Frazer Donaldson  ‘Podiatry helps to put our best foot forward’.

 

Frazer was brought up in Alloway, eventually graduating in Podiatry from Glasgow Caledonian University in 2014, and has worked as a Podiatrist in the NHS and private sector since graduating.

He now owns a practice Best Foot Forward in Ayr where he serves the local community as well as the Ayrshire Bulls Rugby Team.

His talk briefly outlined the scope of practice podiatry, with some general advice on good foot health. Podiatry is a specialist area of healthcare that involves foot and lower limb conditions. A podiatrist is a healthcare professional who specialises in conditions affecting the feet and ankles.

A podiatrist has a degree-level qualification and must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and may also be a member of a professional organisation, such as the British Chiropody and Podiatry Association, the College of Podiatry or the Institute of Chiropodists and Podiatrists. Frazer continued by testing his audience to assess types of shoes shown on screen, explaining there are no bad shoes because all of them at appropriate at times. Also, an additional test was to guess the number of bones in the foot. 26 is the answer.

He then launched into Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions which affects many people and can affect your joints, bones and muscles and sometimes associated tissues such as nerves. They can range from minor injuries to long-term conditions.

Frazer told his audience that over 20 million people in the UK, almost one third of the population, have a MSK condition such as arthritis or back pain. Symptoms can include pain, stiffness, limited movement, and disability which affect quality of life and independence.

Poor MSK health has a huge impact on people, their employers, the NHS and the wider economy. In fact, over 10 million working days are lost due to MSK conditions every year in the Scotland.

People are living longer with complex MSK conditions – for many people a longer life will mean more years spent in ill health. By 2030, over 15.3 million people in the UK will be over 65 years of age, resulting in an ever-increasing demand on MSK services.

Frazer said MSK conditions are more common in areas of greater poverty and may affect some ethnic groups more than others. For this whistle stop tour of podiatry, packed with facts and information, Willie Stewart gave w worthy vote of thanks