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Podiatry

Our Podiatrists provide a full range of foot assessments and treatments from general footcare all the way through to gait and running assessment and orthotic prescription. 

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aBOUT PODIATRY

Our podiatry service caters for the needs of most individuals, from children through to the older adult, whether that be for things like general foot care, treating foot/ankle pain or the prescription of orthotics. Our podiatrists are highly experienced and more than capable of handling most foot and ankle issues. 

conditions We Treat Include -

Achilles Pain

 

The Achilles tendon is the thick tendon behind your ankle. It attaches to the calf muscles which are responsible for ankle movement. The Achilles can become injured for a number of reasons and a number of areas. The insertion, the tendon sheath and the tendon itself can become injured through poor foot posture (commonly excessive pronation or supination), muscle weakness, overuse of the tendon and/or tight calf muscles.

It is important to get the correct diagnosis and start treatment as soon as possible as Achilles injuries are known to linger and degenerate if unattended.

If you are suffering from an Achilles injury, our podiatrists can provide a diagnosis of the possible causes and create a treatment plan to address the specific causes.

Heel Pain (Plantar Fasciitis)

Heel pain affects up to 1 in 10 Australians and is by far the most common foot condition we treat at Active One. There can be a number of causes of heel pain. The cause of heel pain is quite varied, ranging from plantar fasciosis, fat pad contusion, bursitis and heel spurs.

 

Symptoms can also vary and cause a wide range of problems. From pain first thing out of bed in the morning or after sitting, dull achy pain during the day to sharp pain with increased activity.

 

The good news is the vast majority of heel pain can be treated.

At Active One, we take the time to understand why your heel pain has developed to make an accurate diagnosis. This enables our expert podiatrists to provide a tailored treatment plan to reduce your pain and stop heel pain becoming an unwanted intrusion in your life into the future.

Bunions

Bunions (Hallux Valgus) is a common complaint seen at Active One. The change in big toe position, associated pain, difficulty fitting into shoes and the overall look are often catalysts for people to seek advice for their bunions. It can exist in one or both feet and is commonly seen across the generations within families.

At Active One, treatment for hallux valgus focuses on correcting muscle imbalances around the big toe that contribute to the drifting toe. Exercises, splints, footwear stretching and advice plus suitable arch support can limit the progression of hallux valgus but also manage your pain.

 

Prolotherapy (glucose injection therapy) can have a dramatic effect on the pain, swelling and strength of the joint and is administered in appropriate cases. The overall effect is to strengthen the weakened joint capsule and reduce pain levels.

Callous and corns

Callous and corns are different forms of thickened dry skin that occur due to friction or direct pressure. They are both often signs of issues like poor foot mechanics, tight shoes and joint abnormalities.

 

The podiatrists at Active One are highly skilled at removing the deep core of a corn and friction callous. Strategies to reduce the pressure over the callous and/or corn are advised to help prevent them from reoccurring.

Fungal Nails

Toenail fungus (or nail rot) is caused by a type of tinea that can infect nails. A common reason why nails become infected is from trauma which creates an area for the fungus to opportunistically enter. The first thing to differentiate is if the thickened nail is due to trauma, fungal infection or a combination of both.

 

Treatment can consist of topical ointments applied daily/weekly, thorough debridement and reduction of the infected nail and in certain cases oral medication. Any form of topical or oral medication needs to be used diligently and for 6-12 months as the new healthy nail grows.

Plantar Warts

Plantar warts are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV). This causes a raised corn like lump on the surface of the foot that is can be very tender to touch. Plantar warts can be generally differentiated from a pressure callous or corn by the “squeeze” test.

 

It is more common for plantar warts to be tender when squeezed rather that from direct pressure.

Ingrown Toenails

Ingrowing toe nails are a painful condition where the side of the nail becomes embedded in the toe. Incorrect nail cutting, tight or inappropriate footwear or direct trauma can all cause ingrowing toe nails.

Some people are born with nails that are involuted (they grow out curled instead of flat) which have a tendency to become ingrown if not cut correctly.

When assessing your ingrowing nails, we look to use conservative options wherever possible. If the condition is more severe, inflamed, infected or conservative treatment has been unsuccessful, we may advise a minor surgical procedure to permanently remove the offending edge of the nail.

Treatment Modalities...

Foot Posture and Orthotics

Most chronic foot and leg complaints are caused by the way you walk and run. Foot posture doesn’t just affect foot function, but also leg, knee, hip and back function. No two feet are the same and as such foot orthotics often incorporate specific designs for each individual and each foot.


Foot orthotics are prescribed by podiatrists to help redistribute forces and loads that cause chronic foot and leg injuries. This will ensure that your foot or leg condition can rehabilitate in a timely manner and also help prevent the reoccurrence of the injury. Many foot and leg injuries are mechanical in nature.

 

These mechanical issues can arise from poor foot posture or poor functional stability through the legs and pelvis. Addressing these issues with mechanical treatments (foot orthotics, footwear, plantar padding) as well as functional strength and flexibility exercises is key to a successful treatment outcome.

Shockwave Therapy

Our podiatrists are using shockwave therapy to treat soft tissue injuries in the foot and ankle. It is an effective treatment for plantar fascial heel pain and Achilles injuries, reducing symptoms in just a few days.

Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) sends a high energy shockwave through the skin into the affected injury to accelerate healing, improve blood flow and reduce pain.

 

The metabolic changes in the tissue help promote healing of the injured tissue. When used in conjunction with strengthening, orthotics therapy and footwear changes, foot and ankle soft tissue injury gets better sooner. Treatment only takes a few minutes and is very well tolerated.

The podiatrists at Base Podiatry are highly skilled in the advanced use of ESWT and can determine if it’s use is suitable for your foot or ankle condition. The beauty of treating soft tissue injuries using shockwave therapy is there are no negative side effects, no injections and less use of strong medications.

Prolotherapy

Prolotherapy uses a glucose and local anaesthetic mixture to promote healing of injured joints, ligaments and tendons. In the foot and ankle it is commonly used to treat heel pain, plantar fasciitis, morton’s neuroma, plantar plate, Achilles tendon and ankle injuries.

 

The primary action of prolotherapy is to repair connective tissue (primarily ligaments and tendons) that has been strained. Prolotherapy injections are used in conjunction with other treatments such as orthotic therapy, footwear modifications and exercise to improve symptoms sooner.

Taping

When used correctly, foot taping techniques can improve foot posture and biomechanics, aid healing of the foot and other lower limb injuries, allow an earlier return to sport or activity following injury, reduce the likelihood of injury aggravation, prevent foot and other lower limb injuries (such as plantar fasciitis) during high risk sports (such as long distance running) and to help assess the suitability of orthotics for the individual.

Dry needling

Dry needling is a procedure used to treat trigger points in muscles. Trigger points are tight “knots” in a muscle that can be painful and reduce the function of a muscle. An extremely thin needle is used to penetrate through the skin to reach these trigger points and “release” the knot, which can essentially reduce symptoms and increase muscle function.

 

No local anaesthetic is needed during the treatment, as it is typically painless.

Dry needling is generally used in conjunction with stretches and exercises to help maintain the length of the muscle and also to build strength. If the underlying problem is left untreated, the symptoms (pain and limited movement) will generally reappear.

call now to see our podiatrist – 8707 0830.

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