Some of the commonest reasons patients come to us and how we treat them Routine Elderly Foot Care As the average person walks around 110,000 miles in their lifetime, our feet age just like our whole body. Tendons, ligaments and bones can lose strength and elasticity over time which can increase the risk of trauma and aches. Following regular, moderate exercise routines you are able to maintain mobility and prevent further or future injury.
The wear and tear arthritis is called Osteoarthritis and is a common occurrence in the feet. The symptoms can worsen over time and can result in bunions, hammer toes and trapped nerves. Wearing supportive shoes while walking can help feet in their daily wear and tear (running shoes are great for pavement pounding in city life). Overtime the nails tend to thicken, especially if they have been lively in sport or a physical job, and the protecting fibro fatty padding on the sole of the feet tends to disperse, thin and lead to calluses.
If you don't have perfect eyesight and you struggle bending, foot care can become a real issue. As well as age related medical conditions, diabetes and cardiovascular disease can lead to circulation problems within your feet and encourage foot problems. Simply make a routine appointment, every couple of months and let our team maintain your feet, ski and
nails to avoid foot issues before they become more serious.
Medical
pedicure, not just for painful feet!
Many of our
patients don’t have painful feet, but less than beautiful nails, rough callusy
skin and dry, cracked heels are extremely common. A routine half hour podiatry
appointment can leave them looking and feeling brand new again. Nails are
trimmed, callus and dead skin around them are cleared away, rather like that way
that your hygienist deep cleans your teeth. Unlike beauticians and pedicurists, we can
safely use sterile blades to painlessly remove those lumps and bumps, followed
by a smooth off with a file that, running at 15,000 rpm creates minimal drag
and maximum effect. Feet are left feeling smooth and attractive. This treatment
works particularly well when followed by our warm wax treatment, book both together for a £5 discount
Warm Wax Therapy Used since Roman times warm wax therapy improves blood flow, reduces pain from inflammatory conditions (such as arthritis and muscle strain) and increases hydration in the skin, leaving the feet more comfortable, and the skin softened with increased elasticity.
A relaxing and pleasant experience carried out under safe and hygienic treatment protocols, it is therapeutic and safe for almost everyone and ideal for tired, sore or dry feet.
Your appointment
If you haven’t been to us before a short medical history will be taken and your needs discussed. After cleansing an emollient suitable for your skin type is massaged into your feet, then 4-5 layers of warm wax containing citrus oils are brushed onto the skin using a disposable brush and bowl for hygiene. Your feet will be wrapped in plastic bootees for hygiene then in heated bootees, leaving you to unwind to a gentle relaxation soundtrack. 10-15 minutes later the wax will be massaged off using scented almond oil.
Warm wax therapy can be booked as a stand alone appointment, or added to a standard podiatry appointment for the ultimate foot spa experience.
Corns and Calluses A corn or callus is the thickened and hardened area of skin that develops when skin is exposed to excessive friction and pressure.
Corns A small circle of thick skin with a centre pointing to the body are normally found in boney prominences and can be highly tender. Occurring on boney areas because of the lack of natural cushioning, they are often the result of an underlying foot problem, foot deformity or biomechanical issue.
Calluses A rough area of skin, they are often yellow in colour and can develop anywhere on the foot. The most common place is in the heel area or under the ball of the foot. Being both painful and producing a burning feeling, calluses develop when the skin comes into contact and friction on something, shoes or the ground. Seed Corns The tiny multiple corns that congregate in large numbers appear under a patch of callus and occur because of heavy friction and dry skin.
Excessive pressure on any part of the foot from ill-fitting shoes, high heels, long hours on your feet or dry skin can all result in corns and calluses occurring. These can be painlessly removed in a normal routine in order to smooth the skin and get your feet back to pain free. We can also prevent the formation again through silicon inserts, padding, insoles and the proper footwear. Although most lesions react to treatments, some can affect the blood and nerve supplies. These stubborn lesions can be painful where the only possible outcome if routine debridement and surgical solutions. Our radio surgical desiccation and excision using local anaesthetic provides the client with long term solutions and the removal of painful corns and calluses.
Dry Cracked Heels The skin on the heels of a foot is designed to withstand heavy impact and is thicker than any other skin on the body. Due to the thickness, it is more prone to calluses and a build-up of flaky skin as well as cracking. This is both unsightly to the eye and also painful, when left untreated can develop into further issues and bleed on occasion. To prevent risk of infection and the risk of cracked heels (especially for diabetics where ulceration can occur) we advise a regular use of a 25% urea cream, foot filing and maintain your feet properly. If thickened skin has already occurred, then a chiropodist can remove the build-up safely and treat other problems. This will have an instant effect on your feet and leave you feeling better about yourself overall.
Ingrown or Involute Toenails An ingrown toenail commonly develops at the side of the toe as the nail grows into the surrounding skins. The nail then punctures the skin and results in pain, swelling and infections. The extra tissue around the nail is called hypergranulation tissue and forms around the nail to protect itself.
Involuted nails result in thicker nails being damaged. The damage can occur over time or as a one off episode but they can be painful, difficult to cut and can develop corns and calluses on the surrounding edge of the nail. Most people are prone to them due to their natural nail shape, the positioning of their foot or from having moist skin which can then be encouraged by bad nail cutting, poor fitting shoes and blunt traumas.
The treatment of ingrown toenails involves the removal of the edge of the nail and reducing the added pressure on the soft tissues. Following with a dressing, the edge of the nail is padded for care at home. We provide all clients with advice as to how to avoid the same experience occurring but major ingrown nails may require surgical procedures to remove the poorly shaped edge of nail. With minimal down time after surgery and local anaesthetic you can be on your feet again in no time.
Nail Surgery The surgery for an ingrown toe nail starts with a sterile procedure that is carried out under local anaesthetic. The recurrent and severe ingrown toenails that need surgery are those that have not reacted to the initial treatments. The treatment starts with a local anaesthetic on either side of the toe to numb it and the ingrown portion of nail is loosened and remove. Using either chemical or radiosurgery probes to cauterise the nail bed the whole procedure can take up to an hour. Once the procedure is complete we dress your toe accordingly and you can go home, we recommend 2-3 days off work. We then keep in touch for your dressing appointments until fully healed, expected around 3-4 weeks. The end result of the surgery is that the nail is simply slightly narrower than before, just the involuted, painful edges are removed, giving an excellent cosmetic result.
Foot Pain If you are experiencing pain in your foot it can be from a number of reasons including neuroma, tendonitis, osteoarthritis, bursitis, plantar fasciitis, sesamoiditis and stress fractures. After an examination of the foot and a full history of each individual problem we are able to offer a comprehensive diagnosis and treatment solutions. Some foot pain can be the result of underlying structural problems, in which case we can offer a biomechanical assessment, please see our Biomechanics and 3D scanning page.
Heel Pain and Bunions Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common, but not the only cause, of pain under the heel, hence it it now more correctly referred to as Plantar Heel Pain. There are a number of potential exacerbating factors including; your structural anatomy, excessing standing, excessive exercise ( particularly in the wrong shoes), being overweight, hypermobility and poor footwear choices. The appearance of mild, early on-set plantar heel pain responds well to anti-inflammatory medication, the proper supportive footwear and following the PRICE principle. Your treatment plan may include rigid strapping, footwear advice, stretching or strengthening exercises or orthoses. If your condition is more complicated then you may need a biomechanical assessement.
A bunion refers to the wide range of conditions effecting the big toe and is most commonly used to describe a deformity and bending of the bigger toe towards the little ones. The bunion itself is formed from an underlying instability issue in the foot itself, encourage by poor footwear and wear and tear. The only way to correct a bony deformity is by surgical intervention, but much can be done to delay its progress and to reduce pain and swelling. Strapping and padding techniques reduce pain and swelling around the joint, bursae ( fluid filled sac around the joint) can be drained, orthoses and footwear advice can improve biomechanical function, reduce pain and slow the progress of the bunion.
Athlete's Foot If you have red, itchy and peeling skin on your feet and under your toes it is commonly caused by fungal skin infections. Due to modern day life and being highly active with shoes and socks, we are providing the warm, damp environment where fungi love to grow. The mild infections can be treated within a short period using an antifungal cream like Lamisil, the proven fast acting cream. If your symptoms are recurring, severe and have not responded in a few days then further intervention may be needed. Common mistakes for athlete's foot are eczema, psoriasis and bacterial infections which all need their own treatment regime.
Fungal Nail Infections A fungal toenail infection occurs when the organisms that cause athlete's foot get into the distal (end of damaged nail). Another way of it entering the toe is through already damaged, thickened nails that will become crumbly, chalk like and discoloured. Fungal nail infections are not great to look at but generally do not cause the body much harm or pain Home treatment can be effective for milder cases, but must be carried out over a period of months with the nail is thinned down as far as possible, encouraging treatment penetration into the lower nail layers. If the infection has spread to the base of the nail, or throughout several nails, then surgical treatment may be an option, the affected nails are painlessly removed under local anaesthetic, then allowed to regrow whilst treating the nail bed with an antifungal spray. The procedure has a 90% success rate. The treatment package (including follow up support to healing, dressings and a bottle of antifungal spray) costs £160 for one nail, or up to £300 for four nails. Fungal nail infections are easy to improve but can be hard to get rid of forever. You may need ongoing toe nail maintenance and foot care treatments to keep the fungi at bay.
Verrucae A verruca is the formation of a wart on the foot caused by the Human Papilloma Virus and can be commonly found on the areas of the foot where skin has been previously damaged. They are traditionally associated with swimming pools and communal showers, where skin is softened by prolonged water contact. Although associated with children, the wart virus can
effect anyone of any age.
The wart is typically seen as a cauliflower looking hard lump, appearing under calluses where they can be easily misdiagnosed as corns. Verrucae's are not considered medically harmful as they do not invade the body, but can grow, spread and become painful. There are many treatment options available, always a clue that a 'one size fits all' approach is not appropriate.
We offer a range of treatments; cryotherapy creates a localised cold burn to encourage an immune response from your body, similarly, Falkner's Needling prompts a more advanced response, carried out under local anaesthetic it is suitable for the more stubborn verrucae, and multiple lesions. Using radiosurgical excisions under local anaesthetic, we are able to remove deeper lesions, particularly those causing pain on weight bearing areas. Simply make a general appointment with your podiatrists and take the opportunity to make the right choice of treatment for your verrucae.
