Podiatrist - Career Advice - Community and Health

Forensic Podiatrist

Podiatrists look after the health of people's feet by diagnosing, treating and preventing foot abnormalities, and by educating the public about good foot health.

Podiatrists diagnose and treat ailments of the feet and lower limbs. They help to relieve discomfort or Future Growth Very Strong increase mobility for their patients by diagnosing and preventing foot injuries and disorders, prescribing orthotics and offering advice on foot care. They also treat walking abnormalities in children and perform both minor and major surgery, either on warts and ingrown nails, or on misaligned toes. They also undertake administrative work, order medical supplies, and may also offer public advice on foot care through talks or conferences.

ANZSCO ID & description: 2526: Prevents, diagnoses and treats disorder of the feet. Registration or licensing is required. Child's foot examination

Alternative names: Chiropodist [old name]

Specialisations: Childrens Podiatrist, Diabetic Podiatrist, Podiatric Surgeon, Sports Podiatrist

Podiatrists may develop a special interest in dealing with particular client groups, such as children, the aged or sportspeople. They may also work in a particular area, such as occupational health, or with general medical conditions that result in foot and leg problems.

Knowledge, skills and attributes

A podiatrist needs:

a desire to help people
an interest in human biology
strong communication skills
organisational skills
patience and tact
hand-eye co-ordination and manual dexterity

Duties and Tasks

Podiatrists may perform the following tasks: Nails

examine patients' feet to diagnose any disorders or infections and decide on an appropriate treatment
give advice on foot health and the prevention of foot disorders
treat deformities such as flat feet and foot imbalance by using corrective devices such as orthoses
work with patients suffering from diabetes,
rheumatoid arthritis, peripheral vascular disorders
and other neuropathies
perform surgical procedures on the foot
treat abnormalities of bones, joints, skin and nails such as bunions, toe deformities, ingrown toenails, corns, warts and other infections
recommend footwear for specific foot conditions
prescribe orthotic devices for protection and correction of a wide range of foot and leg irregularities.
prescribing and fitting replaceable pads, palliative and functional supports and other devices for the protection and correction of foot abnormalities
advising patients about continued treatment and foot care
may provide rehabilitation services to the physically handicapped
may refer patients to or have patients referred from Medical Practitioners

Working conditions

Podiatrists work in private practices, health clinics, nursing homes and other medical facilities. They usually work regular hours but may be required to work long hours at times. They examine and handle peoples feet, and may come into contact with unhygenic body tissue.

Tools and technologies

Podiatrists make and fit insoles and other corrective devices that they fit to their client's shoes, feet and lower legs. They prescribe medications, skin creams and balms for their patients, and also use x-ray equipment to diagnose foot problems. They also use surgical instruments and dressings, sterilising equipment, and treatment tables, as well as orthotic materials, grinders and shaping equipment, and video gait-analysis equipment.

Education and training/entrance requirements

To become a podiatrist, you must first complete a bachelor degree in any discipline, and then complete a postgraduate degree in podiatry.

The Doctor of Podiatric Medicine three year graduate degree will provide you with the training to become an accredited podiatrist. To get into this course, you must first have successfully completed a bachelor degree in any discipline with a grade point average of at least 5.0 and achieved an average score of 50 in the Graduate Australian Medical Schools Admissions Test (GAMSAT).

To work as a podiatrist in Australia, you must obtain professional registration with the Podiatry Board of Australia, and hold a current Working with Children Check issued by the Working with Children Screening Unit of the Department of Community Services.

Employment Opportunities

Employment of podiatrists is projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations. Continued growth in the demand for medical and surgical care of feet and ankles will stem from the ageing population. Podiatrists will also be needed to treat patients with foot and ankle conditions caused by chronic conditions, such as diabetes and obesity.

Did You Know?

A human foot and ankle is a very strong mechanical structure that contains 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments.

Xrays of feet

The 52 bones in your feet make up one quarter of all the bones in your body. When those bones are out of alignment, so is the rest of your body.

About 20-30% of the world's population have Morton's Toe, a foot condition in which the second toe is longer than the big toe.##About 20-30% of the world's population have Morton's Toe, a foot condition in which the second toe is longer than the big toe.

The average adult takes 4,000-6,000 steps a day.

Akshat Saxena holds the world record for having the most toes with 10 digits one each foot!

In a pair of feet, there are 250,000 sweat glands. These sweat glands produce approximately half a pint [1 cup or 250mls] of perspiration daily.

Shoe sizes were devised in England by King Edward II who declared in 1324 that the diameter of one barley corn- a third of an inch- would represent one full shoe size.
(Source: Foot Facts)

Forensic podiatry is a sub-discipline which uses the anatomy of the foot along with the dynamics of walking or running that are particular to each person like length of stride, depth of impression, turn and Future Growth Strong angle of foot, and form. The evidence can be foot impressions on the ground or in footwear, could be the impressions of the footwear, or a person's walk. There could be a bloody footprint left at a scene, for use in footprint profiling, or use in large disasters.

It used to be that the shoe had to be cut up to obtain the impression. In modern science a simple UV light shone on the insole of a shoe can show a footprint impression and a photo taken for comparisons. Despite this advance forensic investigators still take plaster casts of the impressions left behind using technology that has barely changed in decades.

As opposed to fingerprints forensic podiatry is a new science. It was only added and certified by the International Association for Identification (IAI) in 2008. Nevertheless, it has already spawned forensic podiatry classes and certifications at places like Temple University and has its own professional journal, Forensic Podiatry from Springer Press.

Forensic podiatry is the evaluation of evidence relating to the human foot—technically termed pedal evidence—for the purpose of connecting an individual to footwear or a footprint. This area of expertise usually requires someone who has a background in podiatric medicine—in other words, it is usually a person who has dedicated their study to the structure of the foot, ankle, knee, leg, and hip.

Knowledge, skills and attributes

Forensic podiatrists can establish identity of the individuals from the footprints in many ways. The analysis of bare footprints involves the identification based on the individualistic features like flat footedness, ridges, humps, creases, an extra toe, missing toe, corns, cuts, cracks, pits, deformities, and various features of the toe and heel region. All these individualistic features can link the criminal with the crime. In addition to these, parameters of body size like stature and body weight as well as sex can also be estimated by using anthropometric methods.

If a series of footprints are recovered from the crime scene, then parameters of the gait analysis such as stride/step length and general movement of the criminal can be traced. Apart from these, a newly established biometric parameter of the footprints i.e. footprint ridge density can also be evaluated for personal identification. Careful analysis of the footprint ridge density can give an idea about the sex of the criminal whose footprints are recovered at the scene which can further help to reduce the burden of the investigating officer as the investigations then may be directed toward either a male suspect or a female suspect accordingly.

Forensic podiatry measurements
Various landmarks and measurements on the human foot.
(Source: Science Direct)

Duties and Tasks

A forensic podiatrist may be called upon to work as a member of the forensic team in a variety of situations and for a number of different types of evidence, including the following:

The examination of footprints, either made by bare feet or sock-clad feet, most commonly visible prints made with blood
The examination of foot impressions in a substrate
The examination of footwear, particularly when there is a question of the predominant wearer or ownership of the questioned footwear
Footprint profiling
Mass-disaster applications

Did You Know?

In 1786 in Scotland the impressions of boots left at the scene of the murder of a little girl were matched to those of a man attending her funeral.

Podiatrists have been involved in cases since the 1970s. Just before Christmas 1989 James Styers and Roger Scott abducted and shot little Christopher Milke in Arizona. Some footprints were found at the scene in the desert and these matched shoes later found in a garbage bin.

Based on the podiatric evidence of the shoe size, impression, and deformations of the foot the suspects were placed at the scene. They and an accomplice were later given the death penalty.

In England in 2008 a man was arrested based on video of his bow-legged walk which was matched to someone already known to police.
(Source: Criminology & Justice)

The use of foot-related evidence in criminal investigations dates back to 1862 when Jessie McLachlan’s footprint placed her at the scene of a woman’s murder for which McLachlan was subsequently convicted. In modern times, forensic podiatrists have assisted law enforcement in investigations since the 1970s.
(Source: Police Chief Magazine)

Education and training/entrance requirements

Forensic podiatrists are doctors of podiatry who have been in business for a number of years in order to gain the right expertise. There are a number of medical schools that offer the specialization.

Employment Opportunities

Forensic scientist job opportunities are expected to increase by an average rate of growth. There is strong interest in forensic science careers and crime scene investigation jobs, partly as a result of popular television and movie depictions. This is a highly specialised occupation, and it is likely that interest will outstrip the supply of available roles. The Forensic Podiatrist has even a smaller amount of opportunity as even less crime scenes have shoes or feet involved.

Many forensic scientist and forensic podiatrist jobs are subject to government and law enforcement budgets.