waikatopodiatry Archives - Waikato Podiatry

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…

Stress Fractures: The Risks You Must Know

Stress fractures make up between 10% and 20% of all injuries in sports medicine, and slightly more so in runners. This makes them an important area of focus for our podiatrists here at Waikato Podiatry. We’re sharing about them today because there’s a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to stress fractures…

Blister Treatment

Blister Treatment For the feet that have completed the Kirikiriroa half marathon this weekend, congratulations to you! While the body may have a few aches and pains over the next few days we thought some blister advice for those who have suffered may be helpful. A blister occurs in the upper layers of the skin…

Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction (PTTD)

What is Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction? So, it is a bit a mouthful, but what actually is Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction (PTTD)? Basically, there is a muscle high up on the inside of your leg called the Posterior Tibial muscle. This muscle attaches to a tendon, tendons attach muscles to bone, and then it comes…

World’s Best Gumboots

World’s Best Gumboots Heading into winter from autumn in the Waikato, one of the most important types of footwear that we have are gumboots. Going into calving, it’s cold, it’s wet, you’re up to your knees in mud, you really need a good gumboot to make life a little bit easier. As the old…

Plantar Plate Injuries

Plantar Plate Injuries fall under the category of forefoot pain problems, but they make up a significant percentage of forefoot problems so I have decided to discuss this condition exclusively. What Is the Plantar Plate? The plantar plate is a fibrous structure that has a cartilaginous plate that makes the tissue stiffer than normal ligaments…

The Risks of Getting Your Nails Done

Getting your Nails Done Nail bars have significantly increased in their number and popularity in recent years. It is now commonplace to see them in shopping centres and on your local high street. Hygiene in nail bars is super important, as bacteria, fungi and viruses can be easily transferred from client to client if hygiene…

Warts – Let Us Help You!

Oral Zinc for Treatment of Warts Plantar warts are always a challenge for a clinician, and recently, taking zinc orally has been suggested as an adjunct whilst undergoing wart treatment. The first study on the effectiveness of oral zinc was published in 2002, in the British Journal of Dermatology (BJD). It was based on 80…

Fungal Foot Infections – The Ongoing Battle

Fungal Foot Infections are Common: Fungal foot infections are one of the most common reasons for patients coming into the clinic. Tinea Pedis is the most common fungal foot infection, and there are currently many topical applications that are suitable to treat this, like clotrimazole, miconazole and terbinafine. However, there is a new player in…

Runner’s Knee and Hip Pain

What is Runner’s Knee and Hip Pain? The Iliotibial band (ITB) is a large fibrous structure which runs from high up on the hip, down the outside of your leg, to insert into the lower leg (tibia), just below the knee joint. The ITB can be felt by bending the leg and running your fingers…