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 sources will tell you that you’re likely to have plantar fasciitis.

This term simply refers to the inflammation of your Achilles tendon - the cord-like tendon that joins your calf muscles to the back of your heel bone.

Ankle pain due to ankle sprains is unfortunately very common - and incredibly painful! It doesn’t discriminate between adults and kids and stops you from getting out and doing the activities you love.

Athlete’s Foot, clinically known as Tinea Pedis, occurs when fungi grow on the feet and cause a skin infection. It is a common condition among athletes and children, but it can affect anyone.

A bunionette is a bony bump that develops on the side of the little (fifth) toe at the ball of the foot. It is very similar to bunions, which are more common and occur at the big toe, apart from their location on the outside of the foot and the involvement of a smaller joint.

If there’s a big bony bump at your big toe joint that may rub against the sides of your foot and cause redness, blisters or pain, then you may have a bunion. You’ll also likely struggle to fit into narrow footwear.

Calluses are hard, thickened areas of skin that are generally not painful and don’t require treatment unless they are uncomfortable, painful, or limit your ability to comfortably wear shoes.

Claw toes are a toe deformity similar to a hammertoe but with a few distinguishable differences. Claw toes, like hammertoes, describe the bent position of the toes that looks like the toe is curling down.

Clinically known as Heloma Durum, corns are common foot conditions that occur from repeated focal pressure on the foot, such as rubbing of the skin against a shoe, wearing no socks with shoes, or foot deformities.

Early stages of fissures on the feet, particularly the heel, involve the splitting of the skin to produce cracks. It is the hard, callused outer skin layer (epidermis) that cracks.

Diabetes has a large impact on your feet. If you have diabetes, there is a serious risk for developing an infection and ulceration if care is not taken.

Many adults and children suffer from odorous feet. Excessive sweating causing bacterial growth is often the main cause for foot odour but it can also occur from fungal infections.

If you’ve been noticing changes in the colour, thickness, flakiness or odour in your nails, there’s a good chance you may have picked up a fungal nail infection. This is clinically referred to as Onychomycosis.

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.

Haglund’s deformity is also known as the Bauer Bump, Pump Bump and Retrocalcaneal Bursitis. Haglund’s deformity is a bony enlargement (bump) at the back of the heel bone.

Beginning as a slight deformity of the toe, hammertoes are little toes that bend at the end joint. This most commonly occurs to the second toe. You’ll notice them because they look like they’re starting to curl downwards.

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’.

Suffering from ingrown toenails is a painful and frustrating ordeal. An ingrown toenail simply means that the nail edge has penetrated and grown into the surrounding skin.

One of the things that I find on a regular basis is children presenting with calcaneal traction apophysitis - AKA Sever’s Disease - wearing ‘cheap sneakers’.

It feels like you’re watching your kids grow and change before your eyes every day. With many changes being a regular part of growth and development . . .

Metatarsalgia describes pain and inflammation in the ball of the foot, and is a common symptom of several foot conditions. Injuries to the ball of the foot occur frequently in athletes who perform activities that put high-impact stress on the forefront of the foot.

Osteoarthritis is the ‘wear and tear’ arthritis that affects people as they age. Here in Australia, it is the most common type of arthritis, affecting 1 in 11 of us, and is the predominant condition that leads to knee and hip replacement surgeries.

Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) is an arterial disease causing a reduced blood supply to parts of the body, which in this case are the feet and legs.

If you’re experiencing a sharp, stabbing pain first thing in the morning as you step onto the ground, and through the day after a rest, then there’s a chance you may have plantar fasciitis.

Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction (PTTD) and Flexible Flatfoot are conditions that may cause the flattening of the arches. People with this foot posture often describe their feet as ‘rolled in’.

The load on the feet increases dramatically due to normal weight gain and postural changes associated with pregnancy. This sometimes coincides with swelling of the feet and ankles which may limit footwear choices.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease where your immune system attacks its own tissues, as opposed to the traditional ‘wear and tear’ arthritis (osteoarthritis). Just under 2% of Australians suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, and it affects women at a slightly higher rate than men

Sesamoiditis is a common cause of pain at the big toe joint and describes the inflammation around two small bones that are located beneath that joint, aptly named the sesamoids.

Before you start to worry, rest assured. Sever’s disease is not an actual disease but a painful condition that will resolve. Clinically referred to as Calcaneal Apophysitis, Sever’s has often been referred to as ‘growing pains’, though this does not describe how and why the pain occurs.

Clinically referred to as medial tibial stress syndrome, shin splints describe pain that develops at the front of the shin bone (tibia). It’s caused by excess stress and strain to the shins which may occur in multiple ways.

If you’ve noticed your toenails starting to change over time and thicken, put more pressure on the surrounding skin or rub against the top of the shoe, then it sounds like you could have Onychauxis.

Plantar warts, clinically known as Verrucae, are warts that appear anywhere on the foot. A wart is an area of tissue that appears thickened, raised, and is normally circular.

If you look front on when your little one is sitting like this, their legs form a ‘W’. If you’re thinking ‘but my child does that all the time’, don’t be alarmed.