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!

Top 4 reasons your Laser treatment for fungal nail infection won’t or did not work!

Top 4 reasons your Laser treatment for fungal nail infection won’t or did not work!

Top 4 reasons your Laser treatment for fungal nail infection won't or did not work - 1

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!)

Top 4 reasons your Laser treatment for fungal nail infection won't or did not work - 1

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!

Top 4 reasons your Laser treatment for fungal nail infection won't or did not work - 3

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?

Top 4 reasons your Laser treatment for fungal nail infection won't or did not work - 4

*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??

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

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

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

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?

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!