2 feet and 10 toes:
12 reasons to see your PridePlus Health Podiatrist
We’ve all played the game before; nieces and nephews, sons and daughters, and grandkids alike know about “this little piggy”. As we grow we up we (hopefully) play much less frequently with our feet and toes. They’re often covered up with nail polish, socks, shoes and it’s easy to forget about them. After years of seeing forgotten feet and toes start to hit back with troubles we thought it was time to re-introduce Podiatry.
Welcome to PridePlus Health Podiatry.
12 reasons to see your PridePlus Health Podiatrist
Sore feet
Foot pain can be fixed. Our feet are some of the hardest working parts of our bodies, and when they get pushed outside their comfort zone they can really let you know about it. Some of us try to push through the pain and often find that if the pain is related to soft tissues (tendons/fascia) it starts to improve as we warm up. Trouble is that with stopping and then trying to start again, our unwanted pains return. While feet might seem like we can never get off them with our busy lives, pain can be resolved by addressing the causative factors. You expert PridePlus podiatrist can teach you how.
Ingrown toenails
A real problem for many Australians. Ingrowing toenails can be debilitating with the amount of pain that can be caused by one distant nail edge. Pain, infections and disability can be resolved with a quick trip to your PridePlus podiatrist.
Corns and callus
Corns and callus are hard, often yellow-ish coloured skin lesions as a result of too much pressure and shearing (twisting) forces acting upon the foot. These often painful lesions can be removed simply by your podiatrist, and many times prevented from returning with some nifty pressure care and improving skin integrity.
Dry skin
For some a year round concern, for others only so in the warmer weather when open sandals become the go to choice of shoe. There are many reasons why your skin could be dryer than the next person’s. Often these reasons can be countered with some simple techniques at home and a quick trip to your podiatrist.
Diabetes
Diabetes Australia recommends that anyone with diabetes sees at podiatrist at least 1 x per year for a diabetes foot risk assessment. There are many risks associated with diabetes and feet, which can be reduced if you know what to look for. Your Pride Podiatrist can help.
Smoking
The gross-out pictures on cigarette packets are not just for show. Smoking can have significant and preventable debilitating effects on feet. Your podiatrist can investigate and help plan to reduce and prevent many of these occurring.
Running
Born to run or born to sit? Trying to understand the marketing hyperbole around sports shoes, running apparel, insoles and bracing? Running is one of the best all round exercises for our body and mind. What does the way you run say about your injury risk? How can you improve efficiency, reduce risks of overuse? They’re questions for PridePlus Health’s podiatry team.
Team sports
Footy, netball, basketball… All team sports demand cooperation from our feet to keep us upright, moving, turning, jumping, kicking, winning and grinning. Whether it’s ankle sprains in dynamic sports, traumatic injuries in contact sports, ball-of-foot or big toe pain in sprinting/dancing sports our podiatry team can get you back in the game.
Can’t reach my feet
We can get to a time when our feet get further away… Well at least our ability to reach them is reduced as joints stiffen up or other factors related to illness, disability or bad luck affect what we take for granted. We can help. Our caring podiatrists will take the utmost care of your feet, leaving you with that “just been to the podiatrist” feeling that puts a spring back in your step.
Shin splints
A catch all term for aching shins (the front of your lower part of your leg) which can occur during activity or sometimes at rest. Sometimes referred to MTSS (medial tibial stress syndrome) or traction periostitis, shin splints are not fun. Shin splints can be debilitating and affect a large number of young and not-so-young athletes. The causes are many and you can be assured that your podiatrist will quickly identify why you are suffering and put together an individually tailored plan to get you back moving pain free again.
Recurrent ankle sprains
Many of us have suffered an ankle sprain ranging from the misstep and slight twist with only personal pride on the line, to the serious bone and ligament damaging sprains which can have us knocking on the emergency department door. If you suffer from recurrent sprains we will work with you to identify the causes and how to prevent them from happening in the future. This will allow you to move again with confidence and reduce your risk of joints stiffening up causing more problems as we age.
Knee and back pain
Just like our feet, our knees and back have a pillar of work to do to keep us upright and moving. The way our feet move and interact with the ground below can have a huge impact on the loads transferred “upstairs” to our knees and back. If you suffer from knee and back pain an expert physiotherapy assessment is a great starting point. The next step is to investigate the loading from below at a foot level and here is where your PridePlus Health podiatrist can help. We will work with you, your wonderful physiotherapist and get a thorough plan happening for you so knee and back pain is a thing of the past.
