Foot perfect

THERE'S something about taking your socks off in front of a stranger that makes you want to giggle.

"Everyone feels a bit silly and vulnerable at first," says Jonathan Draper as he gently takes hold of my left foot. "Then they get comfortable with it and relax.

"You'd be surprised the things people tell me when I'm massaging their feet," he continues as I unsuccessfully try to suppress a squeal of laughter. "I get to hear about affairs and family secrets they wouldn't even tell their best friends about."

It's not every day that an interviewee takes a scalpel to my feet before giving them a thorough rub down. But it's not every day that I interview a chiropodist.

Jonathan, who is based at White Rose Clinic in Haxby Road, York, is not just a chiropodist, he's an enthusiast.

"Your feet are the foundation of your body," he says. "They are very important. Once I recognised that, I knew what I wanted to do with my life."

He previously worked in the family business, selling agricultural machinery. When the business was sold, he decided it was time for a change of direction - downwards.

"Feet are fascinating," he says. "It also helps that chiropody is pretty much a redundancy-free business. As long as people have feet they will need foot doctors."

Although Jonathan is happy to wield a scalpel and clippers, his real interest lies in high-tech podiatry.

His practice, which he shares with an osteopath, a sport and remedial massage therapist and a reflexologist, is the first in York to invest in a £10,000 foot scanner used by the likes of Paula Radcliffe and Michael Owen.

This state-of-the-art equipment is made up of a pressure-sensitive pad that the client steps, walks or runs on. Minute measurements are sent direct to a computer, which then immediately evaluates the data and produces a package of information and images pinpointing problems and recommending corrections.

"The procedure is fast and dynamic," Jonathan explains. "The scan is able to pick up the smallest of problems, ones that cannot be detected by the human eye."

Foot scanning is particularly useful to athletes because it can pick up on problems before they have begun to cause pain. Corrections can then be made to prevent further problems occurring - and hopefully give the athlete a longer, healthier career.

The system allows Jonathan to evaluate how people use their feet in great detail (a quick scan of my own size 6s involved 714 separate images in 20 milliseconds).

It shows where clients are putting excess pressure on their feet, where there are potential points of collapse, and where their strengths and weaknesses lie. It also provides precise measurements so bespoke shoe inserts can be made to give people support exactly where they need it.

The clinic is already receiving referrals from around the county and into the North East. Its client list includes professional footballers and golfers and a number of the York City Knights rugby players. But the scanner is not exclusively used by athletes.

A general chiropody treatment for hard skin or problem nails at the clinic costs £20, including a foot massage. For an extra £25 any client can have a full assessment using the scanner.

"We had a client, for instance, who was complaining of hip and backache and visited our osteopath," says Jonathan. "She was referred to me and I found, using the scanner, that she had one leg shorter than the other. This isn't an unusual problem, but it meant she was putting excessive pressure on one foot and twisting her body to compensate. Once we had the scan results, it was a quick fix."

He particularly enjoys working with young athletes just starting out on their careers, but is equally at home with the long line of hairdressers, postmen, nurses and waiters who troop through the door with aching feet.

His only regret is that more people don't make the same effort.

"People go to get their eyes tested and teeth checked, but they don't pay any attention to their feet," says Jonathan.

"If you have a pain somewhere else in your body you react quickly and get it sorted. If your feet hurt, you put it down to the ageing process and hope it will go away. Unfortunately, however, it doesn't go away, it just gets worse."

A simple fix such as swapping your high heels for flats once in a while (don't panic, you don't have to bin your spikes altogether) can give your feet a break, and a lot of problems can be solved by an over-the-counter shoe insert.

Foot exercises such as scrunching your toes in sand or repeatedly rolling a tennis ball from heel to toe and back again can also give your feet a boost.

"We work hard to exercise all our muscles except those in our feet," says Jonathan, politely ignoring my grunts and wheezes as I squeeze my feet back into completely unsuitable boots. "Don't forget your feet - you'd be surprised how much you need them."

Footnotes

- The average person walks 120,000km in a lifetime

- The average person takes 18,000 steps a day

- When you run, your foot hits the ground with a force equal to three times your body weight

Updated: 09:00 Tuesday, October 26, 2004