The implications of biomechanics in podiatry are vast. Podiatry is the medical field concerned with the well-being of feet. Biomechanics pertains to the mechanical study of biological beings. As there are many mechanical uses of the feet, it is obvious that this science and branch of medicine are woven together.
Doctors use biomechanics to improve performance, diagnose disease, or treat injury. The applications of this unique field are perpetually growing, and biomechanics in podiatry is only one of the plethora of ways in which the study of the human machine has helped improve lives. Their relationship is constantly growing broader and more significant as well with each gain of new knowledge in this field.
Sometimes, people discredit the field of podiatry as insignificant. This opinion generally changes when an individual visits a podiatrist or has a foot problem. At this point, most people realize how important podiatry is to well-being. An improperly functioning foot can significantly impair or decrease mobility and overall quality of life.
Additionally, there are certain problems of the foot that may even cause death. One example of this is the potential for chronic ulceration of the feet, common among diabetics. This can create a medium for bacteria to infect the body, stirring up a pot of ailments no one is eager to deal with.
Biomechanics in podiatry can help alleviate some of these problems. In the case of the ulcer, for example, biomechanics can help doctors analyze the walking motion, which might be causing ulceration. Perhaps the suffering patient has an ataxic or irregular gait, leading to rubbing of the foot against the shoe, eventually resulting in ulceration. By examining the walking process and improving it, this friction can be avoided, and ulcers can cease to exist. This is but one of the many examples of the roles of biomechanics in podiatry.
Science is advancing across the board at amazing rates, and biomechanics lives up to these ambitious expectations. Through the use of problem solving at the hands of the scientific method, researchers are learning more than ever about human movement. Biomechanics in podiatry, for example, is finding new ways of being useful in improving people's lives.
Health is often taken for granted until compromised. One helpful way to avoid this trap is to consider how life would be without a certain ability or body part. Imagining life without feet and understanding one of the fields that may prevent this problem can help a person truly appreciate the role of biomechanics in podiatry.