Yes it is!

Your podiatry visit may be fully or partially covered by a Medicare rebate if you meet specific criteria set out by Medicare and are approved by your General Practitioner through their clinical assessment and professional discretion.

With the onset of Covid-19, we have seen a significant number of people pull on their running shoes and hit the pavement. While this has been fantastic to see, a large number of these people have not had enough support and guidance around this foray into running and have developed, sometimes serious, running injuries. We have seen a huge spike in running injuries in the clinic during the past 12 months that were potentially caused simply by training errors. So consequently, we reached out to expert running consultant Nathan Heaney to discuss the 6 most common training errors people tend to make and how to avoid them! Enjoy.

1. Don’t use available training data

The vast majority of runners have access to insightful (and expensive) technology, most notably in the form of GPS watches. However, most runners very rarely use the technology appropriately to positively guide training sessions and maximise physiological adaptations.

Running provides the ultimate environment for the development of fungal nail infections. If you’ve been running for a while, it’s safe to say your nails have probably surprised you on at least one occasion post-run! So, tell us! Were your nails black, brown, yellow or just no longer attached to the nail bed when you pulled off those socks?

First things first, a black nail doesn’t always predispose to fungal infection. More often than not, a black nail is the result of trauma to the nail bed; a constant pressure and friction that results in bruising and pigment changes (due to bleeding) beneath the nail plate. Running can give your nails a good hammering if your footwear fit is compromised and/or your nails are not maintained at a short enough length. Whilst we ask you not to panic if your nail turns black, keep in mind that permanent changes to nail

There are many ways to help decrease the risk of getting an ingrown toenail.

However, it is important to note that sometimes ingrown toenails are unavoidable.

Self-managed:

Steps to take to decrease the risk of an ingrown toenail at home

Do not pick at your toenails or the skin around the nail
Try not to peel your toenails when they are too long, this can cause the nails to become accidentally too short and can cause some mild trauma on the side of the skin near your nail
When cutting your nails, always cut straight across and never curved.
Let your nails grow out and only cut the white tip of the nail. 
Limit or even stay away from nail salons – Nail salons can increase the risk of ingrown toenails as they sometimes cut away skin and nail that should not be cut away.

Podiatrist-managed:

Steps to take to decrease the risk of an ingrown toenail at the podiatrist

Regular

Shockwave therapy or extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is a treatment modality commonly used by multiple health disciplines including podiatry, orthopaedics and urology. ESWT provides a number of short and long-term benefits including fast pain relief while restoring mobility and function without the need for painkillers or anti-inflammatory medications.

Shockwave therapy is a fast and effective walk in walk out podiatry treatment that is a clinically proven, non-invasive (no need for injections) and non-surgical way to provide you with lasting pain relief. This means it can drastically reduce your time taken to return to sport, daily activities and improve your quality of life.

One of the other benefits of this treatment is there are very minimal if any, side effects. This makes it an ideal therapy to help speed up your recovery from chronic or new injuries, which may include:

Plantar fasciitis or heel pain
Achilles tendonitis 
Shin pain
Osgood-Schlatters (knee pain)
any issues involving tendon damage

Shockwave

You’ve received your diagnosis and you’re doing all that it takes to get back to doing what you love…. Or maybe you’re just prone to niggles in training? We get it! Being injured and in pain couldn’t be more frustrating. So how can you best optimise your healing response to ensure you see yourself back to full recovery? 

A person’s ability to heal is undoubtedly influenced by a host of different factors but we’ve all felt the effects of sleep deprivation – that irritable feeling after a terrible sleep? Difficult to concentrate? Yep. We all have. In fact, a recent study reported one in three individuals admit to unintentionally falling asleep during the daytime, implying that sleep deprivation is a prevalent problem.  

Sleep deprivation is widely recognised to have adverse impacts on individuals with active musculoskeletal pain and injury. It has also been shown to increase injury risk, particularly in athletic populations.

Did you know that an estimated 60% of running injuries are caused by training errors? We go through simple things you implement straight away to ensure you avoid these common mistakes.

Join Andrew from Melbourne Podiatry Clinic, Nathan from The Conditioning Consultant along with Renee from The Running Company to provide some key insights into how to better structure and manage your training to improve your times and reduce your injury risk PLUS we’ll go through all the latest developments in running shoes including carbon plate shoes.

When: Wednesday 16th of June at 7:30pm 
Where: via Zoom from your own home

This webinar is perfect for anyone who:

Currently runs or wants to start running

Has had a running injury before

Is unsure how to structure your running program

Wants to know what running technique changes you should make

Wants to find out about the latest in running footwear

Chance to win a $200 The Running Company voucher, running socks

A skill once taught and never forgotten, cycling has been present for centuries. Like all skills there is the prospect of regression and progression as we come to terms with injury, equipment changes or differences in surfaces that we complete these activities on – cycling is no different.
However, cycling is not a natural activity for humans, it places us in a connection between humans and machines where our lower limbs are expected to work like pistons.

In true road cycling, where the foot is latched to the pedal via cleats or a strap and both a push and pulling motion is created in conflict to the opposing limb, the legs are asked to act as levers or pistons to generate optimal force upon the small area of contact. With the foot being a highly manoeuvrable item, the ability to act as a stiff lever is difficult while cycling. Certain cycling

If you suffer from pain under the ball of your big toe, it could be several things but one very common issue is an injury to your sesamoid bones. So what are your sesamoid bones? Well, our podiatrist Tess explains.

The sesamoid bones are round bones embedded into or close to a tendon. They are found in the knee, hand, wrist and of course the foot.  In the foot, they are small rounded bones located in the base of the big toe. These tiny bones resemble sesame seeds, hence their name. The sesamoids provide an anchor for the tendon to glide and allow for enhanced movement at the area. They are very important in optimising effective toe-off during walking and running. 

What is sesamoiditis?

Inflammation of the sesamoids of the big toe and its surrounding structures. The pain may be due to arthritis, blood flow restriction or fracture but is most commonly due

What type of shoes should I wear at the gym?

As we start hitting the gym more and more now that they are back up and running, it is important you have the right shoe for the right workout, whether you are lifting weights, HIIT classes or just cardio. 

The type of workout you do and frequency will generally dictate the type of shoe required to give you the best performance outcome whether you are trying to hit a PB with your squat, kilometres on the treadmill or pushing your limits in your HIIT class.

It is important to note that shoes are not designed to last forever and have a lifespan based on the activity they are designed for. Hence, if you are the type of person who uses your shoes for all your exercise activities such as at the gym and then for walking/running, the lifespan of your shoe will likely