How I treat Achilles Tendonopathy
Jake Pearson and Andrew Jones
Dr Jake Pearson, Sport and Exercise Physician
Capital Sports Medicine, Wellington
We all know how common Achilles tendinopathy is, particularly in our middle and older age running athletes, but also in the ‘out of shape’ often overweight individual who does a bit more than they’re used to or has an acute precipitating event. When I began my sports medicine specialist training in the mid-2000s, the Alfredson eccentric strengthening exercises seemed to be being applied universally, from my perspective with mixed outcomes. That was also when autologous blood injections were becoming popular, and I performed my research on this (a fairly poor quality RCT that was the forerunner to Kevin Bell’s much improved study on the same). I have maintained an interest in the management of this condition, and will outline my current approach here. Continued…
Heel Pain in Children
Activity is extremely important to the health and wellbeing of our children. Don’t let pain stop them moving.
A child’s foot has active growth centres which open at different times throughout their development. When the growth centres are open and growth is occurring, these areas are particularly vulnerable to inflammation, irritation and pain. What we see most commonly is an irritation of the growth plate in the heel. This is referred to as Severs Disease.
It is very important to take foot pain in children seriously, because if left untreated it will become a deterrent to them maintaining physical activity, so it is advisable to get a diagnosis early on. With a well-structured treatment plan in place, they can continue to get on with doing what they really enjoy doing.
If your child is showing signs of foot pain, contact us today- we can successfully treat this problem.
Phone 07 838 0003 or book online at www.waikatopodiatry.co.nz
Bothersome Verucca sorted in time for wedding
“My wedding was in a month’s time and I had been battling to get rid of this problem verruca. It was causing immense pain and I was having to limp everywhere. I didn’t know how I was going to get married and wear my wedding shoes with this problem lesion that no one seemed to be able to get rid of for me. Finally my husband suggested I should contact Waikato Podiatry Clinic and get Andrew to have a look. From there, we discussed the options and decided, given our time frame and the resistance of the lesion, surgery was the only viable option remaining. I went ahead with the surgery. The area was a little sore afterwards, but healed up fine. Fortunately I could get my wedding shoes on, and was not troubled by this on my special day. Thanks Andrew.” Karyn Leitgeb
Podiatry service saves lives and limbs
Andrew Jones of Waikato Podiatry Clinic is one of eight members of PodiatryNZ to which Pinnacle practices can refer patients. Read the WDHB press release dated 27 March 2015 at http://www.waikatodhbnewsroom.co.nz/2015/03/27/podiatry-service-saves-lives-and-limbs/
School Shoes
Waikato Podiatry Clinic recommends Scholl Orthaheel School Shoes.
Features include:
- Leather footbed and Lining
- Padded collar
- Hard wearing full grain leather upper
- Heel counter for stability
- Dual density outsole
PLUS they come with a 30 day comfort guarantee.
Walking the line
‘Walking the line’ is a term originating in the 1800s to describe a thin line around the perimeter of a prison exercise area. A prisoner was punished for any deviation from this line. It was later popularised in the music of Johnny Cash. Today ‘walking the line’ more commonly refers to finding the balance between two extremes in a given situation. ASICS are required to ‘walk the line’ in footwear manufacturing and design, blending comfort and functionality with the aesthetics of the shoe. Deviate in either direction too far and the consequences will be poor sales or, worse still, a poor performing shoe. Continued…