Provided by Alison Matthews

About Alison

Alison qualified as a Foot Health Practitioner in February 2006, at the College of Foot Health Practitioners and works in the Private Sector providing Footcare Services.

Since qualifying, she has built up a substantial client list at her regular practice and including a substantial number of domiciliary patients.

She specialises in a range of footcare, including Nail Trimming, Corns, Calluses, Ingrown Toenails, Footcare for the Diabetic Foot and General Nail Care.

Nursing homes and hospital visits are also a regular part of her practice.

She holds a First Aid Certificate and regularly attends seminars and courses for continuous professional development (CPD)

The need for healthy feet

We often ignore the importance of regularly caring for our feet until we suffer problems like foot pain, corns, or in-growing toenails. Many people need simple foot care to maintain mobility and quality of life. Being overweight or diabetic increases this need, and both of these conditions are rapidly increasing in prevalence in the population: diabetics have need of professional foot care.

Foot health practitioners

Foot Health Practice is the modern way to care for corns, callus, bunions, ingrown toenails, verrucae, all the everyday things that happen to feet.

Foot Health Practitioners deliver routine foot care wherever it is needed. They are trained to recognise and assess foot conditions, treat appropriately and refer when necessary.

Foot Health Practitioners attend to all of the common conditions that affect the foot and leg. This can range from routine care of the nails, through treatment of verrucae and hard corns, to functional problems of the foot in gait. Feet are complicated machines. There are a great many foot pathologies.

Working as independent practitioners in the private sector, Foot Health Practitioners deliver their skills in a wide range of settings. They work with other health care professionals wherever necessary for the well-being of their clients.

Conditions and treatments

Corn

A corn is a localized thickening of the skin due to pressure. Corns often occur on the top of the toes where there is pressure from the shoes. However, they also occur at the sole of the foot and in between toes. Certain corns may become entwined with the nerves of the skin, these corns are particularly painful. Often corns develop a core which is often referred to as the “root” by patients. Corns can be very painful, especially if there is inflammation and swelling around the corn.

Fungal Nails

Fungal nail conditions are caused by microscopic organisms called Dermatophytes. Dermatophytes grow in the nail bed, beneath the nail and live off keratin, the protein in the nail. The condition usually begins towards the far end of the nail and may start with patches of white or yellow discolouration. If the condition is left untreated, it will proceed to the base of the nail. It will attack the nail root (matrix) and cause the nail to grow very thick and deformed. The big toe is usually the first nail to be affected with the condition spreading to adjacent nails. In rare cases this condition can also affect the skin surrounding the nails

Cracked Heels

Cracked heels are often referred to as fissures and are usually caused by dry skin. For most people this is a nuisance and a cosmetic problem but when the fissures are deep, the skin bleeds easily and is can be very painful. The heels appear yellow or dark brown depending on the skin type and are normally accompanied by dry skin. Symptoms include a hard growth of skin, usually on the outer edge of the heel. Patients may experience pain while walking and increased discomfort in thin soles or open back shoes

Callus

Callus occurs due to hyperkeratosis. This is the thickening of the skin due to pressure. Callus can occur over bony prominence, on the ball of the foot or on the heel. Callus often occur due to prolonged standing and may result in chronic pain. A callus appears as yellow or dark brown discoloured skin.

Athlete’s Foot

Athlete’s foot is a common name given to a fungus infection of the skin that predominately occurs in between toes but can occur anywhere on the foot. If left untreated the condition can spread to other parts of the foot, hands and can even affect the face.

The skin involved may be red, swollen and may contain sticky fluid. Patients may also experience a scaly dry rash on the bottom and sides of feet, dry and itchy lesions or a burning or stinging sensation.

Bunions

Bunions are one of the most common forefoot deformities. A displacement of the bone under the 1st toe occurs. This causes the big toe to move towards the smaller toes. This shifting of the bones causes a bony prominence on the side of the patients foot (the bunion joint). Over a period of time the big toe may come to rest under (occasionally over) the 2nd toe.

Symptoms include redness, swelling and pain which may be present along the inside margin of the foot. The patients feet may become too wide to fit into their normal size shoe and may experience moderate to severe discomfort may occur when the patient is wearing tight shoes. A “hammer toe” may occur at the 2nd toe. This is when the toe contracts and presses on the shoe. Subsequently, this may cause a corn on top of the 2nd toe.

In-growing Toenails

In-growing toenails are one of the most common foot complaints. This condition can be very painful and patients may often be very reluctant to have the condition treated. However this condition will not resolve itself and requires specialist care.

An in growing toe nail is caused by a splinter of nail or the whole nail causing pressure into the skin. Some in growing toenails are acute which means that they have occurred due to a injury to the toe. Others are chronic, which means the patient has had the problem for a long period of time. The large toe is usually affected, however, it can also affect the lesser toes.

Booking an Appointment

Alison is providing Foot Health Clinic Treatment at the Wymeswold Pharmacy every Monday and Wednesday between 9am-5pm.

For more information or to make an appointment, please contact:

Pharmacy: 01509 881513
Mobile: 07814 266011
email wymeswold.pharmacy@gmail.com

Price per session is £22
Please give 24 hours notice of an appointment cancellation.