OUR BLOG
OUR BLOG
The Queensland summer is upon us! As the Christmas lights start to appear, along with the 5am sunrises, it feels like there is only one thing missing? The warmth! Having moved from interstate, Queensland is unique as the morning state compared to the late evening running and sports groups in Victoria and New South Wales for example due to daylight savings.
Meet Nick
We first met Nick in February 2017. He is a 31 years old, works as an accountant, is healthy and active - at least he wanted to be! Nick came in with pain at the ball of his left big toe that had been persisting for over a month. He described the pain as coming and going on different days but being particularly worse during exercise.
Meet Caleb
Caleb is a healthy and happy 10 year old boy that loves playing footy. He was practicing almost every day leading up to the new season this year. At the start of the season, Caleb was barely able to finish a game without intense pain at his heel, sometimes limping off the field. Caleb was upset and frustrated that he couldn't run and play with his friends.
For lots of people, the idea that they will start running for exercise is a simple choice. Put some shoes on, do some stretches and off you go. Unfortunately reality hits home pretty quickly because if you haven't maintained a good level of fitness, weight and muscle tone over the preceding years, those first 5 kilometres will suck.
If you or any of your family members have ever experienced any problems with your knees, then you’ll know how frustrating it is.
Recently, we talked about Jumper’s Knee, because knee pain is both a serious and a commonly occurring issue that can have a massive impact on a person’s life.
Our feet are a foundation of the body - they keep us moving and able to do the things we need (and want!) to do. Foot pain, or injury, can then have a devastating impact on our day-to-day lives, meaning maintaining good foot health is more important than ever. Our fantastic Podiatrist, Jays, has put together a list of simple things you can start doing today to help improve your foot health!
If you have gout or know someone that does, you’ll know how excruciatingly painful it can get when you have an ‘attack’ or ‘flare up’ of gout. Gout is a type of arthritis and this can often be confused with the ‘wear and tear’ arthritis we often see - Osteoarthritis. The mechanism of action is actually very different - as are the symptoms and treatment. So we at The Podiatrist thought we’d share a bit of our knowledge on Gout!
At The Podiatrist, you may have noticed when you come into our clinic at the Range Health centre in Toowoomba, that something feels different. You may not be able to quite put your finger on it at first, but from the Podiatrists to the admin staff, perhaps you see that everyone has a genuine smile on their face. They’re happy. They’re friendly. There’s nothing untoward or unfamiliar. Everyone seems helpful - they help the patients, the help each other. The warm space is light and bright. It’s welcoming. You can relax. Quite a lovely atmosphere, isn’t it?
October is foot health month! Feet are often stigmatised or plainly neglected, however if your feet aren't in an optimal condition, your quality of life can be greatly affected. Imagine not being able to do or go wherever you’d like! With over one million Australians diagnosed with Diabetes, and hundreds of thousands living undiagnosed, I thought I’d share on the effects that Diabetes has on the feet including the risks of foot complications that can develop without you even realising.
As a Podiatrist, it’s not uncommon to get asked by friends and family about foot pain - even over dinner! This happened again not too long ago with a friend of mine, Peter, and I thought I’d share this story as I believe his misdiagnosis of Capsulitis could be a fairly common occurrence.
Following on from Part One “Does the recommendation to wear good, supportive footwear apply to me?”, here is everything you need to know about what good and supportive footwear really is!
There is no doubt that we have all heard numerous times in our lives about the importance of wearing good, supportive footwear. Yet, for a lot of people there is great uncertainty as to whether this advice applies to them, and if so, what this “good footwear” really is. These are both great points and questions, so let me explain them both. Here in Part One, we’ll answer the first important question:
It can take some of us a LOT of willpower to make the commitment to get up at 6am (or earlier!) and go for that run - especially while it’s still so chilly out there! So the last thing you need while you’re out there braving the cold is for the ball of your foot to start hurting and stop you in your tracks. One common cause of forefoot pain beneath the big toe joint is called sesamoiditis.
Is there a big bony bump at your big toe joint? Are your shoes rubbing against the sides of your forefoot and causing blisters and pain? Do you struggle to fit your foot into narrow shoes? These are just some of the struggles many people experience when they’ve developed a bunion. But what is a bunion and how did it come to form (or may be starting to!) in your feet? The Podiatrist talks bunions.
I first met Brian a month or so ago when he came into the clinic. He’s a Diesel Mechanic and had pain at the back of his left heel that came and went. Brian told me that his wife used to have heel pain too - but that she’d describe it as a sharp pain first thing in the morning, and that’s not what he felt at all. It didn’t feel like a bruise either. His wife tried Google-ing heel pain and all it seemed to come up with was pain at the bottom of the heel called Plantar Fasciitis - but it didn’t match Brian’s symptoms.
It’s not uncommon for us to see patients complaining of pain from heel spurs. They often describe a sharp pain at the bottom of their foot with each step that feels like a ‘sharp knife’. But what is a heel spur and is it the cause of your heel pain?
So you’ve heard of people talk about this dreaded heel pain, right? You may have even experienced it for yourself - “Plantar-something-or-another”?
Yes! The most common cause of heel pain is called “Plantar Fasciitis” - it’s a funny name really, but all it means is that you have an inflamed soft tissue/fascia at the bottom of your foot.
Yes! The most common cause of heel pain is called “Plantar Fasciitis” - it’s a funny name really, but all it means is that you have an inflamed soft tissue/fascia at the bottom of your foot.
If you’re getting pain at the bottom of your heel that’s worst first thing in the morning and on standing after rest, a lot of the things you read (and people you talk to) will tell you that you’re likely to have plantar fasciitis. But there’s another muscle that has the same insertion in the heel and spans the arch to your big toe - it’s called your abductor hallucis muscle - and it could be true cause of your heel pain and the reason you’re not getting better as fast as you’d expected.
Meet Melanie Sutcliffe, from Sydney, lived in Canberra for 9 years and have lived in Toowoomba for 8 years. Her medical administration career has taken her from working in busy emergency department to the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.
After many years of hearing about the dissatisfaction of our patients in not being able to get rid of their fungal nail infection after trying traditional creams and ointments, we decided to trial the Lunula Laser at the end of last year. One of our driving forces was that some of our patients genuinely felt embarrassed and bad about the state of their nails, so we wanted to look into finding an effective solution for them and many others feeling the same.
You’ve noticed your toenails starting to change over time. They’re getting thicker. Perhaps they’re putting more pressure on the surrounding skin or you feel the nail rub against the top of the shoe where it never used to. Your nail may also be getting thick and crumbly, or perhaps develop a yellow tinge.
Investment in cutting edge technology is one of the cornerstones of our practice here at The Podiatrist and it’s one of the many reasons I enjoy working here. When it comes to the problem of fungal nail infections, laser technology is gaining strength. Having heard good things from other practices in different parts of the world, the owner of our practice, Troy Parsons, decided to trial the Lunula Laser for a few months beginning in October of last year. He then purchased the machine at the beginning of this year.
(One of our team here at The Podiatrist bravely shares her experience!)
Athlete’s foot (clinically known as tinea pedis) is an unpleasant fungal infection of the feet. Areas between the toes often get red, itchy, scaly or cracked. Other areas like the heels or balls of the feet can be dry and itchy. Blisters and bubbles can appear and the feet can feel tender.
Athlete’s foot (clinically known as tinea pedis) is an unpleasant fungal infection of the feet. Areas between the toes often get red, itchy, scaly or cracked. Other areas like the heels or balls of the feet can be dry and itchy. Blisters and bubbles can appear and the feet can feel tender.
Our expert team will get you out of pain and back to doing the things you love.
14 Ipswich Street Toowoomba
Queensland 4350
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