FAQs

Why do feet hurt in thongs?Thongs:  If you are reading this, you are probably wondering why your feet hurt in thongs?  Let us tell you why and give you the best alternative options.If you are unsure of what thongs are, they are a sandal-like shoe with a thin rubber sole and a V-shaped strap that goes from in between the toes to either side of the foot. Also known by other names like flip-flops...
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Backward Foot Surgery  Backward foot surgery is an option used when limb salvage is no longer viable and an amputation is necessary. This type of surgery is also known as rotationplasty. It is mainly used in younger patients with bone cancer who need a portion of the thigh bone (femur) removed due to a tumour.  The lower leg is able to be attached to below the site of femur amputation. Wh...
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What is Iselin's Disease? Pain around the base of the little toe (5th metatarsal) that may radiate down the lateral (outside) of the foot. Commonly a sharp/aching sometimes ‘bruised’ type of pain. This is often associated with localized swelling and redness. Pain typically gets worse with activity occasionally resulting in a ‘limp’.Who gets Iselin's Disease? Common in children between 8-16...
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Fish PedicureIs having a fish pedicure safe?In the last five years, spas around the world have copied the Asian trend of providing tanks of fish to nibble away the dead skin on heels and feet. Pedicures are generally performed by the Garra Rufa breed of fish. These are a small fish, black or dark fawn in colour and usually hundreds of individual fish populate each tank.A research group call...
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Foot Examination / diagnosis by a podiatrist.Medicine in general and podiatry specifically have become increasingly high tech in recent years. Personally, I think that, with more technology, we are at risk of forgetting the basic tenets of diagnosis. The physical exam used to involve putting your hands on your patients, testing the range and quality of motion, manual muscle testing for weakn...
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Preventing fungal infection of toenails & Nail care after laser treatment Fungal spores are a natural part of everyone’s skin flora.  No matter what you do, these bugs are everywhere all the time. However, it is important for the prevention of infection (or re-infection) that you control the numbers of fungi in your environment, even if we can’t remove them all.The main culprits that allow i...
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Can bad feet cause headaches ?If you regularly suffer from headaches on days involving a lot of standing or walking, it is possible that poor foot mechanics can be the cause.Each day, we walk and stand on hard unyielding surfaces.  Our feet have a natural method of absorbing shock  which is hampered by excessive foot pronation.  This means that, for nearly 40% of us, the feet waste their natu...
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What is Sinus Tarsi Syndrome?The sinus tarsi is a bony canal inside the foot.  It runs roughly crossways (like left to right) just in front of the outside ankle bone.  If you feel that area, you will find a deeper spot where you can push your finger further inwards than in the bony areas that surround it.The canal is formed by two ‘half-pipe' like grooves carved into the bones that meet there...
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Outside Ankle pain: Lateral Subtalar Joint ImpingementThere is a common condition that causes pain in the area just forward of the outside ankle bone. If you poke around this area, you will find a deeper spot where you can push your finger further inwards than in the bony areas that surround it. This is the Sinus Tarsi and the Subtalar Joint.Often the pain is difficult for the sufferer to pin...
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Should I get an X-ray for Sever's disease?Generally, the answer is no.  A diagnosis of Sever's Disease is usually strongly based on the history of the problem and tests a podiatrist will perform when they assess the child.  The main reason x-ray is not relied upon is because early signs of the condition are not detectable on x-ray. These changes will occur with actual bone tissue death and we a...
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