Establishment of Japan's First "Podiatry Medicine Center" in a University Hospital.

Abstract

Podiatry Medicine is well known medical field in Europe and the United States, which is a discipline that specializes in foot medical care. In Europe and the United States, it is common to see a podiatrist if there are any symptoms in the foot and they provide specialized medical for foot disease. However, in Japan, even if you feel that your foot hurts, there is no specialized medicine to be provided. In Japan, commonly podiatry medicine is often provided by each clinical field or department related to patient's symptoms and there was no university hospital in Japan that advocated Podiatry Medicine. As the aging society progresses in the future, maintaining "walking" is one of the important issues to extend the healthy life span. To overcome this issue and to provide specialized medical care for foot patients in Japan, Juntendo Hospital established the "Podiatry Center" to be the first time in Japan. This center comprehensively assesses the symptoms that occur in the foot, similar to podiatry medicine in Europe and the United States (medical treatment for the lower leg to the foot, not including the knee), and provides multidisciplinary treatment from foot care to cutting-edge medical treatment. The center cooperates with many clinical departments such as plastic and reconstructive surgery, dermatology, vascular surgeon, cardiovascular medicine, diabetes medicine, collagen disease medicine, kidney medicine, orthopedics, rehabilitation department, and nurses, prosthetist, and other professions to carry out diagnosis, treatment, and prevention promptly and effectively for the best for patients with foot diseases.