Why you need to stop ignoring your foot pain and get it looked at ASAP

Podiatrists are lower limb and feet experts here to help anyone and everyone with their foot problems. We commonly see patients when their foot pain is at its worst and has been going on for a long time. Seeing a Podiatrist as soon as you can when you recognise a foot issue is important and can kickstart the recovery faster and get you back on your feet.

What can a Podiatrist do to help with my foot pain?

The level and type of pain will determine the assessment and treatment plan by your Podiatrist.

A thorough medical history will be taken, as well as background information about the presenting pain.

A general appointment will assess issues on the “outside” of the foot, mainly concerning dermatology conditions such as corns, callous, ingrown toenail/s or just a general nail/skin clean up.

Podiatrists are able to assess the status and severity of the presenting issue and aim to resolve it in the appointment.

Similarly, if an issue is presented that is “internal” or within the foot, i.e. heel pain, big toe joint pain, bunions and many more, a biomechanical assessment is conducted. A biomechanical assessment is a comprehensive appointment that looks through the biomechanics of the lower limb and foot musculoskeletal areas. In addition to the medical history taking and background information, the Podiatrist will assess you in non-weight bearing and weightbearing positions and conduct a gait analysis – this will enable the Podiatrist to figure out the cause, mechanism and the best treatment plan for you. Podiatrists can offer you a variety of treatments such as exercise rehabilitation exercises, footwear education, shockwave therapies, custom orthotics and many more.

What should I do before seeing a Podiatrist?

Prior to seeing a Podiatrist, it will be beneficial for you to bring your most commonly worn shoes so we can conduct a full footwear assessment. If you are attending for a biomechanical assessment and you have previous medical letters or imaging results (x-ray, ultrasound, MRI etc), do not hesitate to bring them also as it will help with our clinical breakdown of your foot pain and aid in our formulation of the treatment plan.