Podiatrists are doctors specialising in treating foot and ankle disorders. Their practice encompasses treating injuries, deformities and chronic diseases that affect feet.
Regularly engaging an Inertia Health Group NDIS podiatry Adelaide podiatrist for foot exams can help reduce your risk of future foot issues while treating existing ones, such as ingrown toenails or athlete’s foot.
Neuromas
Neuromas are benign tumours that form when nerves become injured due to trauma – for instance, when someone drops something on their foot.
Neuromas typically develop between the metatarsal heads in the ball of the foot. These long bones differ from your other toes in shape and tend to move in unusual ways while walking, creating pressure on a small nerve that runs between each toe.
An irritation or inflammation of a nerve can cause swelling and eventual lump formation – this is known as neuroma, and it can result in burning pain, tingling sensations or even numbness in one or more toes.
Podiatrists can assist with diagnosing neuromas through physical examination and history review, nerve block techniques and nerve location testing to ascertain any sensitive areas and whether or not a neuroma or another painful condition causes it.
These tests may not always be necessary to diagnose a neuroma, but they may provide additional help if pain cannot be eliminated using other medical procedures or treatments. If present, doctors may advise non-invasive remedies like ice packs, elevation or compression therapy to decrease swelling and reduce inflammation.
Surgical treatment may be the only recourse if conservative measures fail to alleviate neuroma symptoms. A podiatrist may perform neuroma surgery through either the plantar approach (on the bottom of your foot) or the dorsal approach (from above your foot).
At this procedure, we cut away part of a nerve to release it and decrease inflammation, alleviating symptoms of neuromas and preventing future formation.
Under local anesthesia, this process will be pain-free. Next, the Inertia Health Group NDIS podiatry Adelaide surgeon can align the nerve to reconnect to its previous lost axon, thus preventing further neuroma recurrence.
Various factors can cause neuromas. Morton’s neuroma is the most prevalent, typically leading to tingling or numbness in the ball of your foot. Other varieties may occur less frequently; acoustic neuromas are found only inside your ear canal.
Arthritis
Podiatrists specialise in treating various foot conditions but are also frequently involved with caring for people with arthritis. This degenerative condition affects your body’s rheumatic systems and may lead to joint damage that interferes with daily activities and negatively affects the quality of life.
Arthritis is a widespread condition that can affect any part of the body – including feet- often disabling it for years. Symptoms may include pain, swelling and stiffness, making walking and standing difficult or impossible altogether.
Your doctor may order tests to help diagnose the type of arthritis you have. These exams can pinpoint exactly which condition is causing symptoms and which medications might be effective treatments.
Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent form of arthritis, involving cartilage damage which cushions bones at their ends and provides cushioning protection. This condition may result from various sources, including autoimmune diseases or age-related factors.
Suppose you suffer from Osteoarthritis (OA). In that case, your doctor may suggest wearing shoes with extra depth and width to accommodate changes to the shape of your foot, helping reduce pressure on joints and prevent further discomfort. It may help alleviate stress on joints while relieving other pain.
Changing the way you walk can also help, with gait analysis being one of the best methods of diagnosis for arthritis in feet and legs. Your physician can perform such an analysis to see how your joints line up when walking – this information provides a lot of insight into the effect arthritis has on them.
Your podiatrist can offer guidance and advice about walking correctly and avoiding further injury, including purchasing shoes with extra depth and width, using braces or custom-made shoe inserts to minimise pressure on feet and ankles, or purchasing custom orthotic devices to lessen the strain on them.
Medication may also help alleviate pain and inflammation for those living with inflammatory forms of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Remission-based forms are typically effective treatments; their activity should slow over time with appropriate management.