Your foot is a much under estimated architectural marvel.... with 26 bones, 30 joints, 50 muscles (check figures please) plus truckloads of ligaments, blood vessels and nerves you don't want to let a foot problem get out of hand (ha ha) . Because the average person makes between 7000 and 10000 steps every day, early signs or symptoms of foot or leg discomfort should not be ignored. Due to work, family and fitness commitments it is really hard to rest a sore foot so before you know it that little niggle has turned into a full blown disaster. Many of our clients can be fixed and on their way after a 30-45 minute consultation but instead put up with painful conditions for months hoping it will go away....we encourage you not to fall into this trap.
All Active Podiatrists are trained to prevent, diagnose and manage the following......
Nail problems
Ingrown nails: Where the edge of the nail puts pressure on the skin causing discomfort. May be due to constrictive footwear, excessive sweating, injury or hereditary factors. If the skin breaks the toe may become inflamed and infected.
Treatment: correct cutting of the nail or
painless removal of the offending nail by the skilled podiatrist will
have you jumping with joy. A minor surgical option may be best for
repeat offenders, performed easily by your podiatrist with local
anaesthetic.
Thick Nails: Mostly affecting the big toes this becomes difficult to cut and painful in shoes. Often caused by injury, tight shoes, infections and systemic diseases.
Management: Easily and painlessly cut and thinned by your skilled podiatrist with the appropriate equipment.
Plantar Warts
A common problem affecting children and adults due to a virus. They can be painful on the soles of feet and between toes, expertly treated by your Podiatrist who sees them all the time. They are contagious and should be treated to stop them spreading to other parts of the body and other people.
Management:
1) Acids applied at home to the wart with regular short reviews by your Podiatrist to remove dead tissue and advise on further treatment.
2) Liquid Nitrogen applied by your podiatrist under local anaesthetic, freezes the wart and causes a blister. The wart usually falls out after a week or two.
Diabetics
Description and Image Here
Hip, Knee and Shin Pain
A lot of leg complaints may have their origin in the foot, ie a foot related
problem. Often the foot may not be sore itself but because of the way it
reacts to the ground, a rotational force travels up the leg, through the knee
joint, to the hip and into the pelvis and can cause aches and pains, usually of
a repetitive strain type injury, along the way.
For example...
In the shin you may have diffuse pain along the middle and distal thirds
of the lower leg. Typically seen in runners, but also in ballistic (ie, jumping)
activities such as basketball, dancing, or racket sports. Early in the disorder,
pain occurs at the beginning of a run, may resolve as the workout continues, and
then recurs after the workout; or it occurs only at the end of the run. In the
early stages, the pain usually resolves with several minutes' rest, while in
later stages the pain becomes more severe, sharper, and more persistent. In
advanced stages the pain can be constant, even walking or to press lightly.
At the knee there are many potential sites of pain,
eg, on the outside Iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome is a common cause of
lateral knee pain, particularly among runners and cyclists. Caused where the ITB
pops over the lateral epicondyle of the knee as the knee flexes and extends. If
the leg is not straight the force of the "pop" may increase leading to more
pressure and more friction.
or at the front of the kneecap you might have pain going up or down the stairs,
after sitting in a car or bending down to a squatting position. This could be
patellofemoral pain syndrome. Patellofemoral refers to the joint that
includes the knee cap or the patella and the thigh bone or the femur. It can
result from malalignment of the patella on the femur, weakness of the quadriceps
muscles, or tight structures on the lateral aspect of the knee. Pain may be felt
behind or around the knee cap, grinding noises may be heard during bending or
straightening the leg, the knee may feel like it gives-way without any
particular reason, or some mild swelling may be noted around the knee.
Further up the leg the hip area is also prone to wear and tear, for
example an inflamed bursa (bursitis) between the hip bone (greater
trochanter) and some muscles that pass around the bone (gluteus
medius/iliotibial tract) due to friction. The pain may radiate down the lateral
aspect of the thigh. Once again excessive friction caused by excessive motion at
the foot can be assessed and managed by Active
Sore heels
Ball of foot pain
Metatarsalgia is a common overuse injury described as pain in the forefoot associated with increased stress over the metatarsal head region. Metatarsalgia often is referred to as a symptom, rather than as a specific disease. Common causes of metatarsalgia include interdigital neuroma, metatarsophalangeal synovitis, avascular necrosis, sesamoiditis, and inflammatory arthritis; however, these causes often are diagnosed separately.
- The primary symptom of metatarsalgia is pain at one or more of the metatarsal heads. Diffuse forefoot pain and midfoot pain are often present in athletes with combinations of high-impact inflammatory conditions.
- Pain typically is aggravated during the midstance and propulsion phases of walking or running.
- A history of gradual chronic onset is more common than acute presentation. Chronic symptoms may be of gradual onset over 6 months.
- Morton neuroma (interdigital neuroma) produces symptoms of
metatarsalgia due to irritation and inflammation of the digital
nerve located in the web space between the metatarsal heads.
Patients may complain of toe numbness, in addition to pain in the
forefoot as it is actually an entrapment neuropathy.
Sore Heels
Heel pain is a common problem in adults. The most common cause of heel pain
is inflammation to the dense tissue extending from the calcaneus to the
metatarsal region, thus the descriptive term plantar fasciitis. An inflamed or
damaged plantar fascia may contribute to painful conditions caused by nerve
injury or soft-tissue inflammation in local muscle and the fat pad.
But Why do they get sore? The heels hit the ground first when you're
walking and then your foot (and your shoes) have to act as shock absorbers.
Otherwise it would be like someone hitting you on the feet with a slab of
concrete all day...ouch. Then they have to propel you into your next step which
means they have to become stiffer and stronger again. >From spongy shock
absorber to propulsive mechanism in the space of 1 second is going to create a
few issues for some people and the reason is most often that the foot is either
flattening out too much ie too spongy, or not enough, ie too hard, and either
way it can spell trouble.
The nature of upright human activity is repetitive tensile and compressive
stress of the fascia that has a cumulative ability to damage or transform the
tissue. Longer lifespans and greater recreational expectations of working adults
also are contributing to the volume of patients seeking attention for plantar
fasciitis.
For more indepth information go to the foot health network or Curtin University Podiatry Encyclopedia.