FOOT HEALTH WEEK 10-17 OCTOBER 2009

STUDY FINDS UNTREATED FOOT PAIN A MAJOR HEALTH RISK FOR YOUNG AUSTRALIANS

A study, that found nearly one in five Australians suffer from foot pain, has identified a disproportionate number of men, 20-34 years, and young people suffering from untreated foot pain.

Study co-author, Associate Professor Hylton Menz, says while the findings are surprising, a perception that podiatry is only for older people could be responsible for the large number of young to middle-aged Australians who are unaware of or unable to access podiatry services.

South Australian triathlete Chris Wygell, who recently won gold at the Short Course World Triathlon Championships, attributes his latest success to his podiatrist, Michael Nitschke, who successfully diagnosed and treated his stress fractures.

“If it weren’t for Michael I would have quit the sport 18 months ago,” said Mr Wygell. “I had to have three months off for the healing process and I was depressed because three months is a lot of time to not be training, especially in an endurance sport.”

The Study suggested that the lack of publicly funded podiatry services for people without chronic diseases may also explain the very low levels (as low as 4 to 10%) of podiatry consultation in younger people.

“I had no idea what a podiatrist did,” says Mr Wygell whose Mother suggested podiatry. “I thought they cut toenails for older people; my uncle who has one does that for him.”

Associate Professor Menz says foot pain can reflect medical problems that may have serious health consequences.

President of the Australasian Podiatry Council, Brenden Brown, says podiatrists perform a broad range of clinical services.

“Podiatrists are tertiary qualified front line health professionals trained to deal with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of medical and surgical conditions of the feet and lower limbs,” he says.

He says podiatry plays an important role in the maintenance of foot health and should not be ignored.

“The complex mechanics of feet and the wide range of foot problems demand professional expertise to correctly assess and manage the causes of foot pain,” says Mr Brown.

Mr Brown has called for a national campaign to raise awareness about podiatry services within communities and among general practitioners.