Pyan Sarmiento, Author at Waikato Podiatry

What is Hiker’s Wool?

Hiker’s Wool: An Explanation When you first come out of Podiatry school, you feel like you are cutting edge, and have all the answers on how you are going to help people (at least I did). Hiker’s Wool for blister prevention, Lambs wool seems like an outdated, useless solution, and something you would never consider…

Understanding and Treating Heel Pain: Insights from Andrew Jones at Waikato Podiatry Clinic

Heel pain can be a debilitating issue that affects your daily life and mobility. At Waikato Podiatry Clinic, we focus on identifying the root causes of your heel pain, which we refer to as “drivers.” Understanding these drivers is crucial for effective treatment and long-term relief. It is important to understand that the “drivers” will…

Understanding Corns and Calluses: Why DIY Treatments Might be Risky

Corns and calluses may not be the most glamorous topics, but they affect more of us than we might realise. From athletes to the elderly, these thickened areas of skin can develop due to friction or pressure, often causing discomfort and pain. While it might be tempting to grab those over-the-counter corn pads for a…

How to Treat and Prevent Heel Cracks

After a long hot summer, it’s the perfect time to discuss a common foot woe: heel cracks. These pesky cracks can be not only painful but also lead to infections if left untreated. Let’s explore why they occur and what you can do to keep your heels smooth and crack-free this season. Why Heel Cracks…

Swift Microwave Therapy for the treatment of Verrucas

What is a Swift Machine? The Swift machine is a recently new treatment that we have here at the Waikato Podiatry clinic. We are the only clinic in the Waikato that has one of these units. The Swift machine is used for treating plantar warts, or verrucae. How Successful is the Swift Machine? A lot…

Managing Toe Infections

Today what we’re going to do is we’re going to have a look at and talk about some infections. Usually, infections will be secondary to a break in the skin. They can also be inter-digitally or between the toes. But for a case example, what we’re going to use today is an infection secondary to…

Wearing Jandals

Hi, Andrew here from Waikato Podiatry Clinic. One of the questions that we’re asked a lot at this time of year about jandals and summer footwear: Do they cause problems? Are they okay for me to wear? Should I be wearing them at all? Everyone’s a little bit different and so it’s not a one…

Simple Toe Dressing

Today what we’re going to do is we’re going to do just a simple toe dressing. Toes can be quite tricky to dress and so there’s a couple of little techniques and things that we can do here to try to help make that a little bit easier. How to Apply a Simple Toe Dressing:…

Live Stronger for Longer

What we’re going to talk about today is falls and the loss of confidence and the effect that having a fall can have on an elderly person. It might be your parents or your grandparents. ACC has recognized that this is a real issue and there is a great organization that is set up throughout…

Stirrup Strapping

Today what I’m going to talk to you about is a stirrup strap. It’s a really handy little strap that’s used to help stabilize digits and toes. Basically what we’re doing with it as we’re wrapping it around the top, bringing that around to the plantar surface underneath the foot and crossing them over like…