Podiatry

Shock Wave therapy

Shock Wave therapy
Shock Wave therapy 750 502 Ace Health Centre

Shock Wave therapy

Shock wave therapy (otherwise known as Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy – ESWT) is a modality of treatment whereas a machine passes sound waves through the tissues in the body to promote healing. Similar to ultrasound but at a lower frequency which causes the “shocks to be felt”. This process is a non-invasive technique that is suggested to promote the formation of new blood vessels at the tendon-bone junction, stimulate tendon cells (tenocytes), increase white blood cell count and amplify growth factor and protein synthesis to promote collagen synthesis and tissue remodelling. 

How does Shock Wave feel?

This can be a tender process due to targeting sore areas of the body but the intensity of shock waves can be adjusted by the operator, to the tolerance of the individual. This allows the process to be more enjoyable without much effect to the treatment. 

What is it used for?

Shock wave therapy is primarily used in the treatment of common orthopaedic musculoskeletal conditions. These include;

  • Muscle tendinopathies of the upper or lower limb
  • Plantar fasciitis 
  • Adhesive capsulitis 
  • Non-union of long bone fractures
  • Avascular necrosis of femoral head
  • Shin splints (Medial tibial stress syndrome)
  • Osteoarthritis of the knee 

Most of the time Shock wave is best used in combination with other treatment modalities such as exercise to promote the strengthening of the tissues during the remodelling phase after new blood vessel growth and collagen synthesis. Hands-on physio massage can also help release the tight aggravated muscles to help relieve even more pain. 

So if you have had that niggly or ongoing injury that just won’t go away, then Shock wave might be the treatment for you! Best to book in with our physio or podiatrist today and start the assessment process to determine the best fit for your condition. 

What is arthritis?

Treatment for arthritis
Treatment for arthritis 722 406 Ace Health Centre

Treatment for arthritis

There are many different treatments for arthritis. We run through a few here.

Massage

As stated before massage can be a great way of suppressing pain and stiffness symptoms associated with OA. When arthrits is present the muscles con contract to help protect the joint. This can also increase pain. Relaxing these muscles can help reduce pain and increase mobility in the joint. Unfortunately, this is only short term until the body starts to guard or protect itself again.

Bracing treatment for arthritis

Bracing is a term used for adding support ot the area to reduce movement. As movement can cause pain reducing this help reduce the pain. On the downside, bracing can cause the joint can stiffen as it is not being used as much. This reduced mobility can mean that when it’s not braced it can be more painful. Bracing is good for the short term to help give the joint a break and reduce inflammation but isn’t always the best long-term option.

Custom orthotics

Custom orthotics work extremely well for arthritis. Not just in the feet, but are also very effective for the knees, and hips and can be for the lower back as well. They do this by redistributing pressure, changing ground reaction forces and changing the angles of the legs and feet. They can help reduce movement where needed, open up joint spaces, provide cushioning and more.

Strengthening

Usually, when it comes to people that have OA they are typically older; have had more stress placed on their joints and are also weaker. This means that they will typically need lots of strengthening. We need to target the most important. Physical assessments from physiotherapists allow the best and most specific exercise prescription to occur, thus allowing the most improvements within the shortest period and easy to manage for clients.

Injections

There are many different types of injections available for arthritis. A few include prolotherapy, Synvisc, cortisone, and local anaesthetic. At the clinic, our podiatrists perform local anesthetic injections into arthritis of the big toe and perform mobilisation. This helps free up the joint, increases mobility and breaks down some of the arthritis. This requires a few weekly appointments. Together with orthotics, this is extremely effective in reducing pain and increasing mobility in the joint.

Other treatments may include Surgery, anti-inflammatories, footwear, custom orthotics, mobilisation, heat, pain medication and more

If you are interested in seeing how we can help you contact our clinic today for more information.

What is arthritis?

What is arthritis?
What is arthritis? 722 406 Ace Health Centre

What is arthritis?

Arthritis describes the “wear and tear” joints face throughout their life span. During this process, cartilage get worn away and is replaced with bone to help strengthen the joint. In turn, this causes joint spaces to get too narrow and irritated. There are many types depending on how the wear and tear occurs; either naturally throughout the life span and due to weaknesses or malfunctioning immune responses causing the body to attack its own joints.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the damage to the joint surfaces as a result of physical load (day-to-day activities). This is usually caused when the load out-weights the strength of the surrounding muscles, thus the joint takes the load. What results is thinning/damage of cartilage (protects joint surfaces) and deposits of bone being placed where the thinning occurs over time. This process can take a while but will create permeant joint changes that are irreversible.

Symptoms of arthritis

Symptoms vary depending on the severity and can also come and go depending on life’s demands. Lot of people can even have arthritis underlying and don’t get symptoms until the joints are placed under demand or an injury occurs in a similar area.

This is due to the body becoming hyperaware and protective of arthritis to prevent further wear and tear. Thus the muscle spasms surrounding ‘worn’ joints to prevent further movement and thus limit further “wear and tear”. This means that massage is a very useful technique when it comes to the treatment OA. Relaxing the surrounding muscles will significantly reduce pain in most cases. 

OA most commonly occurs in the shoulders, lower back hips and knees as these joints are usually placed under the highest loads due to being weight-bearing joints.

There are many different treatments available for arthritis. Contact us today for a consultation to discuss options.

Blog by Christian Monks

What's custom about your custom orthotics?

What’s custom about your custom orthotics?
What’s custom about your custom orthotics? 1920 1001 Ace Health Centre

What’s custom about your custom orthotics?

Many people receive their custom orthotics thinking that they looks like something they could have just purchased for a lot less from the chemist. This is defiantly not the case. The same as glasses from the chest look the same as glasses from the options but both are very different. Each sense is made to each eye, just like orthotics are designed for each foot. Each glass frame is tailored to each persons use for example reading glasses will be different to sports glasses. Orthotics are the same, each is tailored to the activity you want to use them for and the shoes they are going into. If they were that simple podiatrists wouldn’t spend 4 years learning how to to prescribe them.

We thought we would just name a few things that we can tailor but remember that this is only a shorted list of everything that can be done.

The arch height

This is an obvious one. The arch height is tailored to your feet. Depending how much the podiatrists wants your foot to move and how much pressure they want to redistribute to other parts of your foot. This can be based on your injury, your foot flexibility, the shoes that you wear and more.

Custom widths

The widths of the orthotics heel and forefoot will help control your foot. Your foot needs to sit in the heel of your orthotics to  help guide it. If it is too small it will dig into your foot. if its too large you’re foot will roll around on it. We also need to keep in mid of fitting it into the shoe. Too wide and it won’t fit. Your foots width change from non weight bearing to weight bearing. The podiatrist needs to work out how much and what shoe it will go into to decide the widths.

Custom angles

Podiatrists can chose what angles we put your foot at. This means the heel or foot forefoot angle can be tailored. So if your foot collapses inwards an angle is put on to roll it outwards, and if your foot rolls outward an angle may be put on to make it roll inwards. These angle are dependant on your injury, flexibility, structure of your lower limb and more.

Extra padding

If you need extra padding in places the podiatrist can decide where it needs it and what material to use. Usually if something is so you will need padding around the area and not under the area. This is to take pressure away from the sore area. There are lots of different ways todo this and lots of different materials that have different properties to decide from

The material

Orthotics can be made from many different materials. EVA in many different densities, carbon fibre, pa12 nylon, pa11 nylon, poly propylene to name just a few. Each material has different properties and can be altered in many different ways. Podiatrists need to know what to use and when.

The thickness / flexibility

This is one of the most important factors when prescribing orthotics. The thickness of the orthotic will be one of the main properties to determine how flexible the orthotic is. Thing that will factor into this is the persons weight, flexibility, foot arch height, extra additions on the orthotics that affect the flex, the injury, the severity of the injury, the activity its being used for and more. This is usually changed in increments of 0.1mm

These are just the basic points of what can be done to customise your orthotics. The is a lot more you can do to change the design. Most designing is not done via 3d cad cam engineering software. Orthotics are then 3D printed using machines that cost upwards of $700k. These machines have a high accuracy and product a stable, durable product. Cheaper 3D printers do not yet have a material that can produce a product with the same strength and flex charactoristics.

 

If you want to get some new orthotics or have any other questions please contact us today on 0755726222 or book online.

orthotic copy

Copy your old orthotics
Copy your old orthotics 900 483 Ace Health Centre

Copy your old orthotics

Did you know that we can copy your old orthotics? That’s right! With technology moving forward and 3D scanners now available copying your old orthotics has never been easier.

Your design

When going to a podiatrist and you get your custom orthotics it can be quite daunting as to what they will give you. Many people who have had orthotics in the past just simply want a repeat set. They love their current orthotics and would like to continue using them. Maybe their old ones are damaged, maybe they don’t want to have to swap them between shoes, maybe they have just worn out. Every podiatrist you go to may have a different idea of how your orthotics should be. You could see 10 different podiatrists and get 10 different sets of custom orthotics. This means trying to get another repeat set could be difficult.

 

Scan

With 3D scanning copying, your old orthotics is now a lot simpler. That said, its still not easy. We firstly need your old set of orthotics. From there we remove any top covers, glue and anything else that would

change the shape of them. Once this is done we can 3D scan the shell in order to produce a 3D model. From there we model up a new orthotic from the old one trying to create a replica.

 

orthoic scan

orthoic scan

orthotic copy

orthotic copy

 

94ffc075-d16f-4503-a495-0b7436951c3d original orthotics

 

94ffc075-d16f-4503-a495-0b7436951c3d

3D printing

Once the orthotic has been designed it’s sent off to be 3D printed. We 3D print using PA11 material via an HP MJF 3d printer. This material is eco-friendly and super strong. 3D printing also means there is hardly any waste. Old orthotic manufacturing techniques such as milling and Hot pressing both produce a significant amount of waste material. This makes 3D printing the most eco-friendly way of manufacturing custom orthotics.

 

Covering

Once the shell is manufactured we then add the covers. Covering is all done via hand. There are many different materials available for covering custom orthotics. Each orthotic is covered specifically for the person’s prescription. It takes a skilled craftsman to ship in order to be able to do this.

 

If your after somebody to Copy your old orthotics contact us today. We can ship anywhere. 

Ingrown Toenail Treatment

Permanent ingrown toenail treatment
Permanent ingrown toenail treatment 500 285 Ace Health Centre

Permanent ingrown toenail treatment

During my time as a podiatrist, I have come across many different types of ingrown toenails. From babies at just 6 months old to 91 years young. Ingrown toenails can occur at any age for many different reasons. Either way, they are all manageable one way or another.

Nails grow from the back forwards. Not from the end. This means the shape of the nail bed at the back will most likely dictate the shape of the nail as it grows.

Three of the most common causes of ingrown toenails are hereditary factors and or damage/trauma and fungal infections whether it be chronic or acute.

Hereditary

People with ingrown toenails in their families are usually at higher risk of experiencing them at some point in their life. That’s not to say they will get them. If they do get them it’s usually around their teen years. The shape of the nail bed where the nail grows from can be passed down to the next generation. If you have suffered from ingrown toenails it’s important to keep a check on your kid’s toes to make sure it’s not happening to them.

Damage

Damage to the nail can change the shape of the nail bed. When this occurs the nail will change its growth path and possibly cause it to ingrow. You may also end up splitting the nail causing a piece of nail to lodged into the skin. in this case, the chance is it will not occur again once the lodged piece of nail is removed.

Fungal nails

The fungal nail can cause a lot of damage to the nail itself. In minor cases may just cause the nail to lift a little, but, in severe cases, it can cause complete disfigurement of the nail. This disfigurement can cause nails to change their growth path, put pressure on skin and areas not wanted, and as a result of Pearce the skin. It can also again cause changes to the shape of the nail bed causing the nail to grow down an unwanted path.

Permanent ingrown toenail treatment

Luckily there are permanent treatments that can be done. Conservative management should always be the first treatment, gently clear out the side of the nail, and make sure the edges are nice and smooth. Then keep a check on it to see if the ingrown nail reoccurs.

If this conservative management fails, removal of the part of the nail that is ingrowing may be required. This quick procedure is done under a local anesthetic. A small piece of nail is then removed all the way back to the nail bed. A solution is then applied to the nail bed where the nail was removed to make sure the nail doe not ingrow down that same path. The procedure takes around 5 mins after the anesthetic has kicked in. The podiatrist will make sure your toe is completely numb before starting anything to make the procedure as smooth and comfortable as possible.

Both of these procedures are done via your local podiatrist who has had specific specialist training in this area.

If you have an ingrown toenail and want to get it checked over, then contact us today to book in with our experienced podiatrist. 

 

What causes cracked heels? 

What causes cracked heels? 
What causes cracked heels?  1920 1200 Ace Health Centre

What causes cracked heels? 

 

What causes cracked heels?  Dry feet and cracked heels are a nightmare in the summer. It ruins your looks, becomes uncomfortable, can cause open wounds which can be painful, and get infected.

So what causes cracked heels

Pressure – hard skin is caused by pressure. This is why it only occurs on areas of your feet that contact the floor. The thicker this layer of hard skin gets, the more likely it is to crack.

Genetics – Genetics can play a big role in how much and how quickly the hard skin can form.

Age – The older you get the dryer your skin can get. With dry skin comes cracks.

Circulation – Circulation plays a big influence on how dry your skin can get and how quickly it can heal. The worse your circulation with more cracks you will get.

Medication – Some medications can affect circulation, immune system, how dry your skin gets, how thin your skin is, and more. Some medications therefore will have an impact on the amount your heels will crack.

Footwear – Having dry feet will cause the skin to crack. open shoes will cause your skin to dry out more, and therefore increase the chance of cracks. Sticking in enclosed shoes will help prevent them from drying out and therefore stop as many cracks.

Medical history – Different medical conditions cause reduced circulation or dry skin. Such as hypothyroid, high blood pressure, and more.

Treatments 

Wear enclosed shoes when you can – We all know that this won’t happen all of the time. But the more you can wear enclosed shoes and socks the less your feet will dry out, it helps redistribute pressure and therefore reduced hard skin and cracks.

Have orthotics – The more you can redistribute pressure from areas of high pressure, the less callous and hard skin will form. Orthotics do this by making contact with the whole of your foot.

Apply moisturizer – This has to be a foot moisturizer, and should contain at least 30% urea, and have oil in it. The urea help stop the skin from forming callous as quickly and puts moisture back into the skin. The oil forms a barrier to help prevent moisture loss.

Exercise – Keeping your circulation going, which helps keep your skin healthy and reduces the risk of infection.

Podiatry treatment – Have the callous and hard skin removed before it splits.

 

Book in today and have silky smooth skin for the summer. 

How to pick your running shoes

How to pick your running shoes
How to pick your running shoes 1024 726 Ace Health Centre

How to pick your running shoes

With so many running shoes about its hard to know how to pick the. Heres a few tips on how to get the fitted.

  1. pick for comfort – This may seem obvious, but a lot of people get the definition of comfort wrong. Many clients come in claiming that their shoes are comfortable, but their feet hurt when wearing then. When picking a pair of shoes dont just go for the lightest, most cushioned shoes. Go on the amount of pain you get anywhere from your hips and lower back down to your toes.
  2. sizing – most people especially women are used to having small shoes and slip-ons. When having slip-ons you need to go a little smaller so you dont slip out of them. When fitting up runners you need to have at least a fingers width between the end of your longest toe and the end of the shoes. WHEN SHOES ARE ON, LACED UP AND YOU ARE STOOD UP.
  3. Pick based on your injury and flexibility – If you have calf /achilles pain, heel pain or reduced ankle motion, ideally you want a shoes with at least a 10mm + heel pitch.
  4. Different shoes for different foot types – when picking a runner, if you have high arched foot, chances are you want a neutral shoes., If your foot rolled in a little then a guidance shoes, if it rolled in a lot them a motion control shoe is needed. Your podiatrist can help you with this.
  5. Buy multiple pairs – Ideally if you are wearing runners every day, buy 2 pairs, and alternate your shoes. Eva foam takes around 24-48 hours to recover. This means it needs time to fully expand for the best cushioning and support.
  6. Change them regularly – For a highly cushioned shoe they last around 600-800km. a lighter weight shoe will taste 400-600km, and a racing shoe 300-400km.
Ingrown Toenail Treatment

Ingrown Toenail Treatment Gold Coast
Ingrown Toenail Treatment Gold Coast 500 285 Ace Health Centre

Ingrown Toenail Treatment Gold Coast

Ingrown Toenail Treatment Gold Coast will be discussed in this blog. An ingrown toenail can be incredibly painful. They are usually not self healing and will get worse without treatment. Fortunately a Podiatrist can help you with this painful and often debilitating problem and offer Ingrown toenail treatment that gives a permanent fix.

What is an Ingrown toenail?

Ingrown toenails are a common condition and occur when the toenail penetrates the skin at one or both sides of the toe where skin meets the nail, referred to as the nail fold. Once the skin is breached the toe can become red swollen and painful to touch. Frequently it can become infected with bleeding, discharge and an unpleasant odour.

What causes an Ingrown toenail?

Some of the causes of Ingrown Toe nails include:
  • Genetic – some people are genetically predisposed to developing ingrown nails.
  • Poor Nail cutting technique – Nails should be cut straight across or to follow the shape of the end of the toe, cutting too far down the side of the toe can cause nail to grow in
  • Footwear – shoes that are too tight or narrow will cause excess pressure on the sides of the toenail, resulting in ingrown nails
  • Trauma – direct trauma like kicking or dropping something on the toe
  • Excess sweating – teenagers are prone to ingrown nails due to increased sweating and playing sport. Excess sweet will cause the nail and skin to become softer making skin easier to penetrate and nail to change shape

How can I fix it?

Ingrown Toenail Treatment Gold Coast is usually straightforward and painless when preformed by a Podiatrist. The Ingrown toenail treatment starts with simply removing the offending piece of nail not leaving any spicules of it behind. It usually provides instant relief. Once removed the skin can heal and return to normal.If the nail persists in growing in, a permanent solution is available in the way of a Partial Nail Avulsion which involves surgically removing the ingrowing section of nail under local anaesthetic. Once removed a chemical called phenol is applied to the nail bed so the problematic piece doesn’t regrow. This procedure is painless and has a success rate of over 95%. Ingrown Toenail Treatment need not be complicated or painful. We offer 100% Gaurantee and if it regrows will redo it for Free!
If you are struggling with this problem don’t hesitate to call us and book an appointment on 07 5572 6222.
Achilles Tendon Pain - Gold coast

Achilles Tendon Pain – Gold coast
Achilles Tendon Pain – Gold coast 646 438 Ace Health Centre

Achilles Tendon Pain – Gold Coast

In Our Achilles Tendon Pain – Gold coast post we hope to give you an inside into the cause of the pain.

What is the Achilles Tendon?

The Achilles tendon attaches to the back of your heel beginning in the calf. The gastrocnemius, soleus, and plantaris muscles come together with their tendons to make up the Achilles Tendon. This tendon is not only the biggest tendon in our bodies, it is also the strongest. These muscles are the primary movers for going up on toes, jumping and pushing off when walking or running. Throughout these movements the Achilles Tendon can withstand forces around 10x our body weight. Therefore these muscles and tendons are usually affected with increased activity levels with running or sport, but can also be affected from our daily activities.

 

Why does my Achilles Tendon hurt?

As mentioned above the Achilles Tendon is highly responsible for our ability to move throughout our day and within sport. Because of the high demands and repetitive nature of our activities the Achilles Tendon is susceptible to injury. The most common injury found when dealing with the Achilles Tendon is tendinopathy (or overuse injury of the tendon) which occurs in about 55% of all Achilles type pain. This can occur from increased training load, or a rapid increase in activity levels. Another injury commonly found in athletes is tears or ruptures of the Achilles Tendon due to the explosive movements and the repetitive nature of training within sport.

 

How can I return to my normal activities pain free?

In order to return to full activities a proper diagnosis is important to identify the proper rehab plan. Physiotherapists and podiatrist are able to identify, and help design an individualised rehab program that will help you return to your desired activities. The rehab program would implement symptom modification while beginning a gradual loading program, and moving to more sport specific or activity specific movements to help prevent future injuries, while decreasing current symptoms.

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