Assessment and Treatments

A number of medical conditions can impact on your feet, affecting mobility and putting the foot and lower limb at risk. Conditions that specifically affect the feet include diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and other arthropathies and poor peripheral circulation.

Other conditions or medications can also affect your feet, so it is important that your podiatrist takes a full medical history as part of the assessment of your foot problem.

Foot pain can be caused by injury, poor foot posture or other structural problems. Particular foot types may be more prone to injury. These can include muscle sprains, tendon and ligament problems and occasionally fractures. Foot alignment can also affect other parts of the body, eg. ankles, knees and hips.

It is best to get the problem assessed at an early stage rather than trying to ignore it. Common problems include heel pain, forefoot pain (metatarsalgia) and flat feet.

It is important that the cause of your foot pain is diagnosed. We can then develop the most appropriate treatment plan to get you back on your feet.

Treatment may involve exercise programmes, low level laser or shock wave therapy, steroid injections, podiatric acupuncture and the provision of functional foot orthoses.

Problems with skin and nails in the feet are very common. Hard skin, corns, verrucae, athlete’s foot, damaged, fungal or ingrowing toenails can affect the feet, causing pain or discomfort.