Sports Podiatry

At some point in an athlete's life they will encounter some kind of sporting injury, whether they are occasional runners, tri-athletes or professional cyclists. The injury a person may sustain can usually be related to some kind of musculo-skeletal origin or biomechanical abnormality.

A sports podiatrist is someone who specialises in finding out which one of the above is causing your problem. They do this by assessing all of your lower limb / foot joints and musculature, and by assessing your gait. Most biomechanical pathologies can be corrected by the use of orthotics but in a lot of cases as well; physio input is often required and in a few cases a referral to orthopaedics.

Biomechanics & Sports Podiatry

Biomechanics is the study of the body in motion. Podiatrists are experts in the lower limb and foot and are able to analyze how the various structures of the leg and foot work together to allow human beings to walk, run and basically move.

Got a Sports Injury?

We treat the following conditions caused by a poor foot position:

• Plantar fascitis/Heel pain
• Achilles tendonitis
• Shin splints and Knee pathologies
• Hip pathologies
• Lower back pain
• Ankle Sprains
• Any painful foot condition!

What is podiatry?

A podiatrist is a health professional who deals with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of medical and surgical conditions of the feet and lower limbs. Podiatrists provide medical services for the feet and foot related conditions. Podiatrists have skills in general foot treatments but may have developed particular specialisms in nail surgery, biomechanical assessments and foot posture related pathologies.

What is the difference between a Chiropodist and a Podiatrist?

Both terms refer to practitioners who specialise in diagnosis and treatment of foot conditions. Chiropody/Chiropodist have been titles used chiefly in the UK while Podiatry/Podiatrist are used in the rest of the English speaking world. Increasingly, the term podiatrist is being used in Britain.

Since July 2005, both terms have become protected which means that the titles can only be used by practitioners who are registered with the Health Professions Council. Registration is itself dependent upon successful completion of a recognised course of training and a commitment to continued professional education.

How we differ from gait analysis done in sports shops?

Gait analysis provided by sports shops is on the increase. The reason they offer this service is to find out what type of running style you have so they can provide the correct trainer, which is important for an athlete. Usually people performing gait analysis in sports shops are not medically trained or HPC registered podiatrists, therefore they can only tell you what running style you have and maybe notice any foot problems. At Marple Physio our Podiatrists are trained to tell you why your foot functions the way it does and why you may have a biomechanical dysfunction. They can also diagnose a sports injury and provide treatment for any of the things mentioned and refer to physiotherapy or Doctors if needed.

The human foot is an amazingly complex piece of bioengineering, with 26 bones, 55 joints and a complex a ray of ligaments and tendons. Many of us unknowingly are designed with small intrinsic abnormalities with may make us prone to foot and lower limb problems that can ultimately cause injury and stop us participating in sports and leisure.

It is widely accepted by biomechanics specialists that the most common structural problem suffered by the general population is excessive foot pronation. If your heel rolls inwards too much, excessively lowering the arch of your foot and making your ankle bulge on the inside, you have excessive foot pronation!

Research has shown this biomechanical condition to be a common cause of many foot and Leg injuries in active individuals, including runners of all abilities. The most common foot problems associated with excessive foot pronation include arch strain (plantar fasciitis), heel pain (plantar calcaneal bursitis), pain on the ball of foot (metatarsalgia), inner ankle pain (deltoid ligament strain) and shin splints (tibialis posterior/Anterior tendinitis). Excessive foot pronation may also cause the leg to rotate inwards too much during running, causing abnormal twisting forces within the knee and hip.

However it's important to remember that there are plenty of other foot abnormalities out there which may cause similar or other associated problems, such as pes cavus (high arch foot), forefoot varus- major problem for cyclists, forefoot valgus, specific bony abnormalities.

Orthotics

Orthotics are devices that will correct your foot position after a Specialist Podiatrist has ascertained your foot type and diagnosed what is functionally or anatomically causing your problems. Orthotic devices come in many different forms and have many different functions. The 'Gold Standard' in any orthotic provision is a bespoke casted orthotic which is made to measure for only that person.

The picture shows a person with an excessively everted (pronated) foot. This foot type is the most common presentation to podiatrists and can account for a number of acquired foot problems. We only use the highest quality orthotics which are custom designed to each of our patient's requirements.