Sports and Running Injury Management & Treatment
Have your Feet Assessed by Our Podiatrists
PridePlus are Melbourne’s leading podiatrists working with many athletes across a wide range of sports for podiatry sports injury. We provide first class sports injury management and treatment for injuries both acute and chronic to the foot, ankle, leg and knee.
The feet and lower leg play a significant role in almost every sport, and the demands placed on them during periods of intense physical activity can be immense.
Our trained podiatrists can assess and treat strains and injuries stemming from sporting accidents or overuse, and design a management plan to prevent injuries in the future.
Modern Assessment Techniques From a Qualified Podiatrist
Correct assessment of a sports injury is the crucial first step on the road to recovery. Incorrectly diagnosing strains and injuries are the most common reason for delayed recovery, and can lead to permanent injuries if not treated properly.
Our podiatry experts are well versed in the latest techniques to assess sports injuries and commit to ongoing training to advance their knowledge of medicine.
Some examples of common sports injuries we treat include:
- Toenail Injuries
- General foot pain
- Forefoot, or ball of foot pain
- Achilles pain
- Arch and Heel Pain
- Plantar Fasciitis (plantar heel pain)
- Ankle Sprains
- Tendon + Muscle pain in the Calves
- Knee pain (PFJ or ITB pain)
- Shin splints (MTSS or Traction Periostitis)Knee Pain
- Stress Fractures + Hot Spots
- Broken bones
Most commonly, we see injuries related to overuse or postural imbalance, particularly with runners moving up significantly in distance.
Treat and Prevent Injuries Using the Latest Methods
Using the comprehensive analysis gained through assessment of your injury, we aim to provide both short and long-term plans for getting you back into sports.
The first stage is to stop more damage being done, prescribe long-term pain relief, and remove loading on the affected area. This could involve:
- Strapping or bracing
- Massage and physical therapy
- Modifying training behaviour
- Changing footwear
- Designing a stretching program
- Custom orthotics
The second stage maps out a long-term strategy to strengthen the affected area and prevent injuries in the future.
- Working with a personal trainer to design a strength and conditioning program
- A long-term injury management plan
- Regular evaluation of footwear, orthotics, and training to optimise your training plan
- Stride/gait assessment
Podiatry Assessment and Treatment of Running Injuries
At PridePlus we take a special interest in the treatment of running athletes.
The importance of the foot during running cannot be overstated. A number of common foot and lower limb injuries affecting runners are caused by two key factors that your Pride Podiatrist can help you with.
Foot Biomechanics – The Way Your Foot Moves
The movement of your foot has the ability to drive the movement of your ankle, shin, knee, thigh, hips and lower back. Your Pride Podiatrist can carefully assess which movements might be contributing to your injury, and importantly, identify the underlying movement pattern at the root of the problem. We can then look at modifying these movements via footwear changes, strength and conditioning programs, gait retraining or orthotics.
Mismanaged Training Loads – Too Much, Too Soon
Developing a training program for running is no easy task. To maximize results we have a need to fit in long slow runs, interval sessions, fartlek training, hill repeats, cross training, gym sessions, recovery days, and more; there is not enough time in the week!
Your Podiatrist at PridePlus can work with you to identify which recent change in your training might be contributing to your sports injury and help you redesign your training program to best allow for a gradual increase in running load.