I Just Want to be Fit For Summer

I Just Want to be Fit For Summer

Blog, Heel Pain, Shockwave, Sports Care

I Just Want to be Fit For Summer

Walk run and skip and dont stop for foot pain

Don't let foot pain stop you from reaching your goals!

The warm weather had started last September, we had a series of warm spring days and this is when Sarah appeared in my office. “I just want to get fit for summer” I am so sick of not getting there and I just need some answers. Sarah went on to explain that this was not her first attempt at getting fit, frustratingly she had tried the year before and throughout winter to get there. But despite eating the right thing her training or more accurately her foot pain always got in the way!

New Shoes might be the answer?

Sarah had been to a reputable sports footwear retailer and had grabbed a pair of runners that the store had recommended. While initially comfortable and her looking seriously cool in them ;-). After her attempts each night to walk or run she still found herself in pain. If not that night, over the following days she developed pain in her arch on the inside of her foot. It went from being a dull ache to at times being a sharp pain. It also felt like it ran up the inside of her leg a little. (ahhhh ok so that’s a bit different) If she stopped running or walking for a few weeks / days it got better but once she started again it was back!

A visit to the doctor

Kühlpack auf Fuß mit SchwellungFrustrated with this she saw her GP who suggested she try putting some ice on the area. Again, she went home determined to get better but with little result, YUP the ice made it immediately feel better, but straight after on the next walk it came back.

Ok let’s try the physio!

Still not deterred she headed to a local Physio. He said it was a heel pain may be fasciitis or a heel spur? He did a short massage, used a machine that created a type of heat and showed her some stretching. Ok so this was a bit better she thought, for several days and even a session of walking it felt bearable but ………. on trying to increase her activity again, there it was like that old uncle you can’t stand but see every now and then at family function, you don’t want to see them but bam!!! There they are!!

A solution!

Finally, after speaking to a friend, who had a similar problem, she came across our clinic. “My friend drove across the city to see you and you got her better.” She said. “You must be worth it because my friend had been everywhere and now raves about you” (feeling pretty chuffed right now)

Its NOT a heel spur!

That’s right nope and it wasn’t fasciitis! Yep these are super common MISdiagnoses for this type of pain!  If you don’t see this multiple times a day, and you are also trying to work on shoulder pain and fix dodgy knees its easy to get it mixed up!

Tibialis Posterior pain is NASTY

On watching Sarah’s walk on our Video Walk run analysis equipment it became pretty clear that her walk or “gait” and “biomechanics” in podiatry speak was lousy! We found that Sarah’s feet were rolling in too much and that put very simply her arches needed more support, to give her muscles a chance to work properly.

While the physios stretches and exercises were great, the lowering of her arch needed assistance for her to be able to do all the work they required. NO amount of super special exercises are going to get this muscle strong enough. Not if you actually want to get active!

So, what’s the plan?

I chatted to Sarah and developed a treatment plan that meant we could get her back to training and finally fit for summer! So what did we do?

  • We made a custom-made pair of orthoses for her after taking a 3D laser scan and a detail series of Biomechanical measurements – fancy talk for checking each joint in your foots movement – all the muscles strength and how all the joints and muscles work together! SOFT SOFT SOFT but more below.
  • Arranged a series of Deep connective tissue massages. While the orthoses will fix why the problem was occurring the soft tissue therapy will address the muscle, we need to help the muscle along it way to being healthy again and ready for activity.
  • Stretches which is pretty standard BUT really importantly strengthening exercise were also prescribed if you don’t get the muscle STRONG we are running in circles.
  • We addressed Sarah’s shoes. While her shoes were fantastic, and truthfully loads of patients aren’t as good as Sarahs. If you don’t get this right with patient’s treatment falters! The right shoe for the patients foot type helps, not only supporting the foot, but also working with the orthoses. The aim is to get Sarah back to exercise as soon as possible to reach her health goals.

SOFT pliable inserts – NOT rock-hard harbour bridges!

That’s right SOFT devices we never make hard rigid devices! All our custom-made orthoses are made and designed exclusively by our clinic, in our onsite orthotic laboratory it takes about 3 weeks for the process of computer aided design by our me, they are then milled out using CNC milling and finished by hand. We have a super dedicated team and these are flicked off to a lab somewhere overseas like other clinics often do. Our devices are produced by our awesome lab technician right at the practice!

While waiting for these we began the treatment plan and her DCTM, strength and stretching.

So, what happened?

In four weeks at her review Sarah reported her discomfort had dropped dramatically. She no longer had pain after every walk and had found that she was able to increase to running. We reviewed her stretching and asked Sarah to increase her Km’s of running per week. She was stoked! 8 weeks later on her final review Sarah was ecstatic “I can run” she said. “I haven’t been able to run pain free in years”!

So, where to from here?

woman runner running at tropical parkYou don’t have to put up with Foot pain! There are answers other than waiting for it to go away and pills! At A Step Ahead we see dozens of people like you with foot and lower limb pain all day and we love it! We love getting people better so they can kick their health goals whether its running 5 km or 50 km’s or if it’s professional sport or simply ridding yourself from foot pain so you can play in the park with the kids!

Why not call our friendly team and ask if we can help? Chances are we can! You can also check out more of our website for information on other common conditions we see regularly!

Call us on 9673 2987 or 4732 2007. We are located in St Marys and Penrith in Sydney and unlike Macquarie street you can park right out front and it doesn’t cost 65 dollars an hour its free! We are privilege to have patients travel from all over Sydney and NSW to see us: From the North shore and as far away as Port Macquarie and Wollongong.

We would really love to help you get on the track so please give us a call.

Dr Brenden Brown
Podiatrist

Shen glasses

BB and Shendi Yes they have 3d glasses on at home. Because they can 😉

Top 6 reason your heel pain isn’t getting better – UPDATED!

Top 6 reason your heel pain isn’t getting better – UPDATED!

Blog, Heel Pain, Shockwave

Top 6 reason your heel pain isn't getting better - UPDATED - 1

Top 6 reason your heel pain isn’t getting better – UPDATED

You CAN beat Heel Pain

Heel pain can be debilitating! The pain often stops people in their tracks first thing in the morning! Walk a few steps and it may be relieved. Others as the day progresses, the pain becomes worse. Finding help can be frustrating and confusing as you can often see multiple practitioners and receive multiple answers with little relief.

We first wrote this article in 2014. 3 years later, after helping literally 1000’s more patients with heel pain. After HOURS more of research and implementing significant changes in the way medicine has begun to understand Heel Pain, it became time to updated this very popular article!

With the experience of literally helping 1000’s of heel pain patients,  between 10 and 20 a day! We have put together the following list of the Top 6 reasons we have noted patients have not got better.

We hope this helps you on the way to beating your heel pain.

1.You decide to go it alone and NOT get professional advice.

Of all the people we see, a large proportion of them have never had any care or professional advice. Quotes like “I just thought it would go away” or “A friend told me what they did to get rid of the pain and I just tried that”. Most times it doesn’t!  You will increase your chance of beating heel pain, significantly by getting a professional opinion. Professional advice and treatment costs money. Yes some people find this expensive however others find it invaluable. It depends on how much you really want to get rid of your very sore heels?

2.You wear thongs (flip flops) because your feet are sore

Wearing thongs, Croc type shoes or even bare feet for many people make their feet feel better initially but all our experience tells us you are doing more damage.  The pain you feel days later not necessarily at the time. You are welcome to argue this point as much as you like, while you continue to hobble…………

3.You get advice and then choose which bits you use.

Great work on getting advice now it’s time to take it ……yes ALL of it. When a care plan is developed for you, if you choose only the bits you like to hear and the easy bits, you will end up failing to get better. Your Podiatrist should work with you as a patient to establish the best way to relieve you of your pain.  They should speak to you about what shoes are best for you. What treatment will get you better quickest, including strength exercises, therapy to relax the soft tissue and possibly orthotics.  Now choosing NOT to do some of the suggested treatment universally ends up with patients not getting better. Our Podiatrists do all that and more, does yours?

Top 6 reasons your heel pain isn't getting better - UPDATED - 2

4.You bought hard rigid orthotics from a Podiatrist.

Our experience tells us that rigid hard orthoses on most occasions irritate the heel and the arch region adding to your discomfort. We have over the years collected many pairs of rigid orthotic from patients who give them to us in frustration after finding they have hindered rather than help.  Secondly if this is the only therapy you were given, with the exception of a couple of possible stretches then we would suggest to you that there is more to getting rid of your pain than this – ask the question “So how is this rehabilitating my damaged soft tissue?”

5.You stop ALL activity.

As our understanding has changed over the years we now appreciate the following – “TENDONS HATE CHANGE”. Stopping all activity if you are currently active is a sure-fire way to ensure that when you return to your activity you will also see the return of your heel pain!

You SHOULD make modification to activity, However a complete stop will mean you either

A. Need to rebuild your activity over quite an extended time.

or

B. Your heel pain is likely to return!

For the moment STOP Jumping of and onto things. For example, on + off a truck, box jumps at exercise class, skipping or other high intensity impacting the heel and forefoot until we have you back to comfortable. We will then slowly load you back up to these activities.

6.You choose a practitioner who does not understand heel pain.

So your GP says they will fix your heel pain? Your Physio who is treating your shoulder says the same and the Podiatrist you see, who works one day a week at your local GP clinic and cuts your toe nails, says they will fix it no problem. Who do you choose?

Your heel pain is not simple its complex and for you it’s really sore!  Choose someone who see’s and treats heel pain regularly. Choose someone who is passionate about making sure that they help you on the way to getting you better. All the people above are probably very good at what they do, but they most likely won’t end up helping you beat your pain!

Did you know there are about 10 different condition’s that could be causing your pain?  When our practitioners are asked by GP’s Physio’s + Podiatrists on Heel pain it is often a surprised to the how complex this condition is! Our Doctors all sports podiatrists see this condition multiple times a day. When you see something that often you are more familiar with it + know how to get on top of it. Ask the person you see how many Heel pain patients they help a day.

Top 6 reasons your heel pain isn't getting better - UPDATED - 3

How can we help

At A Step Ahead foot + Ankle care we see approximately 8 to 12 heel pain patients a day. We have patients that travel literally hundreds of kilometres to seek our help – Which is really lovely!  Our clinics are set up quite specifically to treat patients with heel pain. We have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into equipment and the latest technology to help us, help you- beat heel pain.

Our Principal Podiatrist Brenden Brown is recognized as an expert in Podiatry. A past President of the Australasian Podiatry council he is considered a Medical Expert in the area of Foot health, appearing regularly on television shows like the Today Show and Magazines like Men’s Health. He has appeared for some time as the Medical expert for lower limb conditions on ABC radio’s “the Waiting Room”

It would be a pleasure to help you beat your heel pain.

We are located in Penrith and St Marys in Sydney’s Western suburbs.

You can contact us on 47322007 or 96732987 we hope you will.

Top 6 reasons your heel pain isn't getting better - UPDATED - 2

How Tanya beat unsightly Nail Fungus

How Tanya beat unsightly Nail Fungus

Blog, Fungal Nails

How Tanya beat unsightly Nail Fungus - 1

Before the Laser therapy the entire nail was yellow and infected

How do you beat fungal nail infections?

Tanya was frustrated!!

“I have tried everything! Its driving me crazy!”
“I have tried Vicks”
“I have tea tree oil”
“I think I have tried all the ointment creams and paints that the pharmacy stocks”
“I have even tried toothpaste!!!”
“I can’t kill this nail Fungus!!!”

This is what Tanya said to us when she attended our clinic. Frustrated and embarrassed Tanya is not alone in feeling this way. Nail fungus can be embarrassing and yes it can take years and years to beat and for many people they never do, until now.

What do Fungal nails look like ?

How Tanya beat unsightly Nail Fungus - 2

Fungal nails before therapy – this is an extreme case and what nails may look like without treatment

Yellow, Brittle, worm eaten, unsightly, a single line though the nail to an entire worm eaten slightly smelly mess is what a fungal nail can look like. It often starts small, a slight and small line developing in the nail. It may look like the nail is lifting and you may think you simply bumped it.

Accurate diagnosis can be frustrating while you may self-diagnose the condition after looking at “Dr Google” it can be easy to find photos and information on the net. Asking friends and relatives will help as well (Let’s face it everyone’s an expert and everyone has a cure!) However lots of people find that on visiting their GP that despite testing the results often come back negative – yes despite those yellow worm eaten toenails! Now there’s a reason for that, if you’d like click this link it may help explain why. https://astepahead.com.au/fungal-nail-with-false-negative-results/

So after you’ve tried all the paints and ointments from the pharmacy, all the home remedies from Vicks to tooth paste. Where do you go to from here?

An answer for stubborn nail fungus

After many years in Podiatry and feeling the frustration of literally tens of thousands of patients I took the decision to look for a solution to chronic fungal toenails. Each year I see literally hundreds of patients who have struggled with this horrible condition and yes many of these patients have tried multiple creams lotions and medicament with no relief just like you! Frustrated by this and along with some Podiatry friends, I decided to look worldwide for a solution that would be safe simple and pain free for patients.

Laser is now used to kill fungal infections in nails

How Tanya beat unsightly Nail Fungus - 3

Laser therapy for fungal nails is a fast effective and reliable solution to fungal nails

In search of an answer I attend a conference in America and after some research found the Class 4 Diode laser which we introduced almost 3 years ago now. Finally we had found an answer which provided patients with simple and safe solution to a complicated problem.

Laser therapy is a highly effective treatment for this embarrassing and health effecting problem. Our clinical effectivity rate is well over 85% and reaching 95%. We hear of others using laser with lesser result and we believe it, we have developed a detailed system of after care to help you keep the fungus away! But more on that later!

A summary – why choose laser:

  • Highly effective – Fast results
  • Safe – No side effects!
  • No Aesthetic required
  • Comfortable with minimal discomfort – think laser hair removal.
  • Nail Polish can be applied immediately after you leave
  • No need to take medication

So what after all of Tanya’s frustration did we do?

We undertook a laser session with Tanya, laser takes approximately an hour , yes it can be a little uncomfortable , most patient who have experienced it compare it to laser hair removal. We then treated Tanya’s shoes and helped her with how to beat the fungus at home and from returning.

We held a free check-up for Tanya at 2 months after our initial treatment and she was ecstatic! After 7 years her nails had developed a clear line where new FUNGAL free toe nail had started to grow!!!!

We went through again what steps she could take to stop this from re occurring however with such a fantastic result we suggested Tanya only needed to return if her fungus did – which we didn’t expect!

How Tanya beat unsightly Nail Fungus - 4

Laser therapy for fungal nails

So how can we help?

If you feel you may have a fungal nail and would like to finally get on top of things we would love to be able to help! We have now helped hundreds of patients just like you beat their nasty fungal nail condition and we’d like to be able to help you as well!
We are located in Sydney’s Western suburbs, unlike Macquarie street where parking is 65 dollars an hour our parking is free and out the front! We are conveniently located minutes off the M4!

Please call our smiley and friendly clinic staff who can help you through the process and answer any questions we haven’t on 96732987 or 47322007.

Fungal nail with “false negative” results?

Fungal nail with “false negative” results?

Blog

So you think you have a fungal nail? A sequence of a toe nail suffering from fungus infection.

Does any of this sound familiar?

  • Yellow and discoloured?
  • It has a line running through it or often down the nail.
  • It’s maybe becoming crumbly and brittle?
  • It may be a little smelly

You think it’s a fungal infection and all the pictures you’ve seen of fungal on the net tell you it’s a fungal infection, but your Doctors testing keeps saying you’re wrong. But maybe you’re NOT!

I hear time and time again over many many years this very same story. So why does it happen? Over the many years these are my summations as to why we are getting what we refer to as “False Negative” results.Fungal maginifying glass

  • Mistake 1. You need to treat it like mould in your kitchen! So your Doctor trims your nail and pops the offending nasty bit in a little see-through plastic jar with a yellow lid. Seems like it all ok, however that same little yellow container later that day is often placed in the back of a Pathology collectors car and it sits there possibly in the sun as they run around collecting all sorts of nasties from other Dr’s clinics. Sadly like mould fungus is killed off by UV sunlight – So here we have mistake one!
  • Mistake 2. This has been going on for months and you have tried everything! You tried creams and paints of all descriptions! However while it may seem to go away a little it comes back time and time again. Now if you have used those paints and creams then this may have an effect on the result the test results small amounts may kill any fresh fungal spores and are most likely to kill surface fungus however not the entrenched fungus. So all that cream may not be killing the real fungal problem but is killing the chance of a positive test result.
  • Mistake 3. When you head to your GP they often don’t cut very much of the nail and so the amount of nail sent with fungus on the surface or ingrained in the nail is not significant and possibly they miss the area entirely!

fungal bugs ASAWith 20 years of experience I have seen literally thousands of fungal infections and with those thousands of frustrated patients who had tried all the marketed pharmacy ointments paints and creams. I am really happy to say that we have finally found an answer in Laser treatment of fungal nails.

Laser treatment of fungal nails is now a safe and highly effective treatment of fungal nails. As a practitioner I personally went over to research treatment options for this condition and was impressed with laser so brought this technology back to Australia. Since bringing this back almost 3 years ago now we have had excellent results and haven’t looked back. Part of this success though has outstripped others in the field as we have introduced in combination with laser a 4 point system that assist in killing the fungus in all the places it lives.

If fungal nails are a concern for you please contact our team A Step Ahead Foot and Ankle care and chat to the team about Laser and our system for making sure you are truly successful in removing all traces of fungus in your nails.

Please call us on 96732987 or 47322007 we would love to help get you back on the right track!

BB's looking super clever in Bright red Red Foo frames! No BB doesnt wear glasses!

BB's looking super clever in Bright red Red Foo frames! No BB doesnt wear glasses!

Brenden Brown

Principle Podiatrist
A Step Ahead Foot + Ankle care
Penrith, St Marys and soon to come to a suburb near you!

I just want to be fit for summer

I just want to be fit for summer

Blog, Heel Pain, Shockwave, Sports Care

Frustration and foot pain

I just want to be fit for summer - 1

If you just want to be fit for summer, don’t let foot pain stop you from reaching your goals!

The warm weather last year had started last September we had a series of warm spring days and this is when Sarah appeared in my office. “I just want to get fit for summer” I am so sick of not getting there and I just need some answers. Sarah went on to explain that this was not her first attempt at getting fit, frustratingly she had tried last year and throughout winter to get there. But despite eating the right thing her training or more accurately her foot pain always got in the way!

So what’s going on?

Sarah had been to a reputable sports footwear retailer and had grabbed a pair of runners that the store had recommended. While initially comfortable and her looking seriously cool in them ;-). After her attempts each night to walk or run she still found herself in pain. If not that night, over the following days she developed pain in her arch on the inside of her foot. It went from being a dull ache to at times being a sharp pain. It also felt like it ran up the inside of her leg a little. If she stopped running or walking for a few weeks / days it got better but once she started again it was back!

A visit to the doctor and more

Frustrated with this she saw her GP who suggested she try putting some ice on the area. Again she went home determined to get better but with little result, yes the ice made it immediately feel better but straight after on the next walk it came back. Still not deterred she headed to a local Physio. He did a short massage and showed her some stretching, this was better she thought for several days and even a session of walking it felt bearable but on trying to increase her activity again, there it was like that old uncle you can’t stand but see every now and then at family function, you don’t want to see them but bam!!! There they are!!

A solution!

Finally after speaking to a friend, who had a similar problem, she came across our clinic. “My friend drove across the city to see you and you got her better.” She said. “You must be worth it because my friend had been everywhere and now raves about you”

So what wrong?

I just want to be fit for summer - 2

On watching Sarah’s walk on our Video Walk run analysis equipment it became pretty clear that her walk or “gait” and “biomechanics” in podiatry speak was lousy! We found that Sarah’s feet were rolling in too much and that put very simply her arches needed more support, to give her muscles a chance to work properly. While the physios stretches and exercises were great, the lowering of her arch needed assistance for her to be able to do all the work they required.

So what’s the plan?

We chatted to Sarah and developed a treatment plan that meant we could get her back to training and finally fit for summer! So what did we do?
• We made a custom made pair of orthoses for her after taking a 3D laser scan and a detail series of Biomechanical measurements.
• Arranged a series of Deep connective tissue massages. While the orthoses will fix why the problem was occurring the soft tissue therapy will address the muscle, we need to help the muscle along it way to being healthy again and ready for activity. A series of stretching and strengthening exercise were also prescribed ensuring everything was cared for.
• We addressed Sarah’s shoes. While her shoes were fantastic loads of patients aren’t as good and without addressing this many patients falter. The right shoe helps, not only supporting the foot, but also working with the orthoses. The aim is to get Sarah back to exercise as soon as possible to reach her health goals.
As all our custom made orthoses are made and designed exclusively by our clinic, in our onsite orthotic laboratory it takes about 3 weeks for the process of computer aided design by our Principle Podiatrist Brenden Brown, they are then milled out using CNC milling and finished by hand. While waiting for these we began the treatment plan and her DCTM and stretching.

So what happened?

In four week at her review Sarah reported her discomfort had dropped dramatically. She no longer had pain after every walk and had found that she was able to increase to running. We reviewed her stretching and asked Sarah to increase her Km’s of running per week. She was stoked! 8 weeks later on her final review Sarah was ecstatic “I can run” she said. “I haven’t been able to run pain free in years”!

So were to from here?

I just want to be fit for summer - 3

You don’t have to put up with Foot pain! There are answers other than waiting for it to go away and pills! At A Step Ahead we see dozens of people like you with foot and lower limb pain all day and we love it! We love getting people better so they can kick their health goals whether its running 5 km or 50 km’s or if it’s professional sport or simply ridding yourself from foot pain so you can play in the park with the kids!
Why not call our friendly team and ask if we can help. Chances are we can! You can also check out more of our website for information on other common conditions we see regularly!
Call us on 96732987 or 47322007. We are located in St Marys and Penrith in Sydney and unlike Macquarie street you can park right out front and it doesn’t cost 65 dollars an hour its free! We are privilege to have patients travel from all over Sydney and NSW to see us: From the North shore and as far away as Port Macquarie and Wollongong.

We would really love to help you get on the track so please give us a call.

Brenden Brown

I just want to be fit for summer - 4

Principle Podiatrist and founder for
The A Step Ahead foot and Ankle care team