Our Blog

News & Advice from the Waikato Podiatry Clinic

Gout

Man with painful gout

Gout affects 14% of Pacific Island men and around 5% of European men. It is more frequent in people with diabetes. We may be in the midst of the third great gout epidemic of western civilisation. The first epidemic occurred in the Roman Empire, the second at the height of…

Read More

Chilblains

Those frosty Waikato mornings are bad for chilblains especially on the toes. Chilblains are a sure sign that winter is here. They are usually identified as a recurrent localised, red, itchy, swollen and painful lesion on the fingers or toes. They can occur on other areas too such as the…

Read More

Blisters

A blister on the heel

A blister is a pocket of fluid under the skin. This fluid most frequently consists of plasma which is a serum within the blood made up of mostly water. However, in some instances, a blister can contain blood or even pus if an infection becomes present. Blisters are almost always…

Read More

Corns & Callouses

Feet with callouses

Corns Corns (heloma) are multiplied skin cells at a focal point of pressure. They usually occur around the joints of toes, in between toes from rubbing, as well as on the soles of the feet where there is excess pressure. They may also occur under a section of callus. Essentially,…

Read More

Ingrown Toenails

Ingrown toenails

An ingrown toenail is a general term used to describe any pain that occurs around the nail area. Ingrown toenails can happen for a number of reasons: a stubbed toe; a very curved nail that allows dirt to accumulate; a corn down the nail edge. The most typical cause is…

Read More