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July 5, 2002
A step up on education
Local doctors respond to government podiatry cuts.
KYLE BERGER REPORTER
When the government announced cuts to medical services in January,
podiatry was one of the services that took a hit because statistics
suggested that only two per cent of the population had ever seen
a foot doctor. That figure concerned two local podiatrists who decided
they were going to do something about it.
Dr. Alan Boroditsky and Dr. Howard Green founded a group called
the Allied Foot Specialists, thus embarking on a mission to educate
British Columbians about the importance of podiatry.
"We believe that the public doesn't really know what a podiatrist
does," Boroditsky told the Bulletin. "People often don't
pay attention to their feet as far as health care is concerned."
Boroditsky and Green's biggest project on behalf of Allied Foot
Specialists is their new Web site (www.alliedfootspecialists.com),
which was created to educate the public about foot care.
The easy-to-browse site has information on common and rare conditions,
as well as a section about foot surgery. The site also discusses
podiatry's significant role in preventive medicine pertaining to
patients with diabetes.
Because the foot is one of the farthest limbs on the body and contains
numerous nerve endings, it is one of the first places to be affected
by diabetes.
"If you're diabetic and you have a deficit of sensation, you
may not even know you have an infection because you can't feel any
pain," Boroditsky explained. "You may step on a sliver,
not know it, then walk around for a few days and still not know
it until you get an infection and you see cellulitis streaking up
your leg."
Boroditsky said that a podiatrist's job is often about preventive
medicine.
"If a kid is in-toed, out-toed or flat-footed, they should
probably see a podiatrist about it because it could lead to problems
later in life," he said. "When you have a flat-footed
person who is starting to get bunions at age 12 or 13 they should
be assessed because the sooner we can deal with the deformity in
the foot the better off a patient is going to be later in life."
Boroditsky's and Green's mission has also included several educational
lectures and presentations to family practitioners, nurses, lay
people and other podiatrists. As well, they hope to recruit more
of the 80-odd podiatrists who work throughout British Columbia to
join Allied Foot Specialists in educating the public.
"We're very big on the education part of it," Boroditsky
said.
Both doctors also teach foot surgery at Canada's only podiatry post-graduate
residency program at the University of British Columbia. There are
no other podiatry schools in Canada.
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