Sore Feet

Osteoathritis is also known as degenerative or “wear and tear” arthritis, is a very common condition, especially in ageing feet. Our feet are made up of 28 bones separated by cartilage. As the cartilage in between the bones starts to wear away over the years people may experience symptoms such as pain, stiffness and swelling. This may sometimes cause difficulty when walking. Our Podiatrists will assess your feet and may even organise for an X-ray to confirm which areas are affected by the osteoarthritis. We may also prescribe you a pair of custom-made orthotics to provide your feet with support and cushioning to assist in treating the symptoms caused by osteoarthritis.

Morton’s neuroma is a painful condition where the nerves are compressed between the metatarsals. This can occur between the 2nd- 3rd toes and 3rd -4th toes. Morton’s neuroma is very common in females particularly those who wear high heel shoes. When there is repeated compression on the forefoot such as with narrow shoes or bunions the tissue around the nerves thicken and swell causing a neuroma.  This places pressure on the nerves which can cause pain in the forefoot as well as numbness. Often a clicking sound can be heard whilst walking.

At Glad Feet Podiatry our podiatrists will listen to your complaint, perform an assessment on your feet and may watch you walking in order to assess whether you have a Morton’s neuroma. We may also refer you for an ultrasound on your foot. Once diagnosed we can provide you with conservative treatment such footwear advice, in-shoe padding such as domes that splay the bones to allow more space for the nerves, and we may also prescribe custom-made orthotics that may reduce the pressure on the metatarsals.

Pain in the Achilles tendon can occur when there is inflammation in the area, and is commonly known as Achilles tendonitis.  The Achilles tendon is a strong muscle that connects the calf muscle to the heel bone. The name Achilles tendon originated from the story of Troy when a warrior named Achilles was killed by being shot with an arrow into his heel. This tendon connecting the heel to the calf became known as the Achilles tendon.

With Achilles tendonitis, you may experience the following symptoms:

Pain in the back of the heel

Swelling, tenderness and warmth around the muscle

Pain whilst walking

Heightened sense of pain during the first few steps in the morning or after sitting down for extended periods of time. This pain tends to alleviate after some mild activity

Achilles tendonitis can be caused by stressing of the tendon as a result of an injury, being overweight, running, poor supportive footwear or having flat feet.

At Glad Feet Podiatry our Podiatrists can assist in treating this condition by providing you with both short-term and long-term solutions such as inserts in your shoes to reduce the pressure on the Achilles tendon and exercises to stretch and strengthen the tendon to assist in your recovery.

This is a condition which may develop in the ball of the foot as the fat that cushions the bones diminishes. These cushions are designed to absorb shock whilst walking and without them people experience pain in the ball of the feet. Our Podiatrists can assess your feet and provide you with the right footwear advice and also recommend special gel cushions which we have at our clinic to go into your footwear to provide you with some shock absorption.

We may also watch you walking to assess whether there are other factors that may be aggravating this condition such as flat feet and may recommend custom made orthotics to correct the posture of your foot.