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Sports Podiatry Melbourne
Sports podiatry focuses on the assessment and treatment of lower limb conditions resulting from sporting activities. As the motions associated with exercise are generally repetitive in nature, there is a greater risk of developing injury. Therefore, sports podiatry aims to diagnose, treat and prevent injuries that may be the result of mechanical or musculoskeletal issues associated sports and exercise.
Our team of sports podiatrists are extremely experienced and have the technology to support all types of lower limb sports-related injuries.
Sports Injury Categories
Sporting injuries can be classified into two categories, acute or chronic. An acute injury is defined as an issue that has been present for less than 72 hours. This can be the result of a traumatic episode, a falls injury, or direct impact to the affected area. A common example of an acute injury can be a bony fracture. Alternatively, a chronic injury is the result of repetitive trauma over a longer period of time. This can also be due to the fact an acute injury has not properly healed. Generally, this type of injury has been present for several weeks. A common example of a chronic issue is an inflammatory disorder of a tendon such as plantar fasciitis.
Common Sporting injuries affecting the lower limbs which are managed by Sports Podiatrists include hallux limitus/rigidus, metatarsalgia, stress fractures, posterior tibial dysfunction, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinopathy, personal tendinopathy, inversion/eversion ankle sprains, shin splints, knee pain, hip pain and much more.
In order to diagnose the sporting issue under investigation, the sports podiatrists will take a detailed history of your recent events and identify any causative factors that may be resulting in your pain. Images such as x-rays and ultrasounds may assist with the diagnosis and identify the severity of the injury. A series of assessments will also be conducted, focussing on gait analysis, muscular function (strength and flexibility), joint range of motions, and footwear.
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Common Sports Injury Treatments
Depending on the nature of the injury that is affecting the athlete, Sports Podiatrists can prescribe an array of treatments including the following
- Strengthening and stretching programs: aimed to restore muscular strength and flexibility in an attempt to stabilise the lower limbs
- Dry needling and acupuncture: encompass the use of fine needles to reduce muscular pain and inflammation, and improve flexibility
- Massage, mobilization and manipulation: physical therapies aimed at reducing muscular pain and improving muscular flexibility.
- Foot insoles (prefabricated and custom): these foot supports are prescribed to correct mechanical issues associated with sporting injuries and minimise tissue strain. Ultimately sporting performance can be dramatically increased with the use of foot orthoses
- Immobilisation: restricted joint and muscle function can be achieved via the use of strapping techniques for short term periods or a moon boot for longer periods
- Shockwave therapy: implements a pneumatic force to introduce high energy levels into structures such as muscle, bone and tendon to promote repair and regeneration. It can be used to treat both acute and chronic conditions by causing micro-ruptures to the treated structure which increases localised blood flow and promotes accelerated healing
- Electrical Muscular Stimulation (EMS): The principle of EMS is to reproduce the process involved in a voluntary contraction without the assistance of the patient. This results in significant increases in muscular strength and endurance for the treated muscle groups.
- Laser Therapy: Infra-red laser achieves its therapeutic effect by interacting with the body at a cellular level to increase blood flow and stimulate the delivery of nutrients, oxygen and water to the treated area. This process results in an accelerated rate of healing and a significant reduction in pain.
