General footcare is an important part of the overall service we offer our clients. Our feet take us on a long journey throughout our life, so regular podiatry and therefore preventive care, means they will take you on this journey all the more comfortably. Our podiatrists are here to help to keep you on your feet, making an appointment is the first step. Here is a list of the ten most common foot problems we can assist you with.
You don’t need to wait until you have a problem to visit our podiatrists for advice, treatment or general footcare. We can check your alignment and discuss how your feet are working and how your footwear is supporting your feet and posture and therefore your overall wellbeing. Preventative care of your feet will go a long way to ensuring your feet stay fit for life.
Foot and Nail Care
Hard skin on the feet and toes may be a corn or a callus. These can cause burning pain, stiffness, and sometimes a sharp piercing pain. Corns and calluses are formed due to pressure and friction on the skin as a protective mechanism to make the skin more resilient. Corns and calluses can be removed gently.
In most cases, corns and calluses are caused by the friction from footwear, bone/joint prominences or loss of the cushioning of the foot. It is important to determine the cause of the corn or callus to provide the best treatment and prevent its recurrence.
Toenails can be damaged or change in appearance. They can become thicker, mis-shaped, discoloured or painfully ingrown for a variety of reasons. We provide simple treatments for problem toenails and advice to help minimise ingrown toenails and other problems occurring.
Plantar Warts
Plantar Warts are also known as warts, verrucae or verrucae pedis and are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV). They can unknowingly develop over weeks and months and be completely painless or extremely painful. They develop as one or many single isolated lesions or as a cluster.
Some warts will resolve without treatment whilst others may require treatment. There are many simple options for treating them such as salicylic acid, cryotherapy, chemical treatments and laser/surgery, initially the simplest options are the best and most effective.
Blisters
Blisters can be debilitating, painful and limit activity. Blisters are caused by shear forces within the layers of the skin. This internal shearing causes damage and fluid to build up between the layers of the skin. There are many common locations for foot blisters: toes, ball of the foot, arch, heel.
Preventative treatment varies depending on the location and cause of blistering. Blisters require immediate action to prevent further development, pain and potential infection. Preventative management is the optimal treatment, but if a blister develops, please call us and we will help with healing the blister and reducing the risk of it developing again.
Footwear Advice
The average person walks around 128,000 kms in their lifetime. This is a very long way, in fact it is three times around the planet! Your shoes protect and support your feet for all of those steps so they must fit well.
Your shoes ideally should be of correct length, width and depth, shaped well to your individual foot shape and suited to the activity they will be used for. We can support you in choosing the best shoes for your feet and activities with knowledge of local shoe stores, types of shoes and brands to be able to provide you with the right information. Assessment of your feet, alignment and gait will help us to determine the ideal shoe type for your feet.
Athlete’s Foot
Athlete’s Foot is caused by tinea, a fungus that you catch from direct contact with surfaces contaminated by the fungus. These include public showers, around swimming pools, in change rooms floors and anywhere else that provides a warm and moist environment for the fungus to grow.
If you have unexplained itchy, red and flaky skin between the toes on the soles of the feet, it’s probably Athlete’s Foot. There are effective medications available at the chemist, but if you have a recurring problem, please visit us as there may be an underlying issue that needs attention.
Why Choose Sanders Podiatry? Linden Park, Stirling or Mount Barker Clinics
Sanders Podiatry is dedicated to the complete footcare, making you comfortable, secure and stable on your feet throughout your life. We are a family friendly clinic and address foot concerns at any age and for any problem. We are a client-centred clinic with individualised treatment plans to treat your unique condition.
Our gentle and practical approach to your footcare is with your long term wellbeing in mind, we are here to help you as well as educate and inform you about your feet and their longevity.
We are widely connected to organisations and associations setting standards for excellent footcare around Australia, namely:
- The Australian Podiatry Council
- The Australian Podiatry Association
- Sports Medicine Australia
- The Australasian Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine
- Physitrack certified exercise prescription
- Arthritis Aware
Call us to book an appointment:
Sanders Podiatry in Linden Park – 08 8379 1456
Sanders Podiatry in Stirling – 08 8339 3344
Sanders Podiatry in Mount Barker – 08 8370 1590