Does your child need to see a Podiatrist?

Does your child need to see a Podiatrist?

5 quick signs you need to see a Podiatrist (Foot Doctor)

When to see a Podiatrist

Kids feet are different to Adults feet! Its the building blocks to making sure our kids enjoy activity

Have you been through this?

Grandma's are great at spotting it. Your friends aren't bad. The Shoe shop lady is often a superstar at it! But lets face it you've got a lot on and the occasional "Mum" or "Dad I am"  ........ shhhhhhhh I have stuff to do! "Just a second but Mum ..... my feet are sore! Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat!

So you drag the kids down to the plaza and seek out the closest and “best” footwear retailer you know. (Same woman you remember saying vaguely about it last year.) But on the way or while you are there, some funny things happen! You mention it to your “grandma” and she asks about your little ones “Flat feet” and asks have you had them checked! "Remember I mentioned it to you?" Hmm then you head to the shoe shop and the lady who is fitting the shoes asks the same thing. “Have you thought about seeing a Podiatrist” - WOW that's twice now - Houston we have a problem!

Kids and flat feet, growing pains, tripping falling and all that normal stuff! 

It’s not the only time someone may say it but it happens and we hear about it when Parents bring their youngsters into us confused with quotes like “I am not really sure if I should even be here?” So after seeing literally 1000’s and 1000’s of kids over my 20 years of practice I thought maybe a quick check list may help parent on what are the reason you bring your kids to see me !

Here is my quick 6 checklist – these are the reasons I WOULD bring my child to see a Podiatrist!

1. Flat feet. I thought I’d throw this on the mix pretty early as it’s often a reason people are told they need to see a Pod. It can be confusing and often it seems like there is conflicting advice. Here is my rule – If your little one is ONLY flat footed and does NOT have any of the following, you may well be perfectly ok the way they are now! However if they have Flat feet and ANY of the following YOU NEED TO SEE OUR PODIATRISTS !

2. Tripping or falling. You may notice it or it may take someone to mention it to you. With little reason and sometimes without notice your little one trips! Sometimes it seems justified other times it seems like they tripped over a blade of grass! Somethings happening here and yes we may need to take a look.

3. Pain at night or Growing Pains. If your little one wakes at night with pain in their legs, ankles or feet its more than likely time to see one of our team. Now it can be confusing at times you will take them to see a GP and sadly very sadly they will say “Its growing pains” Grrrr 9/10 you can attribute this pain can be treated and you don’t have to wait for them to “grow out of it” If your little one has “Growing Pains” or anything else like that sounds or smells like this – Visit` our team!

4. Kids that don’t like walking or avoid activity. Some kids seem like they are always whinging, you are out shopping or with the family and out on a long walk or other family activity and your child wants to “Sit down” or “stop”. Often we simply think our kids are being Lazy. However for a good proportion of these kids it’s got to do with their poor foot posture making walking harder and yes they are actually in pain! Sometimes kids don’t even realise they are uncomfortable (Its ok, we realise it sounds strange) they just know they want to stop! We have fixed kids foot posture and seen a change that means these kids go from not wanting to walk to almost running!

5. Unusual wear on old footwear. Have you noticed that your kids shoes seem to lean to one side after a couple of months or even weeks? Have you noticed they wear out the toes and have simply blamed it on loads of Handball? This again is in our top 5 reasons for needing to see one of our team!

6. Sore feet or pain at any times. (Ok so this is a sneaky Reason 6!)  It seems simple but if your child has sore feet it means they need to see a Podiatrist. NO you don’t need a referral (Permission slip) from your GP simply call and we will help. YES It’s what we do, we LOVE seeing kids because delightfully they often respond really well and very quickly to our treatment – and who doesn’t like a big smile!

So if your kids have ANY of the above Grandma and the shoe shop lady are actually on the money! If not then guess what you can fairly confidentially not worry!

As we have said above, we LOVE seeing kids. We are very lucky in that we see literally hundreds every year! If you have any of these problems or any other foot or ankle complaints please let us know! We are located in 2 spots in Western Sydney both conveniently located minutes from the M4 and with parking right out the front.
Please call our helpful team on 96732987 and our team will answer any questions and help with making times to see our Podiatrists.

Dr Brenden Brown (BB) Podiatrist
For the team at
A Step Ahead Foot + Ankle care

BB with one of his patients, kids foot pain

BB with one of his Patients!

How Tanya beat unsightly Nail Fungus

How Tanya beat unsightly Nail Fungus

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.

Are your childs feet healthy ?

Are your childs feet healthy ?

Kids feet need health checks

Kids feet need health checks

Kid’s feet come in all different shapes and sizes and so do their FEET!

Having healthy feet is vital to a child’s development. Did you know that problems not resolved in children’s feet can become major problems for them when they become adults?

Not all kids foot problems show up by resulting in pain while many parents recognise flat feet as a problem many other signs may not be as obvious!

Tripping and falling – tiring easily while walking or playing – laziness – clumsiness – growing pains and trouble keeping up with peers are all signs that your child may have developmental problems with their feet.

Appointments can be made and are available at our St Marys and Penrith clinics 9673 2987 or 47322007

At a step ahead we have a passion for looking after kid’s feet! As a result our practice is very kid orientated and we get to see loads of kids – we love what we do!

Our team will check your child’s feet ensuring that no unidentified problems continue! Kids need healthy feet to develop normally so our podiatrist will video them walking playing and running, they will test their muscles to see how they are developing after taking a detailed history to get an idea how they are developing.

Our job is to make sure your child get to be their best! and we think its kinda cool – because seeing kids get better, run faster, play longer and smile more makes our day! We live for the smile a happy kid can bring to your life.

Our team is led by Dr Brenden Brown – He has over 20 years experience. His passion for looking after kids foot health has made him recognised as an expert on kids feet in Australia. Brenden has been the Podiatry advisor and expert for Clarks kids footwear Australia for many years. He has feature on Television, on channel NINE on the today show and A current affair helping parent to make good school shoe choices each year and advising on good foot health. He has also featured in magazine like Practical parenting and Good Medicine magazines along with Men’s Health, Women’s health, Woman’s Day, Cosmopolitan and many many more!

Brenden though is most proud of being a dad of two young girls and understanding what its like to be a parent and looking after two growing kids!

Appointments can be made and are available at our St Marys and Penrith clinics 9673 2987 or 47322007