If you currently have problems with your leg or foot, somebody may have told you already about visiting a podiatrist. If you’re looking for information on quality podiatric care in Singapore, you’ve come to the right place to read!
What is a Podiatrist in Singapore?
A podiatrist is a medical specialist trained in treating a patient’s foot and lower leg problems. They help you care for your lower limbs and reduce issues such as pain, fractures, and foot diseases.
A podiatrist can diagnose conditions such as foot injuries and diseases, prescribe treatment or medicine, do surgery, and refer you to physical therapy if needed. They help make your limbs work and heal after a surgery or injury.
What a Podiatrist Do
Podiatrists are trained in podiatric medicine to do the following:
- Diagnose skin and nail diseases of the foot, deformities and tumours
- Treat corns, flat foot, plantar warts, cysts, and tendons and bone disorders of the foot
- Make casts for foot and ankle sprains or fractures
- Talk to patients about preventing foot conditions
- Refer patients to doctors specialising in other body systems if the condition is related by another part or region of the body
- Patient education on proper foot practice and care
A podiatrist may also choose to train a subspecialty to focus on in their podiatry practice:
- Sports medicine. A podiatrist can help an athlete or a player with sports injuries or other physical activities and maintain foot fitness.
- Pediatrics. Some podiatrists who focus on treating children deal with foot conditions such as
- Ingrown toenail
- Plantar warts, or lumps of skin on the bottom of your feet)
- Athlete’s foot or tinea pedis
- Crossover toes
- Bunion pain
- Flat feet
- Intoed gait or turned-in toes
- Growth plate injuries in the ankle and foot
- Radiology: A podiatric radiologist uses imaging methods in diagnosing foot conditions. They use X-rays, ultrasounds, CT scans, MRI, and nuclear medicine.
- Diabetic foot care: A podiatrist helps patients with diabetes keep their feet in good condition. They help patients prevent foot conditions leading to lower leg amputation or the toes or feet being cut off.
When Should One Visit a Podiatrist
You will most likely benefit from a consult with a podiatrist if you have the following:
1) Foot problems due to diabetes
If you have diabetes, you should visit a podiatrist for diabetic foot screening. Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes patients are at risk of poor circulation, nerve damage ulcers, and foot infection.
2) Nail and skin problems of the foot
Common problems such as ingrown toenails, corns, and calluses are best treated at a podiatric clinic. A podiatrist can provide the safest medical treatment to remove them with less pain.
3) Foot and heel pain
A podiatrist will examine and assess your foot structure and function with physical examination and X-rays to address the source of foot and ankle pain. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy can reduce pain and promote healing of the foot.
4) Feet and leg tiredness:
If you constantly tire on the feet and legs, it is best to consult a podiatrist for advice on aged foot care. It may also be best for older patients who get tired quickly to hire a maid for the elderly in Singapore to guide them and help them walk around.
5) Bone deformities and injuries
A podiatrist can diagnose foot deformities through X-ray and provide the treatment needed to address pain and discomfort caused by conditions such as bunions and hammertoes. They can also provide appropriate therapy for injuries such as sprains and foot fractures.
A podiatrist can treat foot infections, recurring athlete’s foot, and fungal nail infection. They will prescribe oral or topical medications to address the infection and prevent spreading to the other foot or toenails.
What It is Like Visiting a Podiatrist
A visit with a podiatrist is the best way to care for your legs and feet. Your podiatrist will help with the patients foot health concerns, so you do your daily activities usually.
Medical History
You will have to answer a medical history form upon arriving for your appointment. It will ask about your foot problem, other medical conditions, medications, and any other previous treatments or surgeries. The form will also ask about your foot practices and family medical history.
In your consultation with a podiatrist, they will ask about your foot problems and concerns and how long you’ve been experiencing them already. You and your doctor will begin establishing rapport during this appointment.
Examination and Assessment
In the physical examination, your podiatrist will have to inspect your feet to check for warts, corns, bunions, fungus, infections, deformities, and other foot problems. The doctor will also check your toenails for discolouration, brittleness, or other changes.
The podiatrist will also check your lower legs for any sign of poor circulation or lack of sensation. You may be asked to walk around the clinic to evaluate for any gait problems because of your foot condition.
Diagnosis
The podiatrist may order imaging tests such as X-ray, bone scan, ultrasound, or MRI to evaluate further any structural issues or blood vessel problems in your foot. They may also order blood tests to check for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or other similar conditions.
If the podiatrist thinks you have a skin infection in your foot, they may also collect a sample to send for testing to a laboratory and be inspected under the microscope.
Treatment
Your treatment will depend on what diagnosis the podiatrist has made during the examination and laboratory tests or imaging. For example, the doctor will give you oral or topical medications for bacterial or fungal infection. They may also give pain medications to manage pain.
The podiatrist may prescribe custom orthotics or devices if you have foot structure problems such as flat foot or supination or pronation. This will correct any misalignment and provide adequate support for your foot.
If your weight or diet causes your foot problem, the podiatrist may recommend lifestyle changes such as altering your diet and exercising more. This will help relieve the pain or pressure on your feet as it carries the weight of your body when you are standing or moving.
A podiatrist may also use other treatment methods:
- Cryotherapy or freezing of the problem area
- Steroid injections
- Surgery
The podiatrist may recommend elderly patients to get elderly home care Singapore or visit elderly care Singapore to help manage recovery in post-surgical interventions of the foot. You’ll also need physiotherapy services to train foot movement and mobilisation after recovery from treatment.
Podiatrist Singapore Review
Here, we gathered a list of clinics of the best podiatrists in Singapore providing the best clinical podiatry care and their available foot care treatments from foot and ankle research. Here is also a table of the foot podiatry clinics with their website links and their podiatry services:
Podiatry Clinics
Specializations
Customised approach
Osteopathy services
Footwear advice
Paediatric podiatry for children
Accessible locations
Sports injury prevention
Custom insoles
Treatment offered to all ages
Offers treatments for diabetic foot
Affordable treatment options
Osteopathy and Podiatry Centre
High-Quality Treatment & Service
Offers 3D Laser Foot Scanning
1) My FootDr
My FootDr is Singapore’s biggest podiatry centre along with their high-quality services and cutting-edge medical technology. Their licensed podiatrists deliver expert care by providing podiatry treatment customised to each client’s foot ailments.
They have advanced technology such as Lunula Laser treatment for fungal toenails. Their pedorthists are medical specialists that treat the conditions of the legs and foot affecting the Achilles tendon, ankle, arch, forefoot, toes, and nails. They also offer treatments such as custom foot orthotics, osteopathy, diabetic foot care, and more.
2) East Coast Podiatry
East Coast Podiatry is one of the best clinics for working individuals and athletes recovering from leg and foot injuries. They are part of Bupa’s Preferred Providers Network in Singapore and are located in many branches, such as Sinaran Drive Novena Medical Center.
This podiatry clinic is known for providing paediatric podiatry for younger patients. They specialise in treating heel and forefoot pain and discomfort, ankle sprains, and flat feet in children. They also treat a bunion, fungal toenails, plantar warts, and more.
3) Physio and Sole Clinic
Another known clinic for sports injury care and prevention is Physio and Sole Clinic. Podiatrists in the clinic are multilingual experts and can provide care even for foreign residents in Singapore. They have clinics throughout Singapore, such as in Bukit Timah Shopping Centre.
This clinic has therapies for diabetic foot care, sports podiatry, and foot fitness. They can also address conditions such as a bunion, calluses, corns, flat feet, fungal nail infections, heel pain, ingrown toenails, and plantar warts.
4) Footworks Podiatry Singapore
Footworks Podiatry focuses on therapies for injury treatment and prevention, making them the best option on the list for these concerns. Located in Singapore Sports Medicine Centre, they care for everyone – from professional athletes to young children and regular people.
This clinic provides lower limb and foot ailment diagnosis and non-surgical treatment. Their prices are also reasonable, making its care more inclusive for everyone.
5) Osteopathy & Podiatry Centre
Last on the list, Osteopathy & Podiatry Centre is known for its high-quality, made-to-order customised orthotics. They are the first in Singapore to use 3D laser foot scanning to get exact foot measurements to address footwork podiatry.
This centre provides customised orthotics to address foot function abnormalities and improve foot performance. These are made to fit into any shoes or sandals that are long-lasting and high-quality.
Other Podiatry Clinics in Singapore
You may also check out other clinics and centres that provide foot care treatments, such as Dr Foot Podiatry, Family Podiatry Centre, and Atlas Podiatry.
How Much a Trip to the Podiatrist Would Cost
Podiatrist consultation fee in Singapore can go from $80 to $180, and each follow-up starts at $50. Treatment for therapies of the foot may cost from $25 to $125. Insoles and customised orthotics may range from $195 to $575.
Callous and heel fissure treatments are usually around $100 to $180, while plantar wart treatments range from $120 to $160. Nail treatments cost around $90 and ingrown nail removal may cost from $160 for conservative treatment up to $800 for surgical removal of toenails.
Final Words
Healthy feet are part of caring for wellness and a good lifestyle. Any sign of foot pain or problems should be addressed with a consultation with a podiatrist so you can continue living normally and without pain and discomfort.
