Below are some of the common foot and lower limb conditions that we help people with on a regular basis. However, what we do is not limited to the conditions that you see below. If you have an enquiry about something else, please contact us. We help adults as well as children.
Plantar Heel pain
Plantarfasciitis is inflammation of the plantar fascia, it is commonly incorrectly referred to as a ”heel spur” and the most common symptom is pain under the heel first thing in the morning, or after having sat down in the evenings, and go to get up again.
Heel pain is most commonly an overload of the plantarfascia causing break down over time and leading to inflammation, generally this is caused by a number of factors including biomechanics (the way your feet move) footwear, exercise, and environment. Our podiatrists can help with an accurate diagnosis of your heel pain, and help you create a holistic plan to offload these factors causing plantarfascial overload, as well as provide treatment such as strapping or orthotics, and advice to help avoid reoccurrence of this problem in the future.
Flat feet
Pronation, or rolling in of the feet, is normal and is a part of our shock absorbing mechanism, However, it does come with its pitfalls, over pronation can become symptomatic if left untreated. It can lead to hip and knee pain, heel pain and ankle pain, be a cause in bunion development. In children, over-pronation can create tendon dysfunction that can become problematic in later life. If you feel that you or your child is flat footed, or pronate too much, come and see our experts for an assessment where we can discuss potential problems that may arise due to a flat foot, and what treatment options are available.
Fungal Toenails
Onychomycosis (fungal toenail) are very common, and very hard to treat. If you are concerned about fungal nails, seeing a podiatrist as soon as possible will greatly improve treatment prognosis. There are a vast array of treatment options available including topical and oral anti-fungal medication, lazer therapy, and mechanical debridement. Please discuss this with one of your podiatrists to find the best treatment option for you.
Shin splints
Medial or anterior tibial stress syndrome (Shin Spints) commonly caused by overuse, combined with a tight calf muscle and biomechanical anomaly leading to periosteal inflammation along the medial or anterior tibial boarder. Left untreated, shin splints can lead to stress reactions in the bone, and stress fractures. Symptoms of shin splints are pain on palpation of the tibia (shin bone), soreness with exercise, and relief with rest. Discuss a treatment plan with our podiatrists, who can offer stretching and exercise advice, footwear advise, manual and orthotic therapy, as well as gait assessment and re-training.
Ingrown toenails
Ingrown toenails are when the edge of the nail grows into the skin causing infection. Symptoms are localised pain down the margin of the toenail, redness, swelling and potentially pus, if infection is present. This can be due to the natural curvature of the nail, blunt trauma, such as stubbing your toe, or having the nail ripped off, or trimming the toenail incorrectly. Our experienced team is often treating ingrown toenails and are very efficient in dealing with them conservatively, and painlessly. For problematic or reoccurring ingrown nails, we do offer a procedure known as wedge resection, or partial nail avulsion (PNA) to permanently excise the offending nail edge so it will not grow back. This procedure is done in sterile conditions, under a local anaesthetic.
Sports Injuries
Either acute or overuse sports injuries can be assessment and managed by our podiatrist to get you back out on the track or field as soon as possible. Seeing a podiatrist as soon as possible following sports injury will allow us efficiently diagnose and create a treatment plans including footwear advice, orthotic therapy, referral for further diagnostic testing such as x-ray and ultrasound. Our skilled podiatrists can also work with you to develop a treatment plan including exercises and stretching, strapping and manual therapies such as dry needling and foot manipulation, to get you back on track as soon as possible. We have offloading and supportive braces and CAM walkers available if required for immobilisation.
Sports injuries can include: calf tears and strains, plantar arch pain, knee pain, turf toe (big toe joint pain) and Tendinopathy (tendon pain) that can be present in any number of muscles and tendons including peroneals, Achilles, posterior tibialis, hamstrings and quads and digital flexors.
Corns and callus
Hard skin (Hyperkeratosis) caused by sheer or focal pressure is very common, and can be quite painful. Hyperkeratosis is the body’s defence mechanism for excessive pressure over an area, and is commonly referred to as a corn, or callus. Our podiatrist can assess, diagnose, and easily treat all painful corns and callus efficiently and painlessly. Our podiatrists can also discuss the cause, and offer solutions to prevent the excessive callus build up in the future, or offloading problematic corns.