Oh, dads. They’re fantastic. They’ve put up with us through our childhood and teenage years (and as parents raising small children, we appreciate this so much more!). They’ve worked hard for us and our families. They’ve finished the food off our plates when we couldn’t (or wouldn’t). They’ve told many a dad joke and embarrassed us in front of our friends. For many of us, they’ve now stepped seamlessly into the grandad role too. This weekend, we have the opportunity to celebrate them maybe a little more than we already do, and perhaps with a gift. We thought we’d suggest an idea that’s a little different from the regular ties, socks and shavers – and tell you exactly WHY it’s a perfect choice.

Gift idea: An appointment with a Podiatrist

We know, a Podiatrist is only for “old people”, right?  Wrong. Podiatrists treat not only older adults but also kids, athletes, anyone wanting to walk or run better, and anyone with any problem with their feet and legs – from an injury to having tired, achy legs at the end of the day. We have a myriad of knowledge about everything foot and leg related, and use it to improve your quality of life (we do all this here at Perform Podiatry, you’ll want to check with your local podiatrist that they offer an extensive range of services too).

So, what can a Podiatrist offer that will genuinely be helpful to and appreciated by dad?

Let us start with just three things. 1. Simply and painlessly removing the hard skin (callous) and corns that have built up from years of chasing around after you and working hard Yep, with excess pressure to the feet (and for many of our dads, their increasing weight), comes the development of hard, dry skin known as callous. This builds up as a direct response of how much walking dad does, and can quickly move from being barely noticeable, to uncomfortable, to painful. When there is an exact spot of pressure in a particular area of the foot, a corn can form and quickly become painful when stepped on. We safely, effectively and painlessly remove this dry, dead skin and dad will immediately feel a difference when he puts his feet down. 2. Help fix any pains or injuries that he swears “are just fine” and “will fix themselves” Yep, undoubtedly you will have heard that one before – just like we do on a regular basis! When it comes to foot and leg injuries, the rest and care needed for healing is much harder to achieve on your own because you’re constantly using the bones and muscles of the feet and legs everytime you walk. More importantly, the more you keep walking on an injury, the more likely it is for that injury to worsen and the longer your recovery will be. So trust us when we say that you’ll be doing dad a world of good both now and in the future if you let us help him properly take care of any pains or injuries, even if they’ve been there for a while. 3. Help him feel more comfortable throughout the day and less tired at the end of the day This is a problem not just for dads, but men and women of all ages – particularly if they spend long hours on their feet or have a condition that makes it less comfortable to walk – like arthritis. In these cases, we conduct a thorough assessment of dads feet and figure out the causes of his end-of-day achiness or general discomfort. We then have a variety of tools in the box to help with this both now and in the years to come. Even when it comes to arthritis where joints have degenerated from years of damage (osteoarthritis) or inflammatory symptoms and changes (rheumatoid arthritis), we’re able to reduce the daily pain by improving comfort through customised orthotic devices. For many patients, being able to reduce their pain by even 30% (this varies and can be more or less depending on the person) has a significantly positive impact on their quality of lives and their physical activities. Whatever is going on with dad’s feet and legs, there’s a good chance we’ll be able to help – and you know what they say about health being the greatest gift! If you’d like to know more about our services or the ways we can help, don’t hesitate to give us a call on 09 523 2333 to chat with one of our friendly team. And however you end up spending your Sunday, we hope that it’s fantastic and filled with love!   –  The Perform Podiatry team