podiatrywaikato Archives - Waikato Podiatry

Children’s Heel Pain (Sever’s Disease)

What is Sever’s Disease? This condition affects growing bone in the heel and is called Sever’s Disease. Severs often affects physically active children within the age range of around 8-14 years. Severs is one of a group of disorders known as “Osteochondroses”. At around 8 years of age the secondary growth plate in the heel…

Forefoot Pain – How can we Help?

What is Forefoot Pain? There are many different types and causes of forefoot pain. Some common conditions are: Morton’s Neuroma Morton’s Neuroma is by far the best known forefoot pathology. A Morton’s neuroma is a lump of nerve tissue fibers that occurs between the bones of the forefoot. Sesamoiditis Sesamoiditis is the injury of the…

Can my Injury affect my Mental Fitness?

When we experience a physical injury, it’s easy to focus solely on the physical healing process and overlook the potential impact on our mental fitness. However, it’s crucial to consider how your mental well-being is affected during this time, as it plays a significant role in shaping your overall experience and recovery journey. Your mental…

The Healing Power of Shockwave Therapy

What is Shockwave Therapy? It is easiest to think about this modality as a “tissue reboot”, not unlike rebooting a computer system. The tissue involving collagen in our bodies has a tendency to become disorganised and confused in the healing cascade, much like an overloaded computer. If we reboot the tissue, this then allows for…

Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction

What is it Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction? Posterior tibial tendon dysfunction (PTTD) is where the large tendon joining the bones in the arch of your foot to a large muscle in your calf becomes stretched and loses its strength and ability to function properly.This all occurs with pain and often swelling in the area, particularly…

Achilles Tendinitis? Let us Help you!

What is Achilles Tendinitis? Achilles Tendinitis (AT) refers to pain in the Achilles Tendon. This tendon (tendons join muscle to bone), is responsible for attaching the calf muscles to the heel bone. It is one of the largest and strongest tendons in the body (able to withstand forces of up to 12 x bodyweight). How…

Bunions

What is it? A bunion, or a ‘bony prominence’ at the great toe joint, is a deformity that can often lead to difficulty with footwear, as well as pain from osteoarthritis and even a slow dislocation of the joint. This condition presents as a deviation of the angle within the big toe and the ball…

Hypermobile Joints

Hypermobile Joints, also known as being ‘double jointed,’ or Ligamentous Laxity Ligaments are short bands of tough and flexible connective tissue which connect bones together at the joints. Approximately 5% of the population may experience ligamentous laxity, which is when the ligaments are more stretchy than normal and the joints become loose or hypermobile. In…