Podiatry
At Bluff Road Medical Centre, we offer the full suite of podiatry services on-site via the Sandringham Foot Centre (a branch of the Foot Centre Group). The team includes experienced podiatrists who have been looking after feet for more than 35 years collectively.
In this article, podiatrist Bianca David explains why it’s important to look after your feet and how to do so.
What are some of the common issues you see?
We treat all sorts of things, from people who have difficulty actually getting down to their feet to diabetics who have to be really careful looking after their feet to ensure there are no pressure areas or wounds.
We also see lots of different injuries. One of the most common is plantar heel pain, where people get up in the morning and they can’t put their foot down and they’re hobbling about. But we treat any injury. If people have poor biomechanics and they’re not using their feet properly, it can lead to lower back pain. Anything gait-related or to do with biomechanics, we can assess and help to rectify.
For a full list of services offered, click here.
Why is it so important to look after your feet?
Your feet are the foundations of your body. If there’s something going wrong with your feet, that can affect your whole body and your life. If you aren’t mobile and you can’t exercise, it can lead to a whole lot of comorbidities.
Genetics plays a huge part. If you’ve got a family history of people with problems with their feet, often it can be due to the way your limbs are aligned and the way you’re born. If you can get on to that early and prevent things happening down the track, you’ll be doing yourself a big favour.
Top tips for looking after your feet?
Make sure your footwear is well-fitted! You shouldn’t be building up hard skin on your feet and you shouldn’t experience pain in your feet. If you have either of those things, that’s not normal, and it should be addressed. Those are probably the simplest things that people will ignore until they’re really problematic.
When should you see a podiatrist?
If you have any pain or discomfort, you’re concerned about the way your shoes are wearing or the way your child is moving, you should see a podiatrist. You shouldn’t let pain ride; it should be assessed.
To make an appointment at Bluff Road Medical Centre, call (03) 9598 6244, click here to book online or download the HotDoc app.
You can find further details about the Sandringham Foot Centre podiatry team here: https://www.footcentregroup.com.au.