What we treat
We really do expect a lot from our feet. On average we ask them to carry us 128,000 km in a lifetime, much of it on harder surfaces than we evolved to tread, and our feet hold almost a quarter of the body's bones. Small wonder they occasionally complain. There are over 300 disorders known to the podiatry profession, and most of them cause pain somewhere in the foot. We start with careful diagnosis, then treat the cause with the right approach for you.
Heel pain and plantar fasciitis
Do you get out of bed in the morning and feel significant pain under your heel? Does it ease off after you've walked for a short while? You may well have plantar fasciitis, also known as heel spur syndrome.
The plantar fascia is a tendon-like structure on the sole of the foot that runs from the bottom of the heel bone. For a number of reasons it can become thickened and painful where it attaches to the heel.
There are several treatments, from rolling your foot on a ball, stretching, strapping and orthoses, through to cortisone injections. We also offer Radial Shockwave Therapy for this condition: a non-invasive treatment that uses pressure waves to prompt healing, with a reported 85% success rate. Most patients need 3 to 5 sessions, 7 to 10 days apart. No doctor's referral is required, and health fund rebates apply.
Foot and ankle pain
Complaints in the feet are particularly frustrating because the source of pain is often misleading: the true cause may lie some distance from where you feel it. Podiatry relies on methodical diagnosis to find the real cause of pain in the heel, ankle or foot.
Foot pain can come from inflammation of the muscles or the connective tissue, or from osteoarthritis, the age-related wearing of the cartilage in the joints. People often assume their pain is arthritic when a correct diagnosis points to something treatable. We diagnose and treat foot pain with a range of approaches, including dry needling, mobilisation and orthotics. No referral is needed, and private health fund rebates are available through HICAPS.
Knee pain
Knee pain can be a baffling complaint. The knee is a complex structure prone to its own disorders, but many complaints that show up as knee pain are podiatric in origin. We treat them through careful diagnosis and a range of approaches, including dry needling, mobilisation and orthotics. Many patients come to us frustrated, having tried other remedies without success.
Where the pain is tells us a lot
- Front of the knee is often patellofemoral syndrome, where overuse and poor "tracking" of the kneecap (its failure to stay in the right place as the knee bends) cause pain. It can come from excess stress, weak thigh muscles, or injury.
- Sides of the knee often mean inflamed ligaments caused by misalignment, frequently treatable with orthotics to correct alignment and gait.
- Back of the knee can be a Baker's cyst (excess fluid leaking from the bursa) or sore hamstring tendons. Where a case needs surgery we refer you to the right specialist.
How we treat it: a routine of exercise to strengthen and balance the muscles supporting the knee; orthotics where alignment is the issue; and dry needling to restore health to injured muscle tissue.
Shin splints
"Shin splints" is a blanket term for acute pain at the front of the lower leg. One common cause is known to medicine as posterior medial tibial stress syndrome, and it has many possible triggers, from simple overuse and poor running technique to complex, interrelated problems in the feet.
The exact location of the pain gives us clear clues to the cause. A large number of major muscles meet in the restricted space of the lower leg and ankle; the ligamentous tissue sheathing them can become inflamed and sore when the muscles are used incorrectly. The common thread is usually poor foot posture and gait, and "flat feet" or fallen arches are often part of the picture.
Our job is first to settle the acute pain (often with rest, anti-inflammatories, ice, and low-impact activity such as swimming), then to retrain the muscles of the lower leg so the problem stays away. Preventing a recurrence may involve mobilisation, stretching, orthotics and dry needling.
Muscle pain and tightness
The biomechanics of the foot influence the rest of the body, so muscle pain in the legs and even the lower back can be podiatric in origin. The muscles that move the foot and toes sit in the lower leg, and overuse or unaccustomed activity can make them sore. Careful stretching before exercise reduces this kind of pain, and we give patients structured stretching and strengthening guidance.
Sometimes the pain is unusually sudden and severe, out of proportion to any activity and often with swelling. The cause can be as simple as a change of footwear, or something more involved. We start with careful diagnosis to find the root cause, then treat with:
- Dry needling for muscle tissue locked in spasm.
- Stretch and strengthen routines that restore healthy length and elasticity.
- Mobilisation, a gentle, painless technique that works step by step toward the root of the problem, and is often a good alternative to orthotic correction.
Podiatric joint mobilisation
The foot, ankle and lower leg are anatomically complex, with a large number of bones and joints. Some have a wide natural range of movement, others very little, but all need their full, natural range. Many podiatric problems come from restricted movement and respond well to joint mobilisation, including:
- Numb toes – always worth getting checked. Causes range from direct pressure pinching the nerves, to irritation of the nerves in the lower back, to diabetes affecting circulation.
- Achilles tendonitis – restricted movement can over-stress the Achilles tendon and inflame it.
- Sesamoiditis – inflammation of the small sesamoid bones in the tendon serving the big toe, usually from overloading the ball of the foot.
- Heel pain – pain blamed on heel spurs is often really the result of misalignment and restricted movement inflaming the heel's ligaments.
We use Foot Mobilisation Technique to restore natural movement to the foot's joints. It is painless and gentle, performed after careful diagnosis in a logical sequence, and combined with a stretch-and-strengthen program to build lasting resilience.
Not sure which one fits?
Book in and we'll diagnose the cause properly before we treat anything.