One of the key factors to happiness and health is mobility, yet around 40 percent of Australians will experience a foot problem at some point in their life. Your feet are like wheels on a car! If they are poorly aligned, they will wear out and the rest of the body follows.

Podiatrists are aiming to reduce this rate by treating and prevent problems caused by poorly aligned feet such as:

•  Corns and calluses
•  Painful and ingrown toenails
•  Bunions and hammertoes
•  Heel, arch, forefoot, ankle and leg pains

Bunions, hammertoes and generally ‘out-of-shape feet’ lead to poor walking patterns which influence the entire leg movement and can adversely affect the whole body, especially twisting the knee, hip and lower back. Over time joints in these areas wear and ultimately develop arthritis as we age.

It is true what they say ‘If your feet hurt, you hurt all over’. There are a number of measures Podiatrists take to keep people free from foot pain and related problems including:

•  Simple footwear advice
•  Accommodative padding applied to feet and shoes
•  Prescription of orthotic devices, arch supports and simple shoe inserts
•  Conservative and often painless removal of uncomfortable lesions
•  Surgery is needed in more severe cases.

People who suffer DIABETES, ARTHRITIS or participate in certain SPORTS or OCCUPATIONS that place increased stress on the feet or require people to wear unsuitable footwear, are also at greater risk of developing foot related problems.

Considering that the average person walks approximately 128,000 kilometres in a lifetime, then it is critical to ensure that a person’s feet, which are the base of support for the entire body, are correctly aligned and function optimally.

Just like the wheels on your car, if your feet are aligned early enough, then they won’t suffer abnormal wear. This is the case with children, and is why we stress the importance of early detection and treatment of children’s foot problems before any irreversible damage is done. Unfortunately, unlike the wheels on your car, your feet cannot be replaced.’

People with foot problems need a thorough assessment by a podiatrist who can advise on the most appropriate treatment options for individual problems.