Corns Callus / Cracked Heels
Corns and callus occur as a result of pressure and friction on the skin of your foot. Your body responds to the pressure by growing more skin for protection. If the pressure on the skin continues, then the skin thickens to the point where it becomes painful. Too much pressure can be caused by:
footwear that is too tight
toe deformities
bony prominence
biomechanical or gait abnormalities
To treat corns and callus, our podiatrists de-bride the hard skin, a painless procedure which gives immediate relief. However unless the cause of the corn or callus is addressed, your corn or callus may return.
Our treatment may include:
Assessment to determine the cause of the corn and/or callus
Regular treatments and maintenance to keep the corn and callus reduced
Use of padding to prevent the pressure
Advice on properly fitting footwear
The use of custom orthotics to relieve pressure under the foot
Ingrown Toenails
Is a common and often unpleasant condition frequently seen in the big toe nail. An ingrown toenail is when the nail grows into the skin, usually at the sides of the nail. This irritates the skin, often creating pain, redness, swelling, and warmth in the toe. If an ingrown nail causes a break in the skin, bacteria may enter and cause an infection.
We treat ingrown toe nails every day. Often it is a simple and painless procedure that consists of removing the sharp piece of offending nail.
If an infection is present, an oral antibiotic may be prescribed on referral to your doctor.
Causes of ingrown toenail:
Curved shaped nails
Wide, or fan shaped nails
Incorrect nail cutting technique
Tearing, ripping or picking nails
Injury to the nail
Thickened nails
Tight shoe
Nail surgery may be required when the pain and infection continues to reoccurs, inhabiting work and other activities.
One of the most common procedures is partial nail avulsion. This procedure is performed in our clinic. During the surgery, a small section of the nail is removed without cutting the skin and a chemical, which prevents nail growth, is applied to the area of tissue that the nail grows from. Specific dressings are applied after the surgery to keep the wound clean and minimise the chance of infection. You will be able to walk out immediately afterwards but may require a wider shoe or open shoe. We do recommend that you keep your foot up following the procedure to reduce the chance of post-operative bleeding.
We will follow up with a change of dressing 1-2 days after the surgery and again a week after. You can expect to be fully healed approximately 3-4 weeks post-surgery.
Fungal infections / Tinea
Fungal nail infection (Onychomycosis) causes nail discolouration and thickening. The nail may appear white, black or yellow. Without treatment, the fungus will remain in the nail eventually causing the entire nail to be infected and potentially spreading to adjoining nails.
Treatment of a fungal nail infection can be difficult as the infection is embedded within the nail. A number of other nail conditions may resemble a fungal nail infection. Therefore, it’s important to get a correct diagnosis before commencing any treatments.
Our podiatrists are fully trained to assess and diagnose fungal nails and advise you on appropriate treatment.
Tinea (Athlete’s Foot) is very common. It can be confused with dry skin. What begins as cracking, redness and itching between your toes, can progress to peeling, flaking and dryness predominantly on the soles of your feet.
Our Podiatrist can advise you on the condition of your skin and can recommend appropriate treatments. If it is not clear what is causing your skin condition, we will recommend pathology testing and/or referral to a dermatologist for specialised treatment if necessary.
Biomechanical and Gait Assessment
Abnormal foot biomechanics is a main contributing factor in the development of pain and injury in the feet, ankles, knees and legs. Our Podiatrists will carry out a biomechanical assessment to detect any biomechanical abnormalities that may be the cause of your pain or predispose you to injury.
Symptoms that may require biomechanical assessment:
Muscle/ joint pain
Heel pain
Arch pain
Knee pain
Sprains
The way you walk or run
Achilles pain
Calf pain
Bone fractures
Biomechanical assessment will involve:
Alignment of foot and ankle
Joint range of motion
Muscle length and strength
Gait analysis
Footwear assessment
Our Podiatrist can offer you advice and therapies to help treat your problem including footwear advice, orthotic therapy, stretching and strengthening exercises, padding and strapping.
Heel Pain / Plantar Fasciitis
There are many conditions that may lead to you having pain predominantly in you heel. One of the most common heel conditions we see is Plantar Fasciitis.
The plantar fascia is a strong fibrous band of tissue connecting the heel bone (calcaneus) to the front of your foot helping to support the arch of your foot. Overloading of the plantar fascia can cause inflammation and pain known as Plantar Fasciitis. The pain can be experienced anywhere around the heel and along the arch of your foot.
COMMON CAUSES OF PLANTAR FASCIITIS
Non-supportive footwear
Tight calf muscles
Foot structure – high arches as well as flat feet can contribute to heel pain
Sudden increase in activity levels – often associated with a get fit program!
Increase in body weight
Playing sports that put stress on the heel bone, like running, dance and aerobics
Pregnancy
Spending a lot of time on your feet
To check whether you have plantar fasciitis, the Podiatrist will ask you some questions about your symptoms, occupation and lifestyle.
During the assessment our Podiatrist will also carry out a physical biomechanical examination to check your joint range of motion, test muscle strength, analyse the way you walk and your footwear.
An X-ray or ultrasound scan is sometimes needed to rule out other possible causes of heel pain.
Our podiatry service has a range of therapeutic treatment options and advice available. Our podiatrists have extensive experience in treating all types of foot pain.
Don’t suffer heel pain any longer; call us now to make an appointment with one of our experienced podiatrists.
Bunions
Bunions can develop when the big toe angles excessively towards the second toe. Bunions tend to run in families (hereditary) and are highly linked to a person’s foot type. The shoes that you wear and your foot posture may be a contributory factor to this problem. It is therefore, important that our Podiatrist assesses your foot and your footwear.
Our Podiatrists can advise you on a range of treatments that may slow down the process the bunions and relieve pain. We can also provide information regarding bunion surgery – however, this requires referral to a specialist Podiatric Surgeon.
Children’s feet
Children’s feet differ from adults’ as the bones are not fully formed until they are in their late teens. During this growing stage your kid’s feet are extremely susceptible to the influences of injury, improper footwear, and poor development in the form of flat feet.
Does your child --
Walk with a bouncy gait?
Have flat feet?
Have ingrown toe nails?
Experience shin pain?
Tip Toe walk?
Walking in-toe or out-toe?
An inability to keep up with their peers?
Heel pain?
Knee pain?
“Growing pain” that does not go away or last for more than a few weeks
Complain of leg pain after playing sport?
We can assess your child’s feet by carrying out a biomechanical assessment to check your child’s joint range of motion, their muscle length and strength and we will observe their gait. We will also check their shoes to make sure they are wearing best shoes for their foot type and activities.
At times, they may need some extra support to help them develop. We can help by providing appropriate footwear advice and orthoses to aid stabilisation and correct structural development.
Shin splints
Shin splints are defined as pain along the inner edge of the shinbone (tibia). Shin splints are usually caused by repeated trauma to the connective muscle tissue surrounding the tibia. The pain can present in conjunction with foot pain. The pain will be exacerbated by high impact activities like running and jumping and may be accompanied by palpable, tender lumps along the shin, indicating areas of inflammation.
Common foot problems and poor foot alignment are leading causes to shin splints. Improving your foot biomechanics with appropriate footwear, orthotics, strapping and stretching are treatments our Podiatrists can provide to keep you active.
Diabetic Foot care
A diabetic foot assessment will assist in discovering and managing potential foot problems associated with diabetes.
During the foot assessment, your Podiatrist will feel your foot pulses to observe your circulation. They will also test the ‘feeling’ in your feet by looking at your reflexes, vibration and pressure sensitivity.
Full physical inspections will be carried out to examine for potential future foot problems.
Your Podiatrist will also show you how to manage your feet in between consultations and provide you with advice on appropriate footwear.
We advise you see your Podiatrist regularly throughout the year to ensure your feet are kept healthy and risk free.