There are many benefits from visiting a podiatry clinic to receive specialist podiatry foot care. In many instances, professional help is needed to assist with the diagnosis and treatment of foot related complications. Podiatrists are skilled medical practitioners who specialize in the lower limb and are able to help with the treatment of lower limb related disorders.
The human foot is a complex piece of anatomy that comprises 26 bones and 33 joints along with multiple soft tissue structures that aid and maintain its architecture. The ideal foot posture and position aim to provide the greatest degree of shock absorption and assist with forwarding propulsion during activities such as walking and running. The foot design ultimately enables humans to maintain a vertical position during gait, keeping us comfortable and active. An average person can expect to walk approximately 128,000 kilometers in their lifetime, so the integrity of the foot design is integral to our wellbeing.
The podiatrist team at Medical Foot Care comprises highly skilled professionals offering the most up to date treatments in the industry. Several years of university education and clinical practice experience have enabled the Medical Foot Care team the ability to develop a holistic approach when it comes to your foot related issues. Other parts of the body and other environmental activities such as work and sport can heavily impact on the reason you may be experiencing foot pain. It is therefore essential that podiatry foot care is sought after to ensure a rapid resolution of foot pain by a tailor-made treatment plan.
Unfortunately, it is very common that people only visit podiatrists for podiatry foot care once a problem has developed. In many cases minor issues that if diagnosed earlier on from a clinician, would have prevented the development of major problems. It is therefore essential that people visit a podiatrist for foot care more regularly to identify such issues. Undiagnosed and untreated foot issues will result in pain, discomfort, and immobility. The main objective of seeing a podiatrist is to ensure that you do not miss out of the activities you may be required to perform during work or sport. Our aim is to keep you operating at your optimal level. Therefore, as a minimum, it is recommended that people visit their local podiatrist for podiatry foot care at least 1 time yearly.
Once you have made that appointment and attended a consultation with your podiatrist for podiatry foot care, any issues that you may have can be effectively diagnosed. Specialized clinicians can identify and diagnose a multitude of foot related complications such as heel pain, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, warts, bunions, fungal infections, osteoarthritis, hammer toes, footwear issues, ulcers, corns and callus, and many more. During this diagnostic process the podiatrist may use instruments such as a Doppler Ultrasound to determine the blood flow status of individuals who may suffer from diabetes, and use images such as Xray and Ultrasound in order to diagnose bony or soft tissue related injuries.
Once a diagnosis has been reached the podiatrists can then select the most appropriate means of podiatry foot care. Recent advancements in technology have enabled novel approaches to foot care and have superseded outdated traditional methods. Examples of such technology used at Medical Foot Care podiatry include Swift microwave technology of the treatment of warts, K Laser technology for the treatment of fungal nail infections and both Radial and Focused Shockwave methods for the treatment of soft tissue and bony disorders. Access to such technology provides our patients with the most effective means of treatment available and the highest rate of success in alleviating your foot pain.
Mechanical issues experienced from individuals generally require a high level of podiatry care for effective treatment. Once the podiatrist has performed a comprehensive gait analysis and assessed muscular function and joint range of motion, an appropriate treatment strategy can be individually formulated. Normally when an issue is mechanical in nature, the podiatrist will need to correct these anomalies with the use of insoles/ orthotics. The correct insole choice will be advised by your podiatrist in order to get you functioning to your fullest potential.
Foot related complications requiring podiatry foot care is not only limited to adults but also to children. There are many issues that can occur with a young child’s foot that will require children podiatrist help. Such issues include warts, fungal skin infections, in toeing (pigeon toes), knock knees, flat feet, fungal infections of the nails, dermatitis, corns and much more. It is therefore essential that frequent screening is maintained of these young and precious feet to ensure they maintain a healthy condition into the years of adolescence and adulthood.
Additional to identifying and diagnosing any foot related complications, the podiatrists at Medical Foot Care deliver the highest degree of podiatry care and will ensure that any contributing factors towards your foot issues are identified. This includes reviewing your footwear that may be worn or inappropriate for your feet, suggesting any dietary changes or the use of supplements such as magnesium to prevent conditions such as cramping, assess whether your work duties may be contributing to your foot related issues, and ensure that repetitive activities such as sports are not contributing towards your foot issue. Gait observations and analysis will also assist with the identification of any structural involvement towards your foot related complications. This may include one side of your body being longer than the other, commonly known as a limb length discrepancy.
Overall, it is essential that you maintain your feet in a healthy state throughout your life time to avoid any unnecessary injuries. Consulting a podiatrist for podiatry foot care is the best means of achieving this. Visits to a podiatrist should occur once yearly by both children and adults, with podiatry help immediately sought after the development of any foot related symptoms such as pain or discomfort. Ultimately, the clinicians at Medical Foot Care aim to keep you pain free. Please contact our clinic if you need help with any of the following or any other foot related concern
-General foot care (nails, corns and callus)
-Diabetes assessments (blood flow and nerve sensitivity assessments)
-Ingrown toe nail solutions (both conservative and surgical)
-Sports podiatry (from amateur to elite levels)
-Foot and ankle complications (both bony and soft tissue)
-insole / orthotic therapy for the treatment of biomechanical issues
-K laser therapy to treat fungal nails
-Swift microwave technology for the treatment of warts
-Shockwave therapy for the treatment of soft tissue and bony conditions
-Falls prevention (maintaining strength and stability in older patients)