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footyWhat is Sports Podiatry?

Sports podiatry focuses on treating foot and lower limb conditions and injuries that are the result of sports and exercise.

Sports podiatry isn’t just about short-term injury treatment.  The aim of a podiatrist is to accurately diagnose, prevent, and treat injuries and discomfort you may be experiencing in your feet and lower limbs as a result of sports and exercise.

What sporting injuries and/or conditions can a sports podiatrist treat?

When diagnosing sporting injuries, it is important to know whether the injury has occurred recently or whether has been present for a while.  Sporting injuries can be categorised into:

  • Acute Sports Injury – an acute injury is one that has been present for less than 72 hours.  Injuries can occur suddenly when you’re playing sports or exercising.  It can be from landing awkwardly, a direct impact, a fall, or another trauma.  An example of a common acute sports injury is an ankle sprain.
  • Chronic Sports Injury – a chronic injury is one that usually happens over a long period of time and is due to the overuse of joints or muscle/muscle group.  It can also be due to the improper management of acute injuries that have not healed properly and is diagnosed when pain has been present for 6 weeks or more. Usually these occur in people who play sports where the motion is repetitive, such as endurance sports like swimming and running. These injuries can also happen because of poor techniques when playing sport or exercising.   A common chronic sports injury is achilles tendinopathy.

Common injuries a sports podiatrist treats:

There are many different sporting injuries and conditions that a podiatrist can help treat. Some of the more common conditions that arise from sports include:

How are sporting injuries diagnosed?

Initially, we will ask you a range of questions regarding your injury including when it occurred, what your pain levels are like, when it is most painful and whether you have tried any at home treatments. We will perform an assessment of your sporting footwear to work out whether this is a contributing factor, as it commonly is.

We will then assess the injury itself by performing strength, range of motion, flexibility, balance and sports-specific tasks. This will test the injury and find its point of weakness. We will also conduct walking and/or running assessments to see how your legs and feet are functioning, as well as identifying any high-pressure areas or possible further or future injuries.

Here at Watsonia Podiatry, we have access to a Zebris treadmill which allows us to conduct thorough walking and running assessments. We are able to record your walking and running, as well as generate reports that highlight pressure areas, centre of gravity and other parameters. These reports can help assist with management plans and guide treatments options for your injury rehabilitation.  Learn more about the Zebris treadmill here.

We also now have access to gym equipment on-site at Watsonia Podiatry, which allows us to help create a tailored strengthening program to assist with your injury rehabilitation and ensure that you are performing your exercises properly and safely. We are able to demonstrate common strengthening exercises to assist with healing and return to sport and monitor your progress at each consultation. 

Foot and lower leg sports injury treatment

Some of the treatments for your sports and exercise related injuries we administer at Watsonia Podiatry include:

Why see the team at Watsonia Podiatry?

Watsonia Podiatry is your first choice for foot and lower limb sports-related injuries and conditions in Melbourne.  Our qualified team uses professional, state-of-the-art treatments and techniques to ensure the health of your feet.  Each patient will receive an individualised treatment plan for their injuries, and we aim to provide a long-term solution to their pain and discomfort.

At Watsonia Podiatry, our team has a great interest in sports podiatry. Each team member has experience in a range of different sports and have sustained various sporting injuries themselves, so are well versed in the importance of proper injury rehabilitation!

Whether you have suffered a recent injury or have discomfort from a long-term chronic condition, we can help diagnose, treat, and prevent future issues.  If we believe that we are not the right people to treat you, we will work with you and other allied health professionals to ensure that you receive the best and most importantly, right care.

While we are here for all of your sports podiatry needs in Melbourne, we can help you with many other podiatry needs as well.  If you are experiencing any pain or discomfort in your feet or lower limbs, which may be as a result of everyday life, come see the team at Watsonia Podiatry.

We’ll help make sure your feet can be the best they can be!

Call us on 03 9432 2689 or Book an Appointment Online Here.

How Much Does It Cost?

Initial
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$96 - $106

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FUTURE
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$86 - $93

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  • What is Sports Podiatry?
    Sports podiatry encompasses a range of treatments for various musculoskeletal injuries. Most sports rely heavily on foot and ankle function, strength, stability and flexibility, particularly high impact sports such as football, netball, basketball, etc. It can also include skin and nail conditions such as tinea or ingrown toenails.
  • What Sort of Sports Injuries Does a Podiatrist Treat?
    Podiatrists can treat a wide range of musculoskeletal injuries including plantar fasciitis, ankle sprains, shin splints (MTSS), stress fractures, and bursitis/synovitis.
  • When Should I See a Podiatrist for a Sports Injury?
    Early intervention is always best, therefore you should see your podiatrist as soon as possible following a sporting injury. This will allow us to help diagnose the injury, reduce the injury and begin the rehab process as soon as possible. By delaying treatment, your injury may linger for a longer period of time or you may be susceptible to further injury.
  • I've had surgery after a sports injury, should I see a podiatrist?
    Yes! Here at Watsonia Podiatry we have a Zebris treadmill and a range of exercise equipment to assist with the rehab process. Rehab should begin as soon as possible following surgery - in a safe and gradual way.  This will ensure that you can back to the sport you love as quickly as possible. You will be provided with  a tailored management plan depending on the extent of your injury and surgery, your baseline strength and flexibility, and the sport you are wanting to get back to. We will prescribe both general rehab exercises as well as sports specific exercises.
  • What are some of the treatments used by a sports podiatrist?
    We use dry needling, foot mobilisation and manipulation, orthotics, stretching and strengthening programs and shockwave therapy to help treat all manner of sporting injuries.  Most importantly, if we feel that we are not the correct person to be treating your problem we will refer you to a more suitable healthcare practitioner, such as a surgeon or sports doctor.