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Two weeks ago I had a young lady present to the office concerned that her nail had suddenly detached
following a visit to a nail salon.
Upon examination, yes clearly the nail was detached however, upon removal it was evident there was a brand new nail covering 3/4 of the nail bed beneath. This would suggest that possibly 9-10 months prior to seeing me, was when the trauma to the nail likely occurred.
This trauma would have caused swelling and an interruption in growth, stimulating a new nail to begin growing forward under the old, now dead nail plate.
In all likelihood this would have been detected earlier by the colour change in the nail plate had it not been painted. In this case the pedicurist likely loosened the remaining anchors of the old nail plate during trimming of the cuticle and nail itself.
Very often I get asked how I feel about folks visiting nail salons and pedicurists. In truth they are able to provide an service for many of their clients who are in good health and present with non pathological, or ‘normal’ nails, but just cannot physically get down to or see their feet. Most concerns arise regarding the hygiene of the service and risk of infection. To this my answer is simple, clear and non judgemental. If your systemic health is challenged or your foot problem is beyond normal maintenance then you should be seeking a podiatry/chiropody practitioner. Most salon owners are as concerned about cross infection as you are.
If you are seeking a new salon don’t be afraid to ask to see their instrument sterilizer, let them impress you with their response. The good ones will be delighted with your interest, our patients would get the full tour if we were asked!
Lastly if you have that little voice in your head raising concerns about the cleanliness or level of service your receiving dont be afraid to question or ask that the service be stopped immediately. Their feelings won’t be hurt as much as your foot health may be.
If you have questions don’t hesitate to ask us!.
So I’ve wanted to do a post on this phenomenon for ages!
I am amazed how frequently i find myself especially with new patients feeling like the Inquisitor, dragging out information regarding medical history.
Whether this is fuelled by a distrust in modern medicine or a previous bad
experiences in a doctors office, it greatly reduces the likelihood of success or
satisfaction in the care you receive.
I am not for one second suggesting you walk into every doctors office smiling and
rhyming of your history and symptoms rapid fire. Instead when I refer one of my
patients to another specialty I try to coach them a little regarding getting the best
outcome from the up coming meeting.
First and foremost make it clear you are there because you want to get better and
return to as normal and full a life as possible. You won’t believe how motivating an
effect this will have on the clinician to go above and beyond. Never for get they too
are human, …..well most of them.
Before you go head to your appointment get an idea of the history and symptoms clear
in your mind, better still on paper. General medical history not directly relating to
your condition may be very important that why you’re seeking their help not GOOGLE.
Listen carefully to their questions and reserve your possible frustration and
judgement until later. I had a patient just two days ago who was aggressively
confrontational from the moment I walked in the room demanding to know why I didn’t
have my walls decorated with certificates and diplomas to reassure them of my
professional abilities. After 10 minutes and several deep breaths we finally got
around to discussing her health problem.
By all means question, investigate and become informed about what you believe your
condition to be, YOU are your own best advocate.
Remember medical specialists are human and will be influenced by you, both positively
and negatively. They are trained to deal with nervous, anxious and frightened
patients.
They have however only one hardwired response to a motivated engaged patient, and
that is to HELP!
Orthotics may just have become sexy!
I think we’ve got something very exciting coming for our female patients presently wearing orthotics! In the next week or two our patients presently wearing a current orthotic prescription they are comfortable with can come in and size their feet for a range of custom made sandals and footwear from which they can choose colour and style. These will be custom made with your unique prescription orthotic milled into the footbed. To see the full lineup of styles follow the link to https://integrityortho.com/custom.../custom-footwear.html
We previously were able to offer a less stylish option in partnership with Integrity orthotics. At that time we extensively ensured the effectiveness of building prescription orthotic devices into the footbed of a cork soled sandal.
We feel that these new options will build on that experience to enable us to give your feet the continuous support and stability required to facilitate strength and mobility during the warmer months. As always we stress to remind you when activities demand greater control these are not a replacement for your enclosed footwear. If interested please contact your local clinic to arrange a visit as it is necessary to size the sandal to your foot which can then be applied across the range of options.
Any questions please fire away!
By contactus@podiatryassociates.ca
March 09, 2021
Category:
Uncategorized
Tags:
Brantford
mississauga
Its not by accident that we have pharmacies next door to our offices. We write prescriptions and recommend products all the time to our patients. As a general rule we have chosen not to retail products in our offices. It’s is however important to have a great pharmacy close by where our patients will have a good choice of products and receive great service and the best pharmacological advise. Terrace Hill Pharmacy in Brantford and Kingsbridge Pharmacy in Mississaga offer our patients just the care they need. We are very grateful for the clinical knowledge and support that both these pharmacies have provided over many years.
Most health regions have now opened portal enabling patients 80 years and older to book or preregister for their 1st covid-19 vaccination.
For those living in the following clinic regions click on your clinical heath region to access your portal.