By Sarrah Peters/News Editor
For the first time, Quality of Life is offering podiatry services. The health services has recently hired Dr. William Bradford.
While Dr.Bradford was serving six years in the Army, he learned more about podiatry, and became interested in the field because it has “a little bit of everything on a specific part of the body.”
He attended medical school in Philidelphia. He previously worked in St. Louis.
Dr. Bradford decided to move to Alabama to be closer to his parents, and Gadsden had exactly what he was looking for: a place like Quality of Life.
There are two types of podiatric care. The first is routine care. Routine care consists of simple, regular foot care tasks such as callous and nail trimming. The second type of care is traumatic care. These are one time incidents, usually involving accidents like a severe stubbed toe.
Dr. Bradford also cares for diabetic foot problems. He gives diabetic foot care counseling. Often, diabetics need special shoes and socks for circulation. Foot wounds can also be slow to heal on diabetics, especially those with a bad foot shape like flat feet.
Flat feet are a big problem that can lead hammer toes and heel spurs. Dr. Bradford can special order orthopedics for any foot shape with plaster molds of a patient’s feet. Bad foot shapes are genetic, so Dr. Bradford recommends bringing children for a foot exam, especially if parents suffer from foot problems.
“Shoes are one of the least paid attention to causes of foot problems, especially toes that are too pointed. It’s like trying to fit a rectangle into a triangle,” said Dr. Bradford.
Dr. Bradford’s office at 1029 Tuscaloosa Avenue in Gadsden is open from 8 a.m to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information or to make an appointment, call 256-492-0131.