Podiatry Services in Canberra
What is podiatry? It’s more than just feet! It’s a branch of medicine that investigates, diagnoses, treats, manages and prevents medical conditions of the lower limbs. Podiatrists are aiming to improve the function of the lower limbs.
The lower limbs are the hips down but Podiatrists often assess the whole body to determine why there is a problem further down. Podiatrists consult the very young to the very old to people with a temporary condition such as a bruised heel to those with a chronic condition such as diabetes. We deal with all the layers of the body; skin, toenails, muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, blood vessels, nerves. It’s very much a profession that covers all aspects of foot, ankle and lower limb health.
What is a Podiatrist?
Podiatrists are allied health professionals that are registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). A podiatrist has completed a university degree specific in podiatry studies. In Australia, a university degree must be board assessed as an acceptable program. You’ll find in Australia most podiatrists are trained in Australia with limited podiatrists trained in NZ, UK, USA, Canada, South Africa and other countries.
Podiatrists are aiming to improve the function of the lower limbs.
What conditions do Podiatrists treat?
As stated above, podiatrists are involved in the health management of all the layers of the lower limbs; skin, toenails, muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, blood vessels, nerves. This means we can consult people with the following conditions:
Thick, hard to cut toenails
Ingrown toenails
Fungal toenails
Painful, damaged & misshapen toenails
Dry, cracked heels and skin
Calluses and corns
Tinea/fungal infections
Warts/plantar warts/verrucae – including on the legs and hands
Blisters
Chilblains
Heel pain
Flatfeet/rolling in
Toe walking
Intoeing/pigeon toed
Outtoeing/penguin walk
A limp when walking and running
Frequency tripping, balance issues and/or general clumsiness
Delayed walking
Foot, ankle, leg, knee, thigh pain
Generalised hypermobility
Reoccurring ankle rolls
Growing pains
Ingrown toenails
Curly or claw toes
Bunions
Knocked knees
Bowed leg
Warts
Limb length difference (one leg longer than the other)
Heel pain conditions such as plantar fasciitis, tarsal tunnel syndrome, heel spurs
Plantar fasciitis / plantar fascia tears / plantar fasciopathy / plantar fasciosis
Ankle sprains
Chronic ankle instability
Achilles tendonitis / achilles tendinopathy / achilles tendinosis
Arch pain
Forefoot ‘metatarsalgia’ pain including Morton’s neuroma, neuritis, plantar plate dysfunction and metatarsal stress fractures
Pain associated with flat feet and generalised hypermobiltiy
Shin pain including medial tibial stress syndrome, muscle-tendon injuries or strains
Big toe joint conditions including bunions, turf toe, hallux limitus
Sesamoid injuries
Toe pain from hammer toe, curly toes, claw toe, cross over toe
Acute and overuse tendon injuries
Bone fractures, bone stress fractures and bone stress reactions
Arthritis including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, seronegative arthropathies
Shin splints
Calf pain due to tears and strains
Muscle soreness
Limb length difference (one leg longer than the other)
Plantar fasciitis and other causes of heel pain
Arch pain
Achilles injuries
Muscle and tendon injuries
Ankle sprains / rolled ankle
Lower limb fractures
Joint pain
Calf tears
Muscle fatigue
Shin splints
Numbness, pins and needles in feet with activity
Bunions
Hammer toe
Contact trauma injuries to toes and toenails
Knee pain in particular patellofemoral joint syndrome
Uncomfortable running technique
Overuse injuries to muscles and bones
Diabetes foot care and assessments
Gait analysis: walking and running
Falls risk assessments
Footwear assessments
Nerve and circulation studies
Arthritis care including offloading of painful lower limb joints
Orthotic therapy reviews for orthotics issued by our podiatrists or your previous podiatrists
Biomechanical assessments to improve pain, function, efficiency, balance, coordination, strength, range of motion and sports performance