Looking for a Sports Podiatrist?
Many of our patients at The Foot Clinic present with foot and ankle injuries relating to sport or sport related activities. As one of Perth’s leading sports podiatry centres, our team of Podiatrists have extensive experience, from elite athletes to everyday mums, dads and their kids.
Sports Podiatrist Perth
Our Principal Podiatrist Dr Suresh has worked with high level athletes from the Australian Institute of Sport, The Wallabies, Peel Thunder and the Canberra Raiders as well as being one of the medical team Podiatrists at the Sydney Olympics, Melbourne Commonwealth Games, Perth Hopman Cup and Perth Triathlon World Championships. He also held an Australian Athletics record in the 4x400m relay, and in 2016 competed at the World Masters Athletics.
General Podiatrist Perth
TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT
The podiatrists working at The Foot Clinic are committed to the best diagnostic care and treatment. “It is important that we keep our knowledge and technology up to date with best current practice.” says Dr Suresh, “As technology advances we need to know which ones will best benefit our patients.”
First line of treatment focuses on pain relief, followed closely by protecting the feet using supportive devices. “The right shoes and orthotics are really important as protective devices,” Dr Suresh says. “Some people rely on orthotics indefinitely. Others will just use them until they strengthen their feet, core and balance.” At The Foot Clinic, 3D scanners - accurate to 0.1mm - are used as the gold-standard to capture the shape of the foot and to manufacture prescription orthotics. “We provide a 100% guarantee that your orthotics will be comfortable and do what they need to do to provide the support you need.”
We also use a Power Plate to stimulate small nerves in your feet and legs to help improve balance. This piece of tech is engineered to stimulate proprioceptive nerves and activate the body’s natural reflexive response. I was first trained in its use by Dr Emily Splichal from the Evidence Based Fitness Academy, New York City. It’s now used by our Podiatrists along with manipulations and fascial releases of the feet and legs to reset the foot position and hold it in place. It’s super important to do this so our body learns to reposition itself and hold in place to both treat injuries and also create postural strength to protect yourself and avoid further injuries.
Understanding sports injuries
A lot of our patients are also runners. It’s a great type of exercise not just physically but also mentally. Runners can be very prone to foot injuries, especially if you don’t have adequate strength in your feet and legs, and that can be incredibly frustrating for you.
Heel pain
One of the most common athlete injuries that Podiatrists at The Foot Clinic in Perth diagnose and treat is plantar heel pain. This includes plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, and bursitis. The causes of heel pain range from overloading of tendons or ligaments, inflammation and irritation of attachments sites, and even fractures. This is most often due to poor biomechanics, that is, poor foot position, poor foot function, and poor foot strength.
Some of the common treatments recommended by the Podiatrists at The Foot Clinic in Perth include supportive shoes, orthotics, and muscle strengthening exercises. These treatments will not only provide pain relief by removing pressure on the heel bone and soft tissue, but also promote healing by reducing the rate of damage and protecting the affected heel.
Shin splints
Shin splints often refers to pain along the inner edge of the shin. Often, the main cause of shin splints is increased stress to the tibia due to overuse of the surrounding muscles. Excessive, rapid or prolonged pronation is a common factor in individuals who present with this condition. It may also present in patients with muscle imbalances including inflexibility or tightness of lower limb muscles.
It is very common to see this conditions with runners, netballers or footballers, any sport where there is repetitive stress on the lower limb. We often see shin splints during preseason. A sudden increase in activity levels without the right muscle strength or resilience results in poor shock absorption and increased stress on the tibia bone and fascia.
Knee pain
Many of our patients at The Foot Clinic have knee pain. Runners knee, which affects more than just runners, can be caused by a number of issues including overuse or overtraining, poor footwear, poor biomechanics, weak surrounding muscles, poor bone alignment, and sometimes cartilage damage.
Our Podiatrists at The Foot Clinic first need to identify the cause of your knee pain. With the right diagnosis, a specific treatment plan can be developed to help you overcome your pain and prevent it from returning. As part of the treatment, we also give you advice on the right footwear for you and, most importantly, good strengthening exercises.