Good foot health is important for people with diabetes. It is possible that the foot’s nerve and blood supply can be affected by diabetes, and the capacity of the foot to heal may be reduced. The diabetic foot can also be more prone to infection. Equipment and clinical examination is used to monitor foot health. Treatment is provided according to individual needs.

Podiatrists diagnose and treat foot ulcers/wounds for those with vascular and/or neurological deficiencies (i.e. where the foot’s blood supply and sensation is reduced). Podiatrists use evidence based practice and dressings and will often work in association with community district nurses.

Ingrowing toenails are often caused by poor toe nail cutting or trauma with the result that a small spike of nail will break the skin and grow into the toe. Poorly fitting footwear will often aggravate the condition. The body responds by trying to heal the wound that is caused and as a result can produce a mass of tissue that is called hypergranulation tissue. In this state it is easy for the toe to become infected as well as painful from the portion of nail growing in. The condition can be treated conservatively (without an operation) or surgically.

The surgical procedure is undertaken using a local anaesthetic to numb the toe. A small section of nail is then removed and a chemical (phenol) is applied in an attempt to prevent that portion of the nail from growing again. The operation will last about 30 minutes and the patient can walk immediately afterwards.The toe will heal in approximately seven weeks and the result is a slightly narrower nail plate, which is often unnoticeable. If the nail spike is noticed sufficiently early, it is possible to simply remove the spike without using anaesthetics.

It is possible to provide domiciliary visits, using sterile instrument packs, where patients are unable to attend the local surgery. We need written referrals from doctors or district nurses for patients who are strictly housebound and have a serious foot problem. Mostly such visits are for assessment/treatment and advice rather than routine on-going care.