If you live in or near the Redlands Coast on Brisbane’s bayside, Trevor Lane Podiatry at Birkdale is your local family podiatry centre.
There is a common misconception that only elderly people need professional foot care, but in fact every member of your family may have occasion to seek out podiatry care – from newborns, right through to seniors.
Family Podiatry begins at birth!
The most common reasons that babies up to the age of two are brought to our family podiatry centre include:
- Hip Dysplasia – as discussed in our other blog post on “Podiatry and Back Problems“, any condition which affects the hips, is also likely to impact on the knees and lower limbs.
- Ingrown Toenails – surprisingly, babies often suffer from ingrown toenails, which parents are anxious about trimming or treating.
- In Toeing or “pigeon toe” – this is quite common in infants and is a leftover from their time in the womb, where (in most cases) the left foot curls over the right. Although it usually resolves on its own, as a parent you can promote correct alignment by encouraging your child to sit cross legged, rather than kneeling with their lower legs kicked out in a “W” pattern.
Children’s Podiatry
Parents often bring their child to a podiatrist when, worried about “deformities”, such as knock knees, or bowing of the legs. However as a general rule there is no need to be alarmed, as this is a normal developmental stage in children before the age of 11.
Children in this age group may complain about “growing pains” in their feet and legs. Again, it’s usually nothing to worry about, it’s simply a matter of the bones growing longer and faster than the muscles, and therefore causing irritation. Typically it seems to affect the more active youngsters, causing heel pain (referred to as “severs”), or up to the area just below the knee.
If you do have any concerns about your child’s lower limb development, please make an appointment with your local family podiatrist, as it is usually best to pick up and treat any abnormalities before growth is completed.
Sports Podiatry
As a family podiatry centre, a lot of our work is in the assessment and treating of common sports injuries – including foot fractures, sprained ankles, netball injuries, etc – in both children and adults. Our principal podiatrist, Trevor Lane, has a special interest in sports podiatry and biomechanics (helping athletes with movement).
Podiatry for Seniors
As we age, it becomes more difficult to care for our own feet and toenails, due to a combination of factors:
- we are no longer easily able to bend to reach our feet;
- our nails thicken and become harder to trim;
- and our close up vision deteriorates.
Added to this, our risk of wounds and infection increases, as:
- the skin becoming thinner and more susceptible to bruises and cuts;
- auto immune disorders such as diabetes, rheumatoids, lupus and sclerodermas become more common;
- we are more likely to be taking blood thinning medication.
For all of these reasons, seniors are much more likely to need the services of a podiatrist.
Young families, seniors, couples, singles – if you are based in or near the Redlands, Trevor Lane Podiatry is your local family podiatry centre!