“When should’ve I booked an appointment to see you?”
This is a question I receive frequently when seeing patients for an initial consultation in relation to a lower limb related injury they have suffered. To put it simply, there is no ‘perfect’ or well-defined time to see a podiatrist. But a sooner rather than later would be appropriate for almost all.
Many of the common injuries treated as a podiatrist result from underlying abnormalities in foot mechanics. An example of this would be the development of ‘plantar fasciitis’.
One of the commonly theorised causes of plantar fasciitis is prolonged foot pronation. Individuals with flatter feet often have a flexible, lower-arched foot which inherently places a greater force on the plantar fascia when trying to support the medial arch and act as a shock absorber for the foot. If you were able to identify this prior to the development of any symptoms with your podiatrist, thorough education or recommendations can be provided regarding appropriate footwear options, beneficial stretches, exercises and orthotics.
Due to its importance for everyone who is active (regardless of the level of activity), Talaria – Podiatrist of Thornbury is proud to offer a FREE initial biomechanical consultation in the months of April and May.
Each consultation consists of an assessment of each joint of the foot’s range of motion, muscle testing and a gait analysis. In the assessment of the foot and ankles range of motion, it is important to identify if there are any limitations caused by tight muscles, ligaments, bony blocks or joint deterioration. Muscle testing will be undertaken to assess the strength and symmetry of major muscles influencing the lower limb. Many of the foot and lower limb related injuries seen within the clinic are caused by underlying abnormalities within individuals foot and ankle biomechanics. Decisions around the implementation of custom made orthotics, different footwear or exercise-based rehabilitation are commonly derived from the results of biomechanical assessments. At the conclusion of your biomechanical assessment, you may be referred for necessary imaging.
If you are an active individual and worried about the impact that exercise may be having on your feet and lower limbs, book a FREE initial biomechanical consultation today!
You can also read about ways to reduce injury when returning to activity here!