As 2023 draws to a close, with everyone out at Christmas parties and prepping for festivities, I took it upon myself to attend a SMAE Institute refresher course to brush up on my essentials and re-visit some common foot conditions. Alongside 25 other local foot care practitioners, we gathered at a networking meeting in Gloucester to revise the following conditions:
Common foot conditions
- Hyperkeratosis or build up of callus
- Heloma durum or hard corns
- Heloma milliare or seed corns
- Heloma molle or soft corn
- Eczema
- Psoriasis
- Verrucae
- Onychocryptosis or ingrown toe nail
- Onychauxis or thickening of the nail due to trauma
- Onychomycosis or fungal nail
The course looked at the cause of each of the conditions and the best treatment to deal with it.
Vascular assessment
This aspect of the course was also very important as continual vascular assessment and awareness of the situation allows for the best possible treatment. In vascular assessment we are checking pain levels, pallor, pulse, temperature, paraesthesia and neuropathy.
The course allowed us to investigate the ways that different skin conditions can present themselves and when it is important to refer to other health professionals.
Foot care issues that may arise
A common issue in foot care is the swelling of the lower limbs, oedema. This can be caused by a number of different factors and it was interesting to see how this can progress. In addition we discussed and looked at peripheral vascular disease and the risk factors associated with it.
If you think you may be suffering with any of the conditions I studied on this course, or have other concerns about your footcare please get in touch – whether it’s something new or been concerning you for a while.
Helen Trigg Foot Care 