Biomechanical Assessment
A Biomechanical Assessment will be performed for all foot and lower limp pain or injury. This is the most accurate method to diagnose and find the root cause of your injury so we can personalise treatment accordingly.
It Includes:
- Thorough History Taking
- Joint Range of Motion and Muscle Testing
- Advance Video Analysis of Walking and Running Technique on a Treadmill with all your Shoes
- Footwear Assessment and Advice
- Dynamic Soft Tissue Assessments where required
- Education on your Injury in Language you Understand
- Initiate Management Plan
Diabetes Assessment
A Diabetes Assessment is for all Diabetes patients to ensure your foot health is maintained. Whether your Diabetes is well controlled or been diagnosed for many years, a Diabetes Assessment is required to serve as a base line comparison every year. This is to ensure your blood flow and nerve supply is adequate to prevent long term foot complications.
It Includes:
- Thorough Diabetes History Taking
- Blood Flow Assessment with Doppler Ultrasound
- Nerve Stimulation Assessment
- Skin and Nail Examination
- Education on how Diabetes can Impact the Foot and Lower Limb
- Footwear Assessment and Advice
Vascular Assessment
A Vascular Assessment is used when there is a concern with compromised healing and cramping in the legs and calves in particular. Depending on the symptoms you are experiencing we need to establish whether there is adequate blood supply for your lower limbs and toes.
It Includes:
- Thorough History Taking
- Palpation of Pulses of the Foot and Ankle
- Doppler Ultrasound of the Arteries of the Foot and Ankle
- Education on Blood Flow and how it Impacts your Foot Health
Neurological Assessment
A Neurological Assessment of the legs and feet is used to help diagnose any nerve related injury. Depending on your symptoms and injury history, nerve supply can be damaged resulting in abnormal sensation in your feet. It is important to identify which nerves are affected so a management plan can be implemented to reduce chance of long term complications on your foot health.
It Includes:
- Thorough Injury History
- Nerve Stimulation Tests on Deep and Superficial Nerves
- Nerve Sensation Mapping of Nerves Affected
- Education on the impact of Impeded Neural Sensation to your Feet
Running Technique Assessment
Whether you’re a seasoned runner or just getting into running, it is important to be assessed on your running technique to maximise your efficiency and minimise your chance of injury.
It Includes:
- Thorough Training and Exercise History
- Advance Video Analysis at your Walking and Running Pace – Slow Motion Frame by Frame Break Down of your Running Technique
- Analyse and Education on your Running Technique
- Gait Retraining
- Footwear Evaluation and Advice for the Best Shoe for your Foot Function and Activities
- Training Programs to Prevent Maximise Performance and Minimise Injury
Footwear Assessment
Since we’re in shoes majority of our lives, it is crucial to be in the best shoe for your feet and activity. This assessment allows you to bring your wardrobe of shoes in to see which ones are most suitable for you to prevent any long term complications with your feet.
It Includes:
- Thorough Activity and Injury History
- Shoe Wear Patterns and Check Fit of Shoe for your Feet
- Advance Video Analysis of Each Pair of Shoes on the Treadmill to Check Function
- Shoe Function Check – Ensure Shoes are made to Specific Specifications for Optimum Wear and Comfort
- Advice on how to Test Shoes when Shopping
- Lacing Optimisation for Best Fit
Current Orthotic Assessment
If you’re currently wearing orthotics and not sure if it’s time to get them replaced, bring them in with your current footwear range to ensure they are still working for your feet and activities.
It Includes:
- Thorough Injury, Footwear and Activity History
- Check Fit and Function of Current Orthotic alone
- Check Function of Orthotic in Current Shoes
- Feedback on Current Orthotic and Shoe Set Up
- Orthotic Modifications if required
Paediatric Assessment
Children can often develop foot and lower limb complications as they transition through different phases of growth. Friends and family can often notice these changes through observation before the child notices or is impacted. It is important to assess the child if you are unsure whether their foot issue is going to naturally resolve or requires more attention now rather than later.
If your child is complaining about pain, a Paediatric Assessment is crucial to rule out any long term complications. After a thorough assessment, our podiatrists can suggest whether treatment is required immediately or monitoring over a period time will be most suitable for your child.
It Includes:
- Thorough Pregnancy and Childhood History
- Range of Motion Testing of Hips, Knee and Ankles
- Walking Technique Assessments
- Check Footwear Fit and Function
- Education on Developmental Milestones
- Management plan
Nail and Dermatological Assessment
Nail and skin conditions to the feet are quite common since we’re wearing shoes majority of the day. Therefore, if your soles of your feet are Itchy, Painful or suffering from Discoloured Nails, our podiatrists can assess and diagnose any skin and nail conditions.
It Includes:
- Thorough History Taking
- Assessment of Presenting Complaint
- Diagnose Skin and Nail Pathologies
- Education on Treatment Alternatives and how to Prevent in Future
- Treatment of Presenting Complaint
- Management Plan
Treatments/Services Offered at Propel Podiatry
Orthotic Therapy
- Orthotics can be used to aid symptoms in various foot and lower limb issues
- Functions through optimizing foot posture while walking and running
- Prevents excessive movements that overload certain soft tissues and joints
- 3 main types of orthotics – Prefabricated (off the shelf), Semi – Custom, Custom
For further information about the Pros & Cons of each type, please read under Treatment.
Dry Needling & Massage Therapy
- Dry needling is used to release tension in muscles that are tight
- Accurately releases any ‘knots’ within a muscle to normalise function
- Uses the same needles as for acupuncture
- Performed safely and in a sterile manner
- Massage is another method to release tension in tight muscles
- Manually feeling for taught bands/knots within muscles to relieve tension
- Used to restore normal function within the muscle
Nail Surgery
- Performed when nails are causing discomfort and conservative management is unsuccessful
- Usually surgery is used to treat ingrown nails, thickened nails and fungal nails
- Nail surgery is performed by your podiatrist under local anaesthetic so there is no discomfort during the procedure
- The section of the offending nail is removed and cauterised to prevent the unwanted section of the nail from growing back
- A 7 day take home redressing kit is provided with written instructions on how to look after the surgical site
- Surgical review after 1 week of procedure
Footwear Fitting
- Bring along your wardrobe of shoes along to your consult to get them assessed to see which ones will be the best for you!
- Ensure every shoe you own is the best for your activity and foot function
- Learn about what to look for when going shoe shopping
- Learn what brands and styles will fit your feet
Nail & Dermatological Care
- Nail trimming to avoid ingrown nails
- Hard, thick nails can now be easily managed
- Fungal nail will be looked after
- Hard skin and callouses can be removed to avoid any pain when walking
- All instruments used are sterile to prevent infection
Wart/ Verruca Treatment
- Aim of the treatment is to minimise the chance of spreading the virus to other areas of skin and resolve the current lesions
- Depending on the location and type of verruca, cryotherapy (dry ice) is used to freeze the lesions
- Acidic ointment may also be used in conjunction or alone to treat the verruca
Corns & Callouses
- Painful hard skin under the foot or between toes can be removed in minutes. Stop wasting time with corn pads!
- Education on why they develop and how to prevent them from returning