Blog, Kids Feet, Sports Care
Blog, Heel Pain, Shockwave
Heel Pain, Uncategorized
Is wearing a Moon Boot going to help Heel Pain?
Should I wear a “Moon Boot” for heel pain?
The Answer?
NO, but why? Its best to settle on some understandings from the beginning. It is widely understood that it is “soft tissue and tendons that are what become sore in Heel Pain. The idea that Heel Spurs “cause” pain has been debunked and proven incorrect a number of times!
Over the last few years there has been an evolving understanding around how tendons and soft tissue works. Keep this in the front of your mind – “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!
Boots can “Change” tendons – in a negative way!
As we said stopping all activity is not good for us. That same principal exists for those who are using an air cast or moon boots. Completely removing the function of the foot and calf will mean these muscles will most likely fatigue and lose condition. At best, you will need a delicate and dedicated rehab process to get you back to normal function.
This includes “tears” in fascia’s! We have found there is an ever-increasing body of evidence suggesting that many radiologically identified tears maybe completely normal and part of a normal aging process!
Patients often ask us at the clinic about “booting” or casting them after “a friends” practitioner did this with them their “friend”. All the evidence base suggests that this is often the wrong way forward. In good conscience, we can’t do this. It should be recognized this was once accepted practice, we know we did it!
However the evidence base suggests doing this will unload the soft tissue completely and can in itself start another chain of events and problems which you only have to overcome later! So NO BOOT!
If by chance you are reading this and you’ve been prescribed a boot. I’d respectfully ask your practitioner about what the current evidence base says about this method of treatment?
Should I change my activity?
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. As a guide if it hurts STOP IT!
What do I do instead?
Our strong advice is to look for strong supportive cushioned footwear.
What does this mean? Look for the following in Sneaker style or work boot.
1.Always lace up!
2.Bend only at the toes
3.Shoes should NOT bend in the middle!
4.Should NOT twist or wring out
5.Firm heel counter (back of shoe that hugs the heel)
Wear your lace up shoes – From the moment you wake – till the moment you head to bed! No matter inside or outside! No thongs – NO bare feet! This is a far better way of providing the tendons and other soft tissue structures support without immobilizing the foot and creating more problems.
Need some help?
Our Doctors at A step ahead see between 8 – 12 heel pain patient each every day! Heel pain , sports injuries and musculoskeletal pain in feet + lower legs are our passion. We are often for many people the 2nd, 3rd or even 4th opinion for their heel pain. We are most often the last!
First steps to getting back to pain free?
Give our front desk team a call, they speak to dozens of people a day just like you with problematic heel pain. They will run through with you what you may have tried so far and get a better understanding of your pain. They will then help work out what type of appointment is best to make for you. From here they can reserve your appointment time.
We would LOVE to be able to help you on the way back to becoming Happy Healthy + active.
Our number is 96732987 or 47322007 we look forward to helping you
If you are looking for more information we have a prepared a dedicated page to helping both other practitioners and patients with information on HEEL PAIN. ” Heel Pain Doctor ” has loads of fact and helps busts some of the myths around heel pain.
Blog, Kids Feet, Sports Care
Tripping, falling, clumsy or Growing pains – Is it really normal?
Is growing really responsible for your little one’s discomfort?
So, your little one is having a tough time and, therefore, so are you! There’s something not quite right but you just can’t put your finger on it.
Perhaps they seem clumsy, or they trip and fall a little more than their friends of the same age. Maybe they don’t want to walk distances. Perhaps it appears they tire out more than the other kids. Sound familiar?
One of the most frustrating things for a parent or carer is having a child that, for no know apparent reason, wakes at night with pain in their feet legs and lower limbs. Often they’ll be in tears with pain. You’ve tried massaging them, or heat packs. You may have tried Panadol and Nurofen.
What you need is answers!
You head to the GP to tell them the things you’ve noticed. Frustratingly you’re told, “they will grow out of it” or…
“it’s growing pains” or…
“All kids get that” or …
“There’s nothing that you can do” or…
“Oh, it’s completely normal”
Whaaaaaat – You scream!!!
Well we don’t think it’s normal and there is something you can do!
All of the above are classic symptoms we see and recognise as signs your child has foot and lower limb posture problems, and this most certainly CAN be treated.
Getting rid of your child’s pain
We see hundreds of kids who present with their parents with very similar complaints each and every year. Frustrated parents with children who are looking for answers.
One of the most rewarding things about being a practitioner is getting these kids back to health, activity and pain free! To do this we start by running through a detailed history. We examine walking, standing and posture.
We will then recommend treatment aimed at stopping the pain and making your child comfortable (and happy!) again. We provide useful suggestions around footwear, prescribe therapies like massage or orthotics alongside possibly stretching and muscle strength exercises – all aimed at kids and designed to be kid friendly!
Results that make you smile!
There is nothing better than seeing a once uncomfortable child who woke at night crying sitting in your office with a big smile! With parents who have equally enormous smiles!
Parents get to see their once-clumsy-child running around without as many grazed knees. Many mums feel relieved that they no longer have to continuously pick up their child or push them endlessly in the pram because they can now walk distances complaint free!
As a clinic we see numerous kids each week, and we LOVE it! There is little greater than knowing you’ve made someone else’s life just a little bit better. It’s quite addictive.
In an age where we find ourselves complaining that our kids need to “get outside and play more” or we’re constantly saying “put your device down” it’s important that we make certain that they have the ability to be active – without pain.
Too many times we have meet frustrated parents and upset kids who come into our office after being told there is nothing they can do only to find they could have been making things better weeks months or even years earlier!
First steps
Is this sounds all too familiar, we’d like to help. Perhaps this is something that a friend or relative may benefit from. If that’s the case we’d love you to share it with them so they can find relief!
A Step Ahead Foot + Ankle Care is based in Western Sydney. We have multiple practitioners with loads of experience treating kids! Its our passion!
If you’d like more information please contact our helpful front desk team. They are brilliant at working through what help you need, guiding you to the appointment that is right for your family, running through costings and then reserving your appointment time. Call us today on +61 2 9673 2987 we look forward to helping.
Have you checked out our page dedicated to kids’ foot problems? Click here for more information.
Got a question? Visit us on instagram #AskDrFoot
Blog, Fungal Nails
Top 4 reasons your Laser treatment for fungal nail infection won’t or did not work
Is all laser therapy the same?
Laser therapy has become the treatment of choice for many people struggling with fungal nail infections. It’s fast, has very limited discomfort for most and is reliable and effective. But is it?
Increasingly with the popularity on this treatment more practitioners are popping up spruiking their ability to treat. With this sadly comes with groups of people who don’t know what they are doing!
As a clinic who have been using the treatment for many – many years we have seen an influx of these people and with that an influx of poor results!
So why? As a more experienced clinic what have we noticed has contributed to the increase in poor results? Below is some of our thoughts. It’s our hope that this will be considered by some of the newer players in the market or even some that simply want to hit their “A Game!” Here are our top 4!
Number 1. Only treating one toe!
Stats suggest that while the fungal infection is obviously present in one or two toes the spores or eggs are almost 100% of the time present in the other toes!
That right you’re not treating the other fungal spores and they will either develop there or spread back to the treated toe once the laser has gone (yes that quite quickly!)
Number 2. Only treat the damaged areas in the nail.
The area that is yellow or discoloured is actually NOT the live fungus it’s the mess the live fungus leaves! That’s the dead nail NOT the living fungal spores many times!
If you only treat this area it’s a little like taking the Antibiotics after you’re better!
Number 3. You don’t treat the skin.
So where does the fungal spores come from on most occasions? Yup your skin. But you’re only having the nail treated? So the area that has much of the spores and the greatest surface area is not going to be treated.
If you have light dry skin that you can’t get rid of. Do you notice very tiny little blisters that appear but never have fluid in them? Perhaps what may appear as tinea between the toes? These are all signs your fungus is alive and well on your skin ready to hop back on your toenails.
Number 4: Not treating Shoes.
So are we clear yet that fungus obviously does NOT only live in the nail …… or on the one toe! These nasties jump about and are like tummy bugs they are invisible and spread like wild fire!
Be assured if you have had the infection for a time those spores have jumped to the inside of your shoes and socks! They love warm dark spaces. Yes, pretty much exactly like the inside of your shoes! Don’t treat this area and you will have your infection back soon than you can blink!
All that glitters is not gold!
As you can see, while it can appear like treating fungal nails is as simple as grabbing an expensive fancy Laser, it’s not nearly that simple! Particularly if you really do want to help your patient get rid of this dreadfully difficult condition and get rid of it for good. These are only four of the many steps we take (no one wants to read this all day)
In the 5 years we have been treating this difficult condition we have seen many people with unsuccessful treatments from other clinics. We continue each day to innovate in ways that can improve and enhance treatments and increase even further our success rate.
We have found that by using our very detailed multifactorial approach our success rate has been quite high and continues to rise. But and its needs to be noted no treatment is 100% effective – NONE.
You can make laser therapy treatment for nail fungal infections more effective but it takes time, a thorough approach and a little bit of work at home by the patient to increase this!
Next steps
We see several people a day treating fungal nail infections. If we can help you please let us know! You can contact us through our helpful front desk team. They speak to multiple patients a day with this condition. They can run you through our process and then costings and reserve an appointment time that suits you best. Our number is +61 2 9673 2987 we would LOVE to help.
Medical clinics + Other Podiatry clinic’s
If you are one of the many Podiatry / Medical clinics that follow my posts please read the details in my clinic websites.
I am currently developing a course for practitioners interested in learning more effective and efficient ways of treating nail fungus. If you follow our posts we will announce this as it occurs or simply send us a message and our office will save your details.
Our number is 96732987 we look forward to being able to help.
Do you need more information on fungal nail infections – have you checked out our new site dedicated to Fungal nail infections?
*Nail Paints and ointments are reported in the evidence base to be only effective in 13% of people. Imagine your Dr telling you that your medicine only had a 13% chance of making you better??
Dr Brenden’s White paper report on the “6 Reasons You Won’t Beat Heal Pain” outlines what’s stopping you from beating this and tips on how to stop it in its tracks!