The Foot Doctor: Lifetime Relief for Your Aching Feet

Ian W. Toal is a nurse in Barrie, Ontario.

Feet get no respect. “My patients often dislike their ‘ugly’
feet,” asserts the author, a podiatrist, “and my medical colleagues
tend to view the foot with disdain.” His objective in this
well-designed book is to “put the foot up on a pedestal” and to
explain “how the foot functions and why it is shaped the way it is.”
Copeland’s main thesis is that most foot problems are biomechanical in
nature and that if a problem is fixed without correcting the underlying
physical causes, it will recur. Corns are a case in point; if a corn is
cut off without addressing the underlying joint problems, it will simply
come back again.

Copeland has as easy, conversational style that is laced with humor.
Although he is writing for a lay audience, he does not shy away from
medical terminology, especially in relation to bones, tendons, and
joints of the foot. Terms are well defined in the text and illustrated
with simple line diagrams. There are a few mislabeled diagrams—a minor
flaw in an otherwise excellent resource.