Category: Heel Pain

We spend a third of our life at work, with many of us on our feet all day, so it makes sense that the workplace can be a great source of foot pain. Pain at work not only impairs your (and your employees’, if you’re a business owner) performance, but also your mental well-being too. This is why we offer a range of occupational Podiatry services, to keep your team happy, healthy and at the top of their game. Whether it’s an injury sustained at work, or a pre-existing condition that is impacting your ability to carry out your work, our expert team here at Perform Podiatry have you covered.

We help you prevent injuries at your workplace

Identifying problems before they arise means your team stay healthy and happy. It keeps your business on-track with less sick days and appointments to attend, is cost-effective, and generally creates and happier and safer workplace. Our registered Podiatrists can talk you through your workplace, your injury risks, examine previous injury incidence, and work with you to mitigate injury.

We help your team manage existing injuries

From July 2016 to July 2017, there were 841 new claims of injury at work that affected the feet and legs in Auckland alone. That’s not including all of the existing claims that affected individuals are still managing. We can help you effectively manage your existing injuries so you can get out of pain and get back to feeling like yourself and doing the things you enjoy as quickly as possible. You can have a Podiatrist assess, diagnose, treat and manage the injuries incurred at your workplace. The management plan will be specific to their role, creating as few disruptions as possible to the daily workings of your company or business. For your interest, in 2016 there was a total of 233,000 claims for workplace injuries in New Zealand. Damaging your feet, and having an event like a fall, also risks damaging other parts of the body too.

We’re ACC registered

We’re ACC registered Podiatrists and have an additional contract with ACC for orthotic cover. That means when you need it, you’ll have the best level of cover for the treatments that’ll help you the most. We take the hassle out of filling in ACC paperwork – you’ve got enough on your plate with your injury! From lumps and bumps on your feet, muscle strains, sprains or any cause of pain in the feet, legs and knees, our team will ensure you get the best care. We’ll refer you for any diagnostic testing where necessary, as well as connect you with other trusted health professionals where your injury requires another health professional to assist in the management. Give us a call on 09-523-2333 to talk about your own foot care needs, or those of your workplace.

  January is here and it’s that time of the year where parents are starting to get their kids ready for their new year at school. They’re getting their uniforms sorted, school books, bags, shoes, socks and anything else they may need. But kids aren’t the only ones heading back to school to spend many hours on their feet! In 2018, approximately 53,000 teachers will also return to school in New Zealand. But are teachers as prepared as their students when it comes to their feet? Throughout the year, we see LOTS of teachers with sore, aching feet. And it’s not surprising – if you’re a teacher, you’re always on the go. Whether you’re up by the whiteboard, answering questions, walking between classrooms or supervising breaks, you don’t stop! At Perform Podiatry, we have a LOT of respect for our teachers and want to help you stay pain and injury free throughout the year. Hence, we’ve put together some tips to help keep you foot-smart and out of pain!   Be mindful of how active you were during the summer We know all too well how good it feels to get that summer break and put your feet up. But if you’ve spent the last month or two laying out in the beautiful sunshine and not walking as much as you’d usually be, you may be at risk of developing foot pain once you hit the ground running back at work. To help avoid this, start going for some casual walks before the start of the term to gently ease your feet and legs back into the increased activity. Trust us – your legs will thank you when you come home from work and they’re not aching!   Choose shoes that won’t cause you pain We know that for some, shoes can be a massive fashion statement. And that’s absolutely fine, but we’d also like you to think of shoes as a medical and occupational device. This device will either help you keep goingcomfortably and free of pain and injury, or it won’t do anything to keep you feeling good or reduce the risk of injury. In an environment where you’ve got to stay in your shoes and always be ready to get on your feet and move, shoes really can have a massive impact on your feet – and your health. Our advice is to choose shoes that:

• Are both an appropriate length and width, making sure they’re not rubbing on the sides of your feet.
• Have plenty of toe room to move around. This will help reduce cramps, blisters and corns too.
• Have some support in the arch to improve comfort and decrease the likelihood of strain and injury. So let’s skip the pointed toes during school hours!
• Cup the ankle and heel well and don’t let it slip around. This provides stability, control and support for your foot. Shoes that have open backs let the ankle move from side to side without the control that shoes can provide. This makes you more vulnerable to injuries like ankle sprains.
• Have a sensible heel. Realistically, many shoes these days have an inbuilt heel of up to two inches. These may not even look like your typical ‘heeled’ shoes. Because of this, we recommend you stay away from any shoes that are obviously ‘high-heeled’ and don’t go above one inch (2.5 cm). The higher the heels, the more pressure is placed on the ball of your foot and when combined with being on your feet all day every day, places a high risk of developing pain or other issues. Where possible, joggers will always do best by your feet.

  Consider orthotics if you’ve previously experienced pain or issues with your feet and legs Orthotics are devices that sit at the bottom of your shoes and support your feet. There are two main ‘types’ of orthotics. The first are the ones you can purchase from a pharmacy or store that primarily works to cushion your feet and add comfort. The second is prescription orthotics from your Podiatrist that work to correct a problem or issue that you may have. If you have no problems with your feet but would like more comfort, consider the former. If you have or have previously had issues with your feet, consider the prescription orthotics. Your Podiatrist will design the orthotics in a way that will support vulnerable structures (joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons) so that they won’t have to work with every step you take. Often injuries result from strains, and orthotics can help relieve the strain and pressure from certain areas, so your injury doesn’t re-occur. Your Podiatrist will be able to perform a comprehensive assessment of your feet and discuss whether orthotics are right for you, and what they can do for your feet.   Stretching and Strengthening It may seem like a no-brainer, but many of us forget that the stronger our feet and legs are, the more they can handle without damage and pain. Tight, weaker muscles that start being used all day can be vulnerable to damage so alongside regular use like walking, start doing some stretches and exercises to strengthen your feet and legs. Squats and calf raises are two great examples. If any pain or problems do develop, our expert team at Perform Podiatry have you covered. We offer appointments before and after school hours to get our teachers back on their feet and performing at their best! Our team are proud to be looking after Remuera, Newmarket and the surrounds. Give us a call at 09-523-233.

We recently had a visit from a policeman with a sore heel and arch. While we diagnosed his condition and prescribed a comprehensive treatment plan to get rid of his pain once and for all, we also learnt something new. We learnt that back in the day when policemen patrolled the streets by foot, this type of heel pain was very common for them – to the point that it got known as Policeman’s Foot Syndrome. Sure enough, with the amount of time our brave men and women spend keeping our city safe, this will still be affecting many of them (as well as a lot of New Zealanders in other occupations!) so we thought we’d write about what exactly this is, why it happens and what you can do if this sounds like the problem you’re having. Let’s start with the basics. This syndrome is medically known as:  

Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis describes the damage to, and inflammation of, a tissue called the fascia which originates at the base of the heel and spans the arch to the toes. Because the plantar fascia supports the arch and engages every time you take a step, spending long periods on your feet without the right support can definitely be a cause of plantar fasciitis. Other contributing factors include having flatter feet (or very high arches), unsupportive footwear, increasing training intensity, obesity, hard surfaces, trauma, and generally pounding your feet and heels each day. What are the symptoms?

• Pain located at the bottom of the heel and/or inner heel that may radiate up into the arch
• Pain present first thing in the morning when starting to walk
• Pain may ease after a few minutes of walking
• Pain present on standing after rest
• Both sharp and/or throbbing pain

What should you do? Seeing your Podiatrist is absolutely the first step. They’ll be able to prescribe the best treatment plan for you based on your exact symptoms, cause and daily activities. At Perform Podiatry we work your rehabilitation into your life so you get the best results and are able to continue to do the things you love (within reason, of course, until your pain goes away!). Your treatment plan with likely involve a combination of some of the following elements: Appropriate footwear – to support your foot and the plantar fascia throughout recovery, reducing load away from it while it heals Orthotics – to support your foot and the plantar fascia and reduce the daily strain so it can heal and repair. We get the best results from custom-made orthotics, specifically designed for you from a cast of your feet paired with the results of a comprehensive biomechanical assessment of your feet and leg Stretching – initially, where indicated and of benefit, we may begin by stretching tissues that may be contributing to your plantar fascial pain. This likely won’t be the fascia itself to start, but the calves and the Achilles tendon where we identify tightness in your biomechanical examination. Strengthening – strengthening muscles that we identify in your biomechanical assessment to be weakened will help to support and stabilise your feet and legs and may reduce some tension from your plantar fascia, as well as supporting the healthy movement of your lower limbs Strapping – during the initial stages of treatment to temporarily help keep your foot in a position that places minimal strain on the fascia Managing acute symptoms – to help reduce pain and the initial inflammation so that healing can begin. This involves elements like icing and elevating the affected foot  

The moral of the story?

It’s simply that plantar fasciitis affects a lot of New Zealanders and our ability to perform both our daily tasks and our jobs – just like our policemen and women. Getting it sorted early means you get pain-free and back to doing the things you love as quickly as possible. If you’re experiencing any heel pain, give our expert team at Perform Podiatry in Remuera a call on 09 523 233  

We’re all bound to have sprained an ankle at some point in our lives, right? To varying degrees – perhaps you slightly rolled it and the pain went away after an hour or so, or perhaps you tore a ligament and ended up limping for days, if not weeks. Eventually, the pain does go away as the tears in the ligaments heal and the inflammation settles. But did you know that even though it may heal, if not managed properly, ankle sprains can leave a permanent impact on your ankle and your stability? It’s true and it happens more than you realise. Here’s what you need to know.

What happens when you sprain your ankle?

Most ankle sprains are inversion ankle sprains, meaning that you roll onto the outside of your ankle, as opposed to the inside. This causes damage to the 3 main ligaments located at the lateral (outside) ankle, whose purpose is to provide stability and support (you have these stabilising ligaments on the inside of your ankle too). They are called your anterior talofibular ligament, posterior talofibular ligament and calcaneofibular ligament. Damage to these ligaments presents as swelling, pain and tenderness on the outside of your ankle, with occasional bruising.

How does Chronic Ankle Instability develop?

Chronic Ankle Instability develops when proper care is not taken to treat and heal these ligaments. This means that following a sprain, instead of being effectively restored to the original strong, healthy ligaments they once were, the ligaments are left in a slightly weakened state, even though the pain and swelling have gone. Additionally, persistent swelling also contributes to the development of instability because a prolonged inflammatory process is damaging to tissues and ligaments. Typically, Chronic Ankle Instability develops and becomes symptomatic after repeated ankle sprains and ligament damage.  

What does having unstable ankles mean for me?

Instability impairs your balance, meaning you are more likely to have falls and repeated painful ankle sprains. Wearing unsupportive shoes like heels become more difficult, less stable, and far more tiresome for the other muscles and tissues through your feet and legs that will try to provide at least some compensation for your instability on your feet.

What should you do?

The first and best thing you can do is ensure that you have adequate care for any sprains that you incur and that your ankles are effectively rehabilitated each time. If you’ve developed ankle instability, physical therapy can help you strengthen your ankle, improve your balance and retrain muscles. At Perform Podiatry, our Podiatrists develop a comprehensive, tailored treatment plan after a thorough biomechanical assessment of your feet and legs so we have the full picture of what is happening with your bones, joints, muscles and ligaments. In severe cases, we may need to use a brace to give you additional support throughout your rehabilitation. We set measurable goals and work to give you back as much strength and stability as possible. We also pair you with the right shoes for various occasions to get you the best outcomes. If you’ve suffered an ankle sprain or are worried you may have ankle instability, give us a call. We’re experts in foot health and biomechanics and are committed to delivering excellence in Podiatric care. Give us a call on 09 523 2333  

You may have heard of Shin Splints before and the pain it causes at the front of the legs. You may have even experienced it yourself. These days it has become commonplace to describe any pain occurring in the area of the shins as ‘Shin Splints’, though this is not the case. So what exactly is it and why does it occur? Perform Podiatry talks Shin Splints!  

What is Shin Splints?

Shin splints are otherwise referred to as Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS), meaning great stress to the front and inner side of your tibia (lower leg/shin bone). Without visiting a Podiatrist to get your legs checked, you’ve got to be careful not to mistake Shin Splints for other causes of pain to the lower leg, such as a Stress Fracture along the tibia or Compartment Syndrome. Admittedly, many practitioners still refer to stress fractures as a mechanism of Shin Splints. This is largely because Shin Splints is not a precise condition itself, but includes various mechanisms of injury that result in pain at the shins. The injury incurred in Shin Splints may include micro-tears to or inflammation of muscles where they attach to the shin bone, the inflammation of a tissue surrounding the shinbone called the periosteum, or a combination of these. When muscles are involved, it tends to be the Tibialis Anterior or Tibialis Posterior. Commonly, stress on the tibia itself is also included as a mechanism of injury in Shin Splints. Shin Splints have a relatively generalised pain along the front and insides of the shins and tend to feel worse in the morning. This is because soft tissues and musculature originating from the tibia tightens overnight and so has a greater pull in the morning before it stretches out as you walk and the pain may ease. Pain can be felt on walking and running, especially when you lift your foot up and point your toes towards the ground.

What Causes Shin Splints?

Shin Splints are generally an overuse syndrome where certain activities, circumstances, and intense training schedules place a great amount of force and stress on the muscles and tissues at the shins, to the point of damage. Factors that may contribute to the development of Shin Splints includes:

• Poor muscle flexibility
• Inadequate stretching
• Suddenly increasing training intensity
• Abnormal foot pronation (unsupported flat feet)
• Excessive supination (high arched feet)
• Unsupportive or worn-out shoes
• Favouring one leg while running

The last point is a bit of a given – whether you know it or not, you have a dominant leg/foot just like you have a dominant hand. This is the leg that will tend to climb the first step, that you’ll take a leap with, and that will likely take on significantly more force than the other. This is also the leg that will tend to develop Shin Splints.

What is the treatment for Shin Splints?

The first step to treating Shin Splints is identifying the cause, which for most people involves multiple causes. You’ll need to see your Podiatrist for this so they can analyse the way you walk, run, your foot posture, muscle strength, range of motion available at your joints, and more. Attempting to manage Shin Splints without an assessment means that you may only be addressing a certain suspected contributing factor, such as replacing worn shoes, while missing some main components that will see you continue to struggle with Shin Splints for months. You can help reduce your initial symptoms of pain and swelling with ice and rest, though this doesn’t address the cause and won’t ‘treat’ the condition or keep the pain permanently settled. Your Podiatrist will create a tailored management plan to suit your symptoms, cause, and your life. They’ll also go through and exclude other causes of shin pain. If you’re getting pain or discomfort around your shins, or are worried about your feet and legs, come in and see our expert Podiatry team at Perform Podiatry. We are committed to delivering excellence in patient care and your clinical outcomes and want to see you back on your feet and pain-free! Give our team a call on 09 5232333

  If you wake up dreading putting your feet on the ground and taking those first few steps because of an intense pain in your heels, then it sounds like you could have Plantar Fasciitis. Don’t worry! While this condition can be extremely limiting and painful, you’re in the perfect place as heel pain is one of our specialities here at Perform Podiatry. Here’s what you need to know about Plantar Fasciitis. What is Plantar Fasciitis? Your plantar fascia is a thick connective tissue band that runs from the bottom of your heel (where you’ll be feeling your pain) and spans out like a fan to connect into your toes. It works to help support your arch and foot and you engage it and put pressure on it every single time you take a step. Plantar fasciitis describes the condition where your plantar fascia has become damaged, and as a result is painful and often inflamed. Damage occurs when the fascia is overloaded to a point that it can’t tolerate, and so it gets small tears through its fibres. If the damage is bad, the plantar fascia can be partially torn or may completely rupture. Factors that contribute to overloading and subsequent damage can include (among many more):

• Sudden increase in physical activity or training
• Faulty foot biomechanics
• Unsupportive footwear
• High-impact activities
• Activities that strain the arch (and hence fascia) such as stair climbing
• Increased weight
• Trauma/injury to the heel – such as standing on a sharp rock or jumping down from a high surface

While the above factors are more common, Plantar Fasciitis can result from any activity or action that places great tension on the fascia beyond normal limits. How do I know if I have Plantar Fasciitis? Because there are other tissues and structures around your heels and arch, the first step is to see your Podiatrist so they can confirm a diagnosis and rule out the pain being caused by anything else. Typical signs of Plantar Fasciitis include:

• Pain located on the bottom and/or inner heel that can radiate up into the arch
• First step pain in the morning that may ease as you continue to walk
• Pain on standing after sitting/rest
• Pain can range from a mild discomfort to an intense stabbing pain

How is Plantar Fasciitis treated? Your Podiatrist will prescribe a thorough treatment plan for you based on your level of injury, symptoms, the initial cause, as well as your lifestyle and goals. It’s important to address all causative factors or there may be a significant chance of your Plantar Fasciitis recurring. Here at Perform Podiatry, we don’t want you wasting time (and money) trying methods that aren’t effective and instead focus on getting you the best clinical outcomes as fast as possible, and with the best long-term result. We work with you so you can continue to enjoy the activities you love while recovering from injury. Your treatment may include:

• Orthotics – to support the arch and reduce tension off the Plantar Fascia so it can begin to heal instead of being constantly strained on walking
• Footwear check – to ensure your footwear didn’t contribute to the development of your Plantar Fasciitis and isn’t prolonging recovery
• Stretching exercises – not only to help stretch the fascia to reduce pain (where appropriate) but to also stretch other muscle groups that may have contributed to the development of Plantar Fasciitis, such as tight calf muscles
• Trigger point dry needling –  to release or inactivate trigger points to relieve pain or improve range of motion. This is usually done in the calf region
• Strapping – to temporarily help keep your foot in a position that places minimal strain on the fascia
• Managing acute symptoms – to help reduce pain and the initial inflammation so that healing can begin

Your podiatrist will also provide helpful tips to get the best and fastest recovery, as well as referring you for an ultrasound or x-ray where necessary. Perform Podiatry specialises in managing Plantar Fasciitis and heel pain If you’re struggling with heel pain and suspect it may be Plantar Fasciitis, our expert team will get you on the road to recovery in no time! We understand that Plantar Fasciitis is frustrating and often limits our patients ability to conduct regular daily tasks when they’re on their feet and hence have a significant negative impact on their quality of life. At Perform Podiatry, we’re proud to be leaders in the field of clinical biomechanics and specialise in the various causes of heel pain – and of course how to effectively treat them! We maintain a high level of clinical excellence in everything we do – come in, experience it for yourself, and stop putting up with your heel pain!