Caring For Your Feet is very important as we can walk as much as 128,000km in our lifetime. That’s 4 times around the circumference around the earth. It is important that you see a Podiatrist regularly to attend to any concerns or simply for a ‘foot service’ to keep these soldiers going. We can help with Toenail care, removal of Callus and Corns Tinea Pedis and cracked heels.

Podiatrists can also provide footwear advice. A well-fitting shoe will increase comfortable walking distance; decrease risk of developing foot problems and decrease general fatigue.

Podiatrists are trained especially to perform nail surgery if necessary. Often if conservative management is not helping with pain or prevention of recurring infections due to ingrowing nails, then nail surgery is a good option to get rid of the pain once and for all.

Often nail surgery is a simple procedure, we use a local anaesthetic on the affected toe first to make sure you feel nothing throughout the procedure. Once the partial or the whole nail is removed, we use Phenol at the matrix root to prevent regrowth. Often a few panadols post surgery on the day or the day after is all you will need if there are any discomfort. Recovery is quite fast as we do not cut any flesh open. You will require 3 follow up visits to check the toe post surgery to make sure it’s healing well.

Podiatrists are trained to perform gait assessments and look at any lower limb mal-alignments through a comprehensive Biomechanical Assessment. Orthoses are devices used to realign the feet and legs, allowing them to function correctly. As all the structures of the body are connected, and as such, abnormal alignment of the feet may affect other parts of the body causing pain or deformity. Conversely though, orthoses can be beneficial for foot, leg, knee, hip and even the lower back pain.

Orthoses differ from insoles or arch supports that may be purchased without prescription, as they are manufactured and prescribed for the individual. Before prescription, your podiatrist will perform an assessment. This involves watching how you stand and walk, and testing your joints and muscles. Taking these factors into account, the orthoses are made to treat your particular foot type and problem.

Orthotics can be used to treat the following conditions such as:

• Plantar fasciitis

• Heel spur syndrome

• Flat feet and related pain

• Lower back pain

• Knee pain

• Achilles tendonopathy

• Server’s disease in Children

• Outoeing & intoeing in Children

• Providing cushioning to forefoot pathologies

• Morton’s Neuroma

Whether you are a professional Athlete, or the everyday person who love to run and hike or just to keep fit, you need your feet to be in good condition to perform any sport. Our Podiatrists at Foothealth First Podiatry are able to help if you have any concerns associated with your feet and sport. It is important that if you have an acute injury, you recover correctly to prevent recurrence in the future. If you have any pain when performing a sport, contact a Podiatrist to help assess your techniques, footwear and muscle/ligament strength which can hinder your performance.

We can also prescribe orthotics to suit the sport of your choice to improve pain and increase endurance.

Foothealth First Podiatry is now offering dry needling at all our Clinics as a treatment modality for a range of musculoskeletal conditions.

Dry needling involves multiple advance of a needle to deactivate triggers points in a muscle to influence pain and function. It can assist in a range of conditions including:

• Plantar fasciitis/heel pain

• Muscle tightness of the lower limb

• Muscle imbalance of the lower limb

• Lower limb pain

• Ankle injuries

• Hallux Valgus

• Forefoot pain (particularly in women wearing tight fitting footwear)

• Joint pain

• Tendonopathy

• Tendonitis

• Acute/Chronic trigger point pain

• Osteoarthritis

If you have any questions regarding this, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Between birth and a child’s first independent steps, the bones in the feet and legs undergo enormous developmental changes. During the first year of a child’s life their feet grow rapidly, reaching almost half their adult size. Feet and legs continue to develop until a child’s mid teens.

Podiatrist can help assess children’s gait and detect any abnormalities associated with their growth. Eg. Intoeing, outoeing, overlapping toes, excessively tripping over etc.

Footwear assessment is also another area that we can provide advice on. To ensure healthy development takes place, feet need room to grow.

Tight footwear, tight socks and stockings, even too-tightly-tucked-in bedclothes can have an impact on the growing foot.

If you are unsure about your Child’s walking or need advice on their feet, book in with a podiatrist today.

It is very important for anyone with Diabetes type 1 or type 2 to see a Podiatrist for a Neurovascular assessment at least once or twice a year.

At the visit, we will check your Pedal pulses with a Doppler Ultrasound for indication of any circulation problems. Then we will check your skin colour, nail growth, any abnormalities that will need your attention. It is also very important that the Podiatrist checks your nerves in the feet as often Diabetic Neuropathy can lead to amputations. At Foothealth First Podiatry, all our Podiatrist will perform this check up if you have Diabetes and provide a written report for your GP if necessary.