Podiatrists

A podiatrist can diagnose, treat and manage foot and lower limb conditions for people of all ages.

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Podiatrists help with a wide range of foot and lower limb problems. Here are some of the things they assist with:

• General foot conditions: Treatment of common issues, eg, bunions, calluses and corns, fungal infections and ingrown nails.
• Selecting the right shoes for people with foot problems:  Finding footwear that fits well and supports your feet.
• Improving movement: Using special shoe inserts (orthotics), prescribing exercises, and using other techniques to help you move eg, walk, dance or run.
• Sports injuries: Managing sprains, breaks (fractures), and other problems caused by repetitive physical activity eg, ballet dancers or runners.
• ACC injuries: Diagnosing and treating foot and lower limb injuries.
• Surgery for nails and skin: Performing minor procedures to address problems like ingrown nails and warts (verrucas).
• Foot pain: relieving discomfort and stiffness in the feet and ankles, eg, arthritis or gout.
• Diabetes-related foot problems: preventing and managing foot and leg problems that can be caused by a lack of feeling (neuropathy) and poor blood flow.
• Other foot problems: Caused by medical conditions, eg, kidney disease or peripheral arterial disease (poor circulation).

In Aotearoa New Zealand podiatrists work in private or public clinics, and can be found working in rest homes, community clinics, outpatient hospital clinics, hospitals, shoe shops and at the marae. Some podiatry services might provide home visits for patients.

A podiatrist might work alongside other healthcare professionals, eg, GPs, dietitians, physiotherapists, diabetes specialists and nurses, vascular and orthopaedic surgeons.

You can find a podiatrist near you by typing your address into the Healthpoint search page(external link).

The Bachelor of Health Science (Podiatry) is a 3-year degree in Aotearoa New Zealand. Auckland University of Technology (AUT) is currently the only provider of this degree for podiatry students.

Many podiatrists have additional post-graduate qualifications to enable them to specialise in specific areas of podiatry, eg, diabetes.

To practice as a podiatrist in Aotearoa, you must be registered with the Podiatrists Board of New Zealand and hold an Annual Practising Certificate (APC) issued by them.