Common Foot Problems
For many the idea of visiting a podiatrist (also known as a chiropodist) has never crossed their minds. Unfortunately this often means people suffer with long term discomfort in the lower limb/foot, which could potentially have been avoided or decreased in the early stages.
The foot is a complex structure consisting of 26 bones, 33 joints and over 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments. All of which play a vital role in enabling a normal gait cycle and reducing the risk of injury in daily and sporting activities.
Due to our increasingly hectic lifestyles there are numerous factors which can cause foot and lower limb pain.
Common foot disorders can include corns and callous (developing from seemingly simple issues such as poor fitting footwear), verrucae, fungal nail infections , athletes foot and ingrown toenails, each of which can have a variety of causation factors which if determined could reduce the risk of recurrence.
Pain can also develop in the foot, knees, hips and lower back. Sometimes caused from poor foot structure resulting from inadequate mechanical function or sporting injuries. This increases stresses and strains on the lower limb and can result in issues such as plantar fascitiis (heel and arch pain) and Achilles tendinitis (and even ruptures).
Perhaps these common foot disorders are terrifying you at the thought of wearing sandals during the summer months because of their potentially unsightly features. Or maybe what started as a small niggling pain has grown to a point where you can no longer wear certain types of footwear or is impeding your daily activity levels.
Whatever the issue, our podiatrists will be able to carry out a full assessment (this may require a biomechanical assessment) to determine the causation of your problem and work with you to formulate an appropriate treatment plan which not only aims to improve your pain levels, but also takes into consideration your abilities and goals.
Treatment plans may include stretching and strengthening, orthotics, nail removal surgery, callous removal or for verrucae we have options including cryotherapy (freezing therapy) or salycilic acid therapy.
And don't forget we are also able to provide the more traditional 'chiropody' sessions for nail cutting and callous and corn removal to keep your feet comfortable and in good condition.
