What is forensic podiatry? It is probably two things. Some podiatrists work in a forensic role and aid in criminal investigations such as identification of foot prints and different gaits on video. It also refers to the use of podiatry techniques in forensic investigations, not necessarily by a podiatrist. Forensic podiatry is becoming a more prominent use of podiatry skills and there are many podiatrists who now consult in this area.
Have you heard of foot reading? Hopefully you haven’t as its a scam! The whole premise of foot reading is that a persons personality can be determined from the shape and structure of the foot and any problems that the foot has. There are many websites and books devoted to the topic and some even do this for a living. The personalty descriptions from the foot reading are so vague that they could apply to most people, given the impression that foot reading is for real. Its not.
Foot manipulation is defined as as a rapid forceful movement of a joint of the foot. It is similar to what chiropractors do to the back. More and more clinicians from different disciplines are fusing foot manipulation to treat a wide range of conditions of the foot. The scientific evidence for its use is mixed and there is no clear good science that supports it. Some clinicians use it some very specific condition like cuboid syndrome in conjunction with a range of other treatment options. Other clinicians use it as there primary method of treating a large range of conditions. It is for this reason that it use does have some controversy. There are plenty of anecdotes and testimonials that it works.
This is not really a “foot health” topic but the book is of interest to those in the foot health industry. Dr Seuss wrote a range of very popular kids books to help them learn. The Foot Book used a whole lot of different foot imagery’s to teach children about opposites: Big foot, little foot; left foot, right foot. Almost reviews of the book have been positive and the book is seen as helpful by parents and as fun by the kids and as a novelty by those in the foot health industry.