What is Sports Podiatry?
Sports Podiatry is the branch of Podiatry where Podiatrists are involved with diagnosing and treating sports related Injury’s to the lower limb and feet of elite, semi-professional and recreational athletes or sports people. Typically people think that Podiatry is a speciality that only deals with feet, toe nails and callus’s. However, this is not quite true at all. Sports Podiatrists are experts and extremely skilled when it comes to sports injuries to the feet and lower limbs. Podiatrists in general are experts at analysing locomotion or gait (running or walking patterns) which have an impact on athletic performance and also injury as well as injury prevention when it is attended to early.
What does a Sports Podiatrist do?
Sports Podiatry can include a large scope of particular Podiatry care that can include the following:
Convenient
- Sports Podiatrist Assessment and treatment of foot, ankle, knee and lower limb disorders.
- Sport Podiatrists have an amazing understanding of the potential mechanical causes of lower limb and foot pain.
- Sports Podiatrist prescription of functional foot orthosis or orthotics to improve lower limb biomechanics and alignments to maximise function or prevent/ manage injury.
- Sports Podiatrist prescription of appropriate stretching/strengthening and training programs.
- Sports Podiatrist advice with Load Management for training
- Sports Podiatrist Advice on appropriate footwear or modification of footwear for running shoes, football boots and other sporting footwear
- Sports Podiatrists work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to maximise outcomes for patients
- A Sports Podiatrist can through Biomechanical Assessment and specific joint/muscle testing help determine whether the condition of your hip, leg and lower leg complexes are sufficient for performing in your particular sport or optimising aspects of this for your particular sport.
- A Sports Podiatrist can treat patients with a variety of conditions through various hands on modalities and needling therapy.
What are Common Conditions Treated by A Sports Podiatrist?
It is beneficial to seek advice and treatment from a Sports Podiatrist for a number of conditions, some of the most common conditions Sports Podiatrists see are:
- Plantarfasciitis / Heel Pain
- Achilles Tendonitis / Tendinopathy
- Stress Fractures of the foot and shin
- Shin Splints and Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome
- Retrocalcaneal Bursitis
- Peroneal tendinopathy or tenosynovitis
- Tibialis Posterior Conditions
- Ankle injury – strain sprains ruptures and surgery
- Bunion pain
- Recurrent Blisterin
- Corns & Callus treatment
- Dorsal Foot Pain
- Sesamoiditis
- Mortons Neuromas
- Patellofemoral Pain
- Hip Pain
- Back Pain
When Should I see a Sports Podiatrist?
If you sustain a sports injury that does not require emergency care it is important to consult with your Sports Podiatrist as soon as possible. This will lead to the best outcome from diagnosis of the injury to appropriate acute care and management of the sports injury by your Sports Podiatrist. They will be able to then devise for you and with you an early intervention and management program speeding up your recovery and return to sport.
How can a Sports Podiatrist Treatment Help?
Sports Podiatry employs various Biomechanical Assessment options as a cornerstone to investigating lower limb function and then directing the treatment process. Sports Podiatrists want to understand why you have become injured and how it has occurred.
Sports Podiatry treatment includes some of the following modalities:
- Massage
- Joint Mobilisation and Manipulation
- Dry Needling and Western Acupuncture
- Stretching and strengthening programs
- Footwear / Hosiery Advice
- Heel Raises and Wedges
- Orthotic Therapy
- Ongoing referral to Physiotherapy / Specialists or for Imaging studies
- Taping and Bracing
- Corns and Callus removal
The 6 Key Benefits to Starting Your Sports Injury Podiatry Program Early
- Education & Diagnosis - You will have an understanding of what has happened and what the process to recovery is. This is peace of mind for you knowing that you are doing the right things to facilitate a rapid recovery
- Pain Management - You will able to manage your pain better and more efficiently without the potential of causing more harm
- Early Intervention - You will be able to begin an active rehab program early giving you a significant advantage to early recovery.
- Soft tissue therapy management - Your Podiatrist will be able to assist with soft tissue work to loosen areas around the injury or areas of compensation which can help with comfort in movement, this can also help with scar tissue mobilisation at the site at the appropriate time.
- Early Injury Loading - This can help to improve scar tissue resilience and mobility of the new tissue being laid at the site of injury as well as assist in helping the maturation of the scar along.
- A more confident return to sport - The idea is to build you back up better than you were before you were injured making a confident return to the sport or activity you love!
What am I risking by not rehabilitating my Injury?
If we were to answer this question by looking at the research it is likely that these are the some of the things you may encounter-
- A longer healing time
- Potential to have ongoing pain
- A larger re-occurrence rate, frequency or potential the site or one close by
- Increased potential for joint stiffness
- Increased muscle weakness
- Those Injuries that are ongoing for 3 months or more are termed chronic and as such have there own ill effects on the body and are much more difficult to resolve.
Please remember early intervention for sports injury has the best overall outcome.
What is the Inertia Podiatry Approach to Sports Podiatry?
Inertia’s approach to managing Sports Injury is quite simple- Do as much as we can with what we have available to us to ensure you stay active and fit during your recovery. This might include modifying gym programming or tapering run programming, maybe performing movements specific to your sport in an unloaded gym environment. We’ve got you covered from the ice pack back to the weights rack and the running track!