Important Facts About Your Feet

• Our feet are our entire base structure.                                                                                                      
  They support our entire body: bone structure, flesh, organs and bodily fluids.

• Feet are extremely intricate in their design.                                                                                                              
  Each foot has 26+ individual bones stabilized by dozens of tendons and ligaments and muscles, that together, create flexible arches to support the weight of the entire body as it moves. They are highly sprung devices.

• Feet provide shock absorption.

• Feet generate movement
  As you lift your foot to step forward, joints lock into place, providing leverage to propel your body forward.  As you lower your foot to the ground, the joints then unlock to assist the leg’s action and provide shock absorption. The locking and unlocking of joints is what allows you to walk on all surfaces:  from rolling lawns to rocky terrain, through long grasslands or muddy quagmires and across sandy foreshores. 

• In the main, many exercise programs involve wear ’n tear on our feet. 
  Exercise gurus encourage us to be taking 10,000 active steps daily. Being on our feet so productively during regular exercise.  As our feet support our entire weight mass, even the slightest misalignment of bones or muscles may trigger issues.  But don’t stop exercising. Just be mindful that with weight bearing and exercise, it adds that little extra exposure to possible issues or injuries. Warm up, rest when tired, have amply recovery times and use supporting footwear and strapping.

• Over time, feet don’t take too kindly to ill-suited or poorly made  footwear. 
  Footwear that fails to support and protect your feet – or cramps, confines or blisters your feet – or makes your feet sweat because of their synthetic nature -  leave you open to foot health issues.
  

Things can go wrong a lot easier than you might think!

Warning Signs

1. Corns, Callus and Blisters 

2. Uneven wearing of shoes

3. Claw toes

4. Bunions

5. Shin Splints or shin pain

6. Knee, Hip and Back pain 

7. Neck pain can be indicative of misalignment 

8. Aching feet 

9. Forefoot Pain:  Forefoot pain normally arises in the sole of the foot and may be accompanied by swelling, burning and numbness but often there is none. The pain is often present when the foot is under load (weight) for short durations. The causes can be quite varied but include bad fitting footwear, trauma (sports related), problems with the mechanics of the foot and inflammation in the joints. Treatments include prescribed custom made or generic orthoses, possibly corticosteroid injections and in severe circumstances, it may require surgical intervention.

10. Heel Pain: Heel Pain is a condition that is most common in adults and one of the most treated conditions in Podiatry.  Causes:  simple day-to-day activity or exercise. The most common result is inflammation in the plantar fascia, the foot’s connective tissue. The pain frequently persists in the side or bottom rear of the heel. Treatments vary, depending on the cause, but orthotic therapy is one of the most commonly used options. 

11. Arch Pain:  Arch pain is an indicator of inflammation with a burning sensation at the arch of the foot. The causes vary but the most common is plantar fasciitis. Other causes of arch pain, that often trigger heel pain include structural imbalances, foot shock or injury. Arch pain and heel pain often occur at the same time as a result of these causes. A heel spur may result if the arch pain is left untreated, allowing further strain on the arch.  Treated easily by the application of supportive footwear, shock absorbing soles and, if needed, prescription orthotic devices provide arch support to stop inflammation and recurrence.    

Sources of Foot Pain

1. Broken bones  or  bones that move against bones

2. Fallen arch resulting from over-stretched ligaments and over-used muscles 

3. Arthritis 

4. Nerve damage

5. Skin damage or infection  

6. Nails that in-grow

7. Structural misallignment

8. Inappropriate footwear

9. Genetics

Treatment Options

• Our podiatrist will look at your unique situation, listen to your pain concern, your health and lifestyle needs and after an assessment, will prescribe the least intrusive intervention that gives the best pain relief and long term benefit.  

  However, the full range of interventions includes:

  • Demonstration and education on specific strengthening and stretching exercises

  • Foot Mobilization and Manual therapy

  • Strapping and taping 

  • Footwear Assessments and Footwear Recommendations

  • Dry needling

  • Prolotherapy

  • Extra Corporeal Shockwave Therapy

  • Biomechanical Assessments; Visual or Video Gait Analysis;  Orthotic Therapy

  • Referral to medical specialists where surgery may be indicated.

Take the first step!