think to yourself, “I couldn’t do that job!”. This fleeting thought will generally bring about that blunt question I’m sure you can already hear yourself thinking……..“What made you want to do that profession?”. I had a patient today, and halfway through the consultation that question reared its head. Now, unlike most people (speaking mostly about my peers/colleagues), I invite the question, in fact, I love it! What better opportunity can there be to teach someone about the actual job you do, not the one people think you do. Have you ever seen those memes, the ones about different professions, the ones with “what my parents think I do, what society thinks I do…what I think I do”. Well the Podiatrist is no different, in fact, it is probably one of the most boring. Why……because pretty much our starting point is “cutting toenails”. Yes, I said it! “Cutting toenails” In fact I would be lying if I said we didn’t. But just like a hairdresser does more than just cut hair and a GP deals with more than just coughs and colds, cutting toenails is just the tip of the iceberg that is, Podiatry. Now, back to that moment when I got asked “why would you want to be a podiatrist”. It’s almost like the split second just before a race, you go through your game plan and visualise the execution. Well, sort of. For me it's a little more embellished, in my head I am thinking “this is it! This is the moment I convert them into a believer! Don’t F it up! Make them see the light!” Ok Maybe that is a little over the top, but, nevertheless, it is a chance to showcase what you do! The quick witted reply This changes depending on the instigator of the question. But, for the most part, I simply say “I can think of worse things out there……DENTISTS…..you feel me!” Now, I am not hating on Dentists, in fact, what they do is extremely important, however it highlights the preconceptions we have of almost everything. I then will generally follow up with “my sister works in childcare…..nappies…..POO…..!” At this point there has generally been enough said that poor questioner has become, just that little bit shocked. Going in for the kill! I don’t know at what point I have decided to tell this narrative in the frame of mind of a hunter, but let’s run with it. With my victim stunned, and contemplating the existence of the phrase “in one end….out the other”, I take my time and carefully illustrate the joys of the Podiatry profession. How to sum up a whole profession in a few quick sentences? In reality, when I get asked “why would I be a podiatrist” I generally only have a couple of minutes before the consultation will come to an end. So with that In mind let me tell you, what I say in clinic. Our feet are quite literally the connection to the world around us. As a Podiatrist we have the privilege to help maintain and improve that connection. We get to provide care to a part of the body many forget about. While cutting toenails is certainly a simple part of the job, the fact is, it can facilitate a deeper conversation on more complex foot health issues. Toenails can become ingrown, ingrown toenails can cause walking compensation, changes to walking patterns can cause muscle and tendon inflammation, years of joint imbalances could lead to arthritic joints. All these could be helped (not always fixed, but helped) by us Podiatrists. The joy of variety The great thing about the world we live in is variety. There are so many permutations that allow us to find just the right fit. Podiatry can be taken into the world of sports, hospitals, aged care, children, chronic pain and many more. More over, as Podiatrist, I can get a front row seat into my patients lives and what jobs they do. How boring would life be, if we all did the exact same thing! So with that hopefully funny insight into just one of the many questions we get as Podiatrists, I hope I have inspired some of you to ask each other not “WHAT made you do that profession” but instead “What gets you EXCITED about your profession” As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask! Bye for now, Andrew Hadley . . . . . .

Foot Health & Diabetes - What’s the connection? This is a question that I hear almost every day, and for most people the answer is condensed down to the phrase “you will end up having an amputation”. I can’t count how many patients I have brought up this question with and recoiled when the only answer they have been given is that one. In my opinion, that is like saying “lose weight - it’s good for you”. Sure, we all know the end result, but knowing and understanding are two very different processes. If the only reason we know, is a fact of fear, then are we really going to be any more inclined to break down the question at hand. With Foot Health Week 2020 here and in full swing, it got me thinking, rather than just saying why it is important to get your foot health checked (and that whole spiel of “book an appointment now”), perhaps I could help breakdown the “why”. So without any further rambling, let’s see if I can help answer any questions. The 2 main players we’re watching - Blood & Nerves In a practical sense, these two components are the big culprits that lead to troubles later down the road. We all know that blood is the stuff that is important for healing, and nerves relate to sensations. But how does diabetes join the party and cause all these scary problems we hear about.