Author: Hanan Kane

Helping Auckland Families With Growing Pains

Growing pains are one of the most common pains that we see and treat in kids. While some mistake growing pains for when active kids overuse the muscles of the feet and legs to a point where they are very tired, achy and sore, this isn’t the case. Others have been told that growing pains aren’t treatable and must be waited out or just put up with – which also couldn’t be further from the truth! Growing pains affect children aged between 8 and 16 years and get their name because they can only be experienced while they’re still growing, meaning that these pains can’t affect adults. Most often, but not always, the painful symptoms come on during a growth spurt and while it’s often in kids that are active – it’s definitely not always the case

Understanding growing pains

To understand how and why growing pains can develop, you must know that the way that all our bones get bigger as we grow is through areas in the bones called growth plates. These growth plates, medically known as apophyses, these are the areas to which your body adds new bone. As these areas are constantly in ‘development mode, they aren’t as strong as the surrounding bone, meaning that when the bones are placed under strain and tension (like during exercise!), these growth plates are more vulnerable to damage and the painful symptoms that come with them.

While the bones grow, the attaching muscles grow too

While our bones are growing, so are our muscles – and lengthening to keep up and support them both functioning as a healthy and strong team. While our muscles and bones will ideally grow at a similar rate, at times the muscles won’t keep up and the result will be tight muscles that create a pull on the bone – particularly during running, running sports and exercise. When this tension happens near a growth plate in the bone, the growth plate can become irritated and leave your child with pain and swelling. 

Where do growing pains develop?

The knees, the heels and the feet are the three areas in the body where growing pains affect kids most commonly. We help children effectively manage and relieve their symptoms in all three areas, so they can get back to doing the things they love and not sit out entire sports seasons!

Knee pain – Osgood Schlatters disease

Growing pains at the knees involve the irritation of the growth plate at the top of the shin bone. The patellar tendon, which is the one that runs from the front of your thigh, across the knee and attaches to the top of the shin bone, is the one that tends to create the tight pull and affect the neighbouring growth plate. Symptoms of Osgood Schlatters include pain and swelling when feeling below their kneecap. The symptoms are worsened by running and activities that bend the knee.

Heel pain – Sever’s disease

Growing pains at the heels occur in the very back of the heel, where the growth plate is located, next to the Achilles tendon. As the Achilles is the strongest and largest tendon in the body, if it is tight, it can place massive tension and strain on the back of the heel every time we walk and run. In adults, for some of us it even causes us to lift our heel up early off the ground or be unable to place our heels completely on the ground when the tendon is very tight. In Sever’s, pain is felt at the back of the heel and may radiate or shoot up the leg. There may be some swelling, and your child may limp when the symptoms are in full swing, until they can get some rest.

Foot pain – Iselin’s disease

Growing pains in the feet occur on the outside-middle edge of the foot. Run your fingers along the outside edge of the foot – if you feel a bony bump around the middle, that’s where your child will feel their painful symptoms, swelling and tenderness. It is the peroneus brevis tendon that travels down the outer leg, across the outer ankle, and attaches to that bony bump (your ‘styloid’) that causes the growth plate irritation in this case. This tends to be the least common growing pain of the three – though we still see it in plenty of children every year!

Is your child experiencing pain in their feet or legs?

Pain is never a normal part of growing up – it’s always an indication that something is wrong – and in most cases, this something can be treated when it has a clear cause – which it definitely does in growing pains. Often, there are a number of factors that contribute to the increased strain from the muscles and tendons – including the structure and function of the feet and legs, footwear, the way they walk, muscle strength, and more.  We’re parents too – and we understand how important it is to get the very best care for your child – and that they can enjoy the experience too! Our podiatry team starts each appointment by understanding exactly what’s going on and causing the pain – and then puts the right care in place to both treat your child’s current symptoms and to prevent the problem from recurring in the future. We’re here to help. Book your appointment online here or call us on 09 523 2333

Our Patients: From Ballet Dancers To Soccer Stars

Recently, we shared all about the big range of problems that our podiatry team here at Perform Podiatry can help you with. From in-toeing to foot drop, to managing falls risk and instability on your feet, we’re trained to help you with it all – you can read all about it here.  Today, we thought we’d share with you the different types of patients we see, that aren’t your typical ingrown toenails or corns that need removing. We’re proud to be a diverse clinic with a wide range of offerings in the fields of sports medicine and beyond – so he’s a little insight into how we really spend our days as podiatrists!

1. The post-surgery recoverer

We have fantastic relationships with our local surgeons – and we’re privileged to help so many of their patients optimise their recovery. Whether it’s an unexpected surgery like having pins put in following an injury, a knee replacement, a bunion surgery – or something else, we work efficiently to improve the comfort and mobility of these patients, as well as their confidence on their feet. For these patients, we use a combination of custom foot orthotics, pads, boots or splints, supportive footwear and physical therapy (stretching and strengthening) to help them recover faster while staying as active and mobile as is safe to do so. Contrary to what some may think, staying active is shown to help promote faster recovery and better healing outcomes – compared to staying immobile.

2. The iron man

The iron man, or woman, is the one that is always challenging themselves to go further, push harder, beat personal bests, and enter all the events Auckland has to offer! While these people may need help with pains and injuries that can hold them back along the way, they’re also looking to give themselves a competitive edge by improving their walking and running performance, while reducing their risk of injury before it starts.  For these patients, we start with a comprehensive biomechanical assessment to understand exactly what’s going on with their feet and legs – from the way their muscle strength or flexibility is affecting the way their feet move, to a comprehensive gait assessment to see how we can optimise the way they run.

3. The professional ballet dancer

The professional ballet dancer is one that spends a massive amount of time on their feet and toes – subjecting them to significant force and strain that can leave painful problems. They can see that their toes are changing – whether they’re curling or getting more bumps, and at the same time, also have to manage recurrent blisters, corns, callus and other foot pains to keep doing what they love. For these patients, there are multiple goals. The first is to manage their recurring problems – like the corns and blisters – and put the right measures in place to help prevent them from recurring in the future. Next, we must understand the unique demands that their sport and career place on their feet and legs – and create a plan to best support them so they can keep doing what they love as best and comfortably as possible.

4. The aspiring sports star

This young legend loves his favourite sport – whether that’s soccer or something else. They always give it 100%, while loving the fun they have during training and games with their team. While performance is important, being able to play every week without being limited by the pains and injuries – like growing pains – that other players in their team are facing is equally as important, if not more so. For these patients, it’s about conducting a comprehensive foot, leg, gait & risk assessment to get a complete picture of what’s happening in their feet and legs. Then we create a plan for managing any current problems and discrepancies that are likely to cause pain in the future. We also ensure we consider how to help them generally feel their best doing the sports they love.

5. The soccer mum

The soccer mum is the one that does it all. She runs around after the kids, gets them to all their games and appointments, and still has her own goals – one of which is looking after her health and well-being. Staying pain-free and moving on her feet is critical – if pain develops, she doesn’t have a choice but to push through. We work with these mums to help them recover from any pains or aches as quickly and effectively as possible. Aside from relieving the immediate symptoms that may be slowing her down, we always look to see how we can support her and help reduce the likelihood of the same pains – or new problems – from recurring in the future.

Are you putting up with pain or discomfort in your feet and legs?

If you’ve been putting off getting help for your foot or leg pain in the hopes that it’ll get better on its own – only to realise that it’s still holding you back – our experienced podiatry team are here to help. Unlike other podiatry clinics, sports medicine and injury recovery are two of our specialities, and we’re even equipped with our own orthotics manufacturing lab! Book your appointment by calling 09 523 2333 or book online.

Medical Pedicures: Why You Should Replace Your Salon Pedicure With A Medi Pedi

Having your nails and the skin on your feet taken care of feels great. What feels even better is walking away feeling confident that your foot care has performed safely, under strict hygiene and sterilisation protocols, and by registered podiatrists that have dedicated their careers to learning everything there is to know about your feet and how to best care for their health. This is exactly what medical pedicures offer here at Perform Podiatry, and why they are the #1 choice.

Salon hygiene in New Zealand: It’s a problem

It was previously found that 88% of nail salons here in Aotearoa failed to meet adequate disinfection and sterilisation standards. These standards aren’t complicated, outrageous or challenging, either. They simply dictate that appropriate measures should be taken to clean and sterilise both the premises of the salons and the tools they use so they don’t just get moved from person to person with a glass of water in between, which now tends to be the norm from what we’ve observed. The goal of taking the right measures is very simple and effective, it minimises your risk of picking up an infection, Infections can take hold via your toenails or from getting a cut in your skin (among others), thereby sterilisation and disinfection are critical tools for helping reduce the likelihood of negative health outcomes as a result of the service. While we personally haven’t spoken to any salon owners about the reasons they don’t meet these standards, there is one obvious reason we know from our own experience. Maintaining excellent – and even good – hygiene and sterility protocols is time-consuming and expensive.  Here at Perform Podiatry, every single tool we use to care for your feet must be steam sterilised in a controlled cycle for approximately two hours – a cycle that reaches over 200 degrees celsius, and is proven to effectively sterilise each instrument and that is carefully documented on all our records. Prior to the sterilisation, the tools are also cleaned and managed – and that’s just the instruments, we haven’t even started on the clinic room and chair. All of our standards are heavily regulated and audited by a professional board, so you can be sure that they’re up to scratch.

What does a medical pedicure service include?

Our medical pedicures start with trimming your toenails using our German-made and individually steam-sterilised nail clippers, reducing any hard areas of dry, dead callused skin, removing any corns from the feet and toes, treating and reducing any cracks in the heels, and managing similar problems using a surgical-grade scalpel. We make sure to remove any skin, dirt and anything else trapped beneath or down the sides of the nail with a sterilised file. When this build-up is allowed to remain, you can experience discomfort, pressure, and you may be more vulnerable to infection. Part of your treatment uses a precision burr to reduce the thickness of the nails where needed, while smoothing the ridges of the nails and removing overgrown cuticles and jagged nail ends. All our burrs are steam-sterilised and we have a large variety of different sizes, shapes and materials for each purpose – whether it be reducing a very thick, crumbly nail or polishing a delicate, thin nail. Your dry, flaky skin and uneven skin will be smoothed and reduced and a disposable nail file is used to smooth out any final edges that may catch on your socks or stockings. The nails are then cleaned with a clear antiseptic spray, followed by tea tree oil – a natural anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. Finally, we apply the appropriate moisturiser to your feet to have you feeling great on your feet!

Diabetes & other medical conditions can put you at risk

If you’ve been told that you’re at high-risk when it comes to your foot health then having your feet taken care of professionally and in a sterile environment is particularly important. This is because with diabetes, neurological or neurovascular problems, you’re at a higher risk of injuring your feet and not being able to recover well – making you vulnerable to a series of problems and complications. 

Ready to feel great on your feet?

We’re Auckland’s trusted podiatry team, and part of the team at the One Health Building on Remuera Road. To book your appointment, call us on 09 523 2333 or book your appointment online.

Preventing Falls With Podiatry

Having a fall, whether it’s in our own home or when we’re out and about, can change our lives entirely. The injury we sustain from a fall can affect our ability to not only walk and move but stay independent – it might mean we have to stop living independently within our home and instead move into a care facility.  Here in New Zealand, according to ACC, approximately 30% to 60% of those aged over 65 years will have a fall every year – with up to 20% of these ending up in hospital with a broken bone – a figure that only increases in likelihood with age, with those aged above 85 years having the greatest risk. Once you have a fall, at any age, the risk of you having another fall increases greatly. Aside from the physical pain and restrictions, falls can take a significant toll on your mental health, with fear and anxiety over another fall becoming more prevalent and with less confidence when it comes to movement. Together, this leads to a hesitation to participate in physical activity and social events – and the less we move, the harder it becomes.

How do podiatrists help with falls?

As podiatrists focus on the function, movement and stability of the feet and legs, we help by:
  • Identifying the characteristics of your feet and legs, as well as your footwear, that make you more vulnerable to falling
  • Diagnosing any problems in the feet and legs that may be causing you to change the way you walk, or walk in a less-than-optimal way, that may increase your falls risk
  • Treating or managing the problems we identify to reduce your falls risk
  • Putting additional measures in place to improve your stability on your feet, or make walking easier and more comfortable
  • Assess your footwear to ensure it isn’t contributing to your falls risk and is instead helping you walk comfortably and safely

Footwear: Does it really matter?

The shoes you wear on a regular basis, or lack thereof, can play a large role in your falls risk. There are a number of things our patients never think of until we discuss it with them – like the weight of their shoes. When your shoes are heavy and clunky, it can weigh your foot down, especially when you may already have some weakness in the muscles in your feet and legs. This can make you more likely to catch the bottom of your shoe on the ground, making you more likely to trip and fall. Another feature is how much your shoe allows your foot to roll around from side-to-side. A good shoe should keep your foot steady and stable, whereas flimsy shoes will let your feet naturally roll from side to side, tiring the muscles in your feet and legs and making you more vulnerable to injuries – especially ankle sprains. While this may not be as obvious inside your home, the moment you go out for a walk and start walking over uneven ground, it can cause a big problem.

What happens when we fall?

When we fall, the big risk is that we have an injury like a fracture (broken bone). This is much more likely the older we get, given that the prevalence of osteoporosis (weak, fragile bones), as well as medical conditions like arthritis, are much higher, putting us at risk. Whether it’s an injured muscle, tendon or a broken bone, we’ll need to recover from our injury, which will see us either changing the way we walk and move (which can lead to a series of other pains and problems), or staying immobile in a cast, walker or moonboot for a period. When we’re immobilised, we stop using the surrounding muscles, causing them to weaken. This makes recovery and healthy movement even harder, and can be very stressful on our bodies – especially as we grow older. While we do help our patients recover from such injuries at all ages, we always believe that prevention is better than treatment, which is where falls prevention comes in.

Let’s prevent those falls

If you’re worried about falls – or about a family member having their first or another fall – bring them in to see our experienced podiatry team. We’ll go through a falls assessment and discuss the best ways to help them prevent falls and stay comfortable and mobile on their feet. Book your appointment online here or call us on (09) 523 2333.

Treating Foot Drop With A Brace

Foot drop is the term given when weakness in one or both feet makes you unable to point your toes up towards the sky, otherwise known as dorsiflexing the foot. When this happens, your foot remains in a dropped position when you walk, with your foot pointing downwards. This makes it difficult for your foot to clear the ground as you walk, putting you at risk of tripping and falling – or forcing you to compensate for the foot drop by excessively lifting and bending your knee and hip – which can cause a new series of problems over time.

Why does foot drop occur?

Foot drop can occur suddenly following a specific event like trauma or an accident, or can gradually worsen over time. Often, the cause is related to the nerves in the feet and legs as they innervate the muscles of the feet and legs and help them function. This may be a symptom of a stroke, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis or peripheral neuropathy. You may even find that you have short-lived foot drop and numbness or tingling when you temporarily compress your nerve from sitting for too long in one place. Foot drop may also be related directly to the muscles, where your muscles weaken over time, which may be from periods of being inactive like after surgery, or from conditions or diseases like muscular dystrophy.

Why bracing for foot drop?

A brace, or an ankle-foot orthotic (AFO), is a gold standard tool for helping manage a foot affected by foot drop because it supports the foot and ankle in a way that allows the toes and foot to clear the ground while the affected leg is swinging in gait, while also helping keep the foot stable and supported when the affected foot is planted firmly on the ground. Braces for foot drop have a frame that keeps the foot on a 90-degree (or thereabouts) angle relative to the leg. This frame extends beneath the ball of the foot, and doesn’t let the foot drop low enough to hit the ground, while also preventing the foot from slapping into the ground as you walk. Both of these features mean that not only is the risk of regularly tripping and falling greatly reduced, but the overall injury risk is also reduced from the improved stability and reduced forces through the foot compared to what it would take on if it slapped against the ground with every step.

Which braces are best for foot drop?

When it comes to braces for foot drop, it’s more the features of the brace itself than one particular brand, in our opinion. There are many factors to consider aside from the design of the brace or AFO, including: 
  • The materials they’re made from and the weight of the material (which can range from plastics, metal, leather, carbon composite and more)
  • Whether they’re custom-made from a scan or cast of your foot or off-the-shelf
  • How much skin contact is best for you (if you have diabetes or are predisposed to foot/pressure ulcers, this is a biggie)
  • Your weight and activity levels – and hence the longevity of your brace
  • How much flexibility and motion the brace should allow
  • Any existing swelling (and changes in swelling) in the feet and legs
  • Any function requirements – like greater energy return with a spring, a rocker sole
  • How the brace will function with your existing footwear

Our podiatrists select the best brace for you

With so many features to consider – as well as ensuring the optimal fit of the brace being a #1 priority – it’s important not to take any chances and have your brace professionally fitted. We help our patients with foot drop select the best brace for their feet, and have a range of options to choose from. Much more than the brace, we also use our expertise to ensure that the brace you choose supports healthy function of your feet and legs, and help you with caring for any other factors that may put you at risk of lower limb pain or injury by considering and managing the effects that your brace is likely to have on your whole body. For an experienced podiatry team that genuinely care about your health and well-being, give us a call on 09 523 2333 or book online.

Are Men Or Women More Likely To Injure Their Feet & Legs?

We have the privilege of treating foot and leg injuries day in and day out. It’s very easy to pick up on patterns – like the shoes you wear into the clinic giving us the first hint of what your pain or injury may be, or your walking style giving away some biomechanical problems that have likely contributed to your problem developing without you even realising. Today, our podiatry team thought we’d use our experience – paired with the clinical evidence – to share the answer to an interesting question we get asked from time to time: who is more likely to injure their feet or legs, men or women? 

Men: The Considerations

While we hate stereotypes, we do see more men having a tendency to go hard and fast into exercise, pushing their bodies past the point that they can safely handle too quickly, and developing problems including:
  • Achilles tendinopathy
  • Knee pain
  • Plantar fasciitis heel pain
  • Shin splints
  • Hamstring injuries
  • Metatarsalgia
Examining the research and statistics, looking at hospitalisations for sports injuries across the ditch showed that men were twice as likely to be hospitalised for a sports injury compared to women, though with a positive declining trend, down from 3.5 times almost a decade ago. The participation rate is a big factor here, however, with participation in high-impact sports like rugby union being significantly higher in men compared to women – though the female participation rate is growing!  When it comes to work-related injuries, in 2018 the highest incidence of work-related injury claims were in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries, which affected notably more men than women. This is in line with previous years, where 71% of all work-related injury claims were for men – twice as high as women – and men represented three-quarters of all serious injury claims to ACC. Again, this figure is expected to be significantly influenced by the proportionally higher participation of men vs women in these industries.

Women: The Considerations

When it comes to women and foot & leg pain, there are two important considerations that can influence their injury risk when compared with men. The first is the tendency to wear high-heeled, narrow or pointed footwear. Wearing high heels shifts the body weight from being distributed more evenly between the entire foot and forwards onto the ball of the foot, while decreasing the stability of the foot and ankle. This makes women more vulnerable to forefoot injuries like capsulitis, bursitis, metatarsalgia, bunions and other forefoot injuries, as well as ankle sprains and general foot pain. Wearing narrow and pointed footwear, for any gender, increases the risk of rubbing and friction leading to corns, calluses and blisters, while the cramped foot posture can encourage changes to the toes like claw toes, hammertoes, bunions and more.
Anatomical differences
Anatomical differences have also been shown in studies to make women more susceptible to injury than men when performing the same activities. The three primary factors include structural changes, hormonal changes and body composition. Structural changes include having smaller dimensions of bones and a wider-set pelvis that changes the angle of the hip bones relative to the knees and other bones. Hormonal changes include a higher concentration of hormones like estrogen, which has been shown to affect the function and performance of bone, muscles, tendons and ligaments. Hormonal variations throughout life, like during menopause, pregnancy and puberty, can also result in changes, like how the hormone relaxin causes greater ligament laxity during pregnancy. Finally, changes in body composition include the predisposition to have a lower bone mineral density, generally less muscle mass and a higher body fat percentage may affect a person’s injury risk.

So, what does this all mean?

While men and women may have some differences in their injury risk, the truth is that regardless of gender, there are plenty of other factors that influence our injury risk, including our foot biomechanics and posture, exercise habits and participation in sports, training techniques, injury history – and many more. Here at Perform Podiatry, we understand these risks and always assess your problems and injury risk on a case-by-case basis – taking all of these factors and much more into consideration to develop comprehensive treatment plans designed to help you reach your goals. Book your appointment with our experienced podiatry team by calling us on (09) 523 2333 or online here. 

Busting The Top 3 Orthotic Myths!

For those that haven’t had orthotics before or vaguely remember them from earlier years, a lot of questions or misconceptions may exist. Orthotics are far from the big, bulky devices that they may have once been. In fact, they become unnoticeable for regular wearers and more than that – a true lifesaver providing much-needed relief from pain and discomfort. So today, given our speciality in orthotic prescription and manufacture, we thought we’d bust 3 common orthotic myths that may start to shift your hesitation or fear about getting orthotics.

Myth One: I don’t want to wear weird, large shoes…

Great news – you don’t have to! These days, orthotics are made to fit well into your joggers, work shoes, work boots, and a variety of other shoes. Certain women’s brands, like Ziera and Frankie4, stock a wide range of orthotic-friendly sandals and dress shoes too. These brands are actually designed by or with the input of Podiatrists, making them both stylish and incredibly comfortable – and of course, accommodating for orthotics! The integration of orthotics into general shoes these days is so seamless that you can’t even tell who is and isn’t wearing orthotics. However, there are some shoes that require special types of slimline orthotics, or are unlikely to fit orthotics. Soccer shoes are a great example of requiring slimline orthotics, because of the extremely narrow base of the shoe. Ski boots are another. Shoes like ballet shoes are an example of those that are unable to take orthotics – which really would be pointless (ballet joke…) anyway because of their need to flex.

Myth Two: Once I get orthotics, I’m going to need to keep wearing them…

Nope! False. If you get orthotics to help you recover from an injury, then you only need to wear them until your muscles or tissues fully repair and recover. Now, IF the reason you got injured is something that orthotics can help with, then yes we recommend that you continue to wear your orthotics but only when you’re active and likely to injure yourself again. For example, say you have very unstable ankles and you suffered an example sprain. And you got orthotics to help hold your ankle in place, facilitate healing, and stop you from rolling and injuring your ankle again while your ligaments are in their damaged and vulnerable state. Then, the ligaments heal and regain full strength and functional capacity. Technically, you don’t need to keep wearing your orthotics. However, if you’re worried about sustaining more ankle sprains in the future, especially because you play basketball (where your initial injury occurred) as it has lots of side to side movements, then by wearing your orthotics during basketball games and training, you can reduce your risk of injury. Which makes sense!

Myth Three: Orthotics don’t work

It’s unfortunate that most people know someone who claims that they’ve had orthotics and they haven’t worked for them. We’ll be as blunt and honest as possible about this one. Say you want an item of glass created by a glassblower for you. If you engage a knowledgeable and experienced glassblower, you’re highly likely to receive the piece that you need. If you engage a junior glassblower that has more of an interest in ceramics than glass, while working for a company that does both, they’re not likely to produce the best result for you, even though they’ve had training in it. The same can be said for hairdressers, financial planners, and so many other professions. But it doesn’t mean that getting custom glass pieces made, getting haircuts, or investing finances doesn’t work. It does. You just need the right person. That’s why our team specialises in orthotics and we actually make our own, exactly how we want them (and how you need them) from scratch. That’s our difference and why we lead Auckland in this field. To book an appointment with our expert team, give us a call on 09 523 2333 or book online here.

How Orthotics Help Arthritic Joint Pain

Osteoarthritis (OA) is painful, frustrating and limiting for many New Zealanders. OA affects almost 50% of those aged over 60 years, and almost all over 80 years old. This makes it very important to both manage the symptoms effectively when they arise – as well as reduce the rate that it develops too! While the reality of osteoarthritis is that it is degenerative and irreversible in nature, there is one particular thing you can do to improve your comfort – and your quality of life. That is to get a good quality pair of custom orthotics for your feet! Let us explain…

Orthotics ease the pressure on your joints

Osteoarthritis describes the state where the cartilage at the ends of the bones that form your joints are worn down. Because cartilage helps your body absorb shock and creates a slippery surface for your joints to move effectively and without friction, cartilage that has worn down has very painful consequences on your joints and body. Orthotics help your feet and legs absorb shock through their precise support and cushioning, easing the impact on your joints. This means that with each step you take, instead of ground reaction forces (from the impact of your foot hitting the ground) moving up through your joints, the force is dissipated through the orthotic and have much less of an impact on your joints.

Orthotics change the way your foot moves

Custom orthotics are also made specifically to your foot and where its bones and contours are located. This means they will work to give back function or limit painful movement, depending on your specific feet and problems. This is prescribed after a thorough assessment of your feet. The orthotic is then prescribed with the best features to help you feel comfortable, stable and decrease your pain.

Not all orthotics are custom orthotics…

It’s important to understand that the orthotics you purchase from the pharmacy are NOT custom orthotics. These are a one-size-fits-all orthotic that does not feature anything specific for your individual feet. While these may improve daily comfort for those that don’t have any foot pains or problems, they won’t work to effectively improve your OA joint pain like custom orthotics are able to. Furthermore, our podiatry team all specialise in the biomechanics of the feet and legs and orthotic prescription.

It starts with an appointment

The first step to creating your custom orthotics is an appointment with one of our Podiatrists. From there, we’ll assess your symptoms and what’s going on to rule out any additional causes to your joint pain, assess the range of motion and movement in your feet and legs, take a cast of your feet and create the prescription. It then gets sent to our orthotic laboratory where your orthotics are made! You can book an appointment by calling 09 523 2333 or using our online booking system here.

Orthotics for Children: The Gait Plate for In-toeing

The position of your children’s feet will determine will either keep them free to run and play, or can have them tripping, falling and in pain. A common foot position in children that can stop them from reaching their full potential is in-toeing. So why does in-toeing develop and what can you do about it? Today we examine the easy and effective solution to correct in-toeing in kids: the gait plate.

In-toeing: The low-down

In-toeing, which is often referred to as pigeon-toeing, can affect both children and adults alike – although adult toeing is usually a result of childhood in-toeing not being treated. It’s very easy to spot because of the inward rotation of the feet.
While it may appear like a funny or wobbly walk, the reality is that in-toeing:
  • Causes tripping and falling
  • Shows there is some irregularity within the structure or positioning of the bones of the lower limbs
  • May be a precursor for further problems and pains
It is typically caused by one of three ways: (warning, we’re about to get technical here) Metatarsus Adductus describes the inwards curve of the forefoot (toes) on the rearfoot (heel). This may be described as a ‘banana-shaped’ foot and is thought to be a result of the position of the baby in the womb, so is always present at birth. Tibial Torsion is the inward rotation of the shin bone, otherwise known as the tibia. Because the tibia is turned inwards, so is the ankle and foot, resulting in in-toeing. Here, correcting the position of the shin bone will correct the in-toeing. Femoral Torsion is the inward rotation of the thigh bone (femur). This also rotates the shin bone and the foot, causing in-toeing. This is one of the reasons that children are discouraged from sitting in the ‘W’ position – because it rotates the thighs inwards.

Correcting in-toeing with the gait plate orthotic

A gait plate is a special type of orthotic that encourages the feet to straighten with every step in the shoe and orthotic. It is designed very specifically to the landmarks of a persons’ foot, which is measured during a biomechanical assessment. It works by encouraging the outward rotation of the feet with every step. The orthotics replace the regular inner liner of a shoe, and can be moved from shoe to shoe. The best part is – kids can’t even tell that they’re there! That means no tears and frustration (for both kids and adults!), it’s just pop your shoes on and go.

To start taking control of your health…

Give our team at Kane Orthotics a call on 09 523 2333, and we’ll get you on your way to making foot pains and problems a thing of the past! You can also book online here.

Stretching For Recovery – Is What You’re Being Told TRUE or FALSE?

Here at Perform Podiatry, we treat a lot of foot and leg pain. It’s our speciality! And while orthotics are a very important component of the treatment plan, there are other components too – namely stretching and strengthening, as well as having the right footwear during your recovery. Because we’ve recently seen a few patients who had either been given advice by a professional or read online some pretty crazy advice about stretching when you have foot or leg pain, we thought we’d set the record straight with some statements we’ve heard. We’ve put together some true/false statements that may turn what you think about stretching upside down, or just completely confirm everything that you already know. Here we go…   FALSE: You should start stretching from the moment you sustain an injury. TRUTH: You should start stretching and strengthening once your initial painful symptoms settle, some healing/repair has occurred and you’re on the path to recovery. The reality is that if you’ve got a damaged, swollen and painful tissue that has recently sustained an injury and you go and try to stretch it straight away, it’s going to be very painful and may potentially further damage the vulnerable tissue. That’s why you wait until the initial symptoms have settled and you’ve begun the treatment plan.   FALSE: You should spend as much time stretching as you can, doing over 100 repetitions a day as the goal. TRUTH: You should ease into stretching and strengthening, starting off slow and mild and gradually increasing to 10-15 minutes a day. We recently had a patient tell us that she was instructed to do 100+ single limb raises (which means going up to the toes on one foot while having the other off the ground) for her painful plantar fasciitis and to say we were shocked is an understatement. Stretching and strengthening following an injury must be a gradual process, to gently begin lengthening and strengthening the tissues and returning their function while being very careful not to cause further damage or overdo it. It’s just like running a marathon – you don’t begin by jumping into a 42km run – you start with a slow couple of km’s and work your way up.   FALSE: You should keep doing stretches, even if they’re painful. TRUTH: You should feel a tightness when you’re stretching, but never pain. If you feel pain, stop immediately. Pain is our body’s way of letting us know that something is wrong. LISTEN to your body. It’s completely normal to feel a ‘tightness’ when you begin stretching a muscle or tendon that isn’t used to being stretched, but if you feel pain instead, it means you’re pulling on a damaged site and potentially causing more harm than good. When the damaged tissue has recovered enough to withstand some stress and stretching, then begin again.   FALSE: Stretching and strengthening alone will fix your foot injury. TRUTH: Stretching and strengthening will assist your recovery from your foot injury AND can reduce the risk of future re-injury. Any treatment must address the various causes of the injury. If the wait you walk combined with your footwear and an increase in physical activity has resulted in an injury, then stretching and strengthening alone won’t help you fix the problem. That’s because when you start getting active again in the same shoes and with the same gait, you’ll strain the same muscles again and the pain will return. However! If the way you walk has also resulted in some tight calf muscles that contributed to the development of your problem, then stretching them will definitely help, especially with reducing the risk of the injury happening again in the future. Regardless of the cause of your foot or leg pain, our team have years of biomechanical experience to get the best outcomes for you – and keep the pain gone! We never just look at your symptoms but get to the root of the problem to make sure you recover well and the problem doesn’t return. For more information or to book an appointment, you can give us a call on 09 523 2333 or book online here.