She felt much more confident about being able to keep herself active and living the lifestyle she had hoped for in her retirement.
Do you suffer from painful feet? Is it slowing you down so you can't keep up with your holiday companions?
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Podiatrist Lesley Calvert-Evers, manager of Modpod Podiatry at Morisset, encounters this complaint a lot.
"I had a patient recently who was unhappy having pain in her feet and said that her lifestyle was being restricted because of the pain," Ms Calvert-Evers explained.
"She is a retired lady with grown-up children and had been looking forward to travelling with her friends to Europe where she understood they would be doing a lot of walking. She had heard that cobblestones were particularly hard on your feet and wanted some advice as she was worried she wouldn't be able to keep up."
Ms Calvert-Evers performed a biomechanical assessment, looking at the gait cycle and foot function to determine if any of these related to the foot pain the client was experiencing.
"The patient had bunions on both feet, clawing of the smaller toes and flat feet," Ms Calvert-Evers said.
"Linked together they put pressure on the forefoot which over time can cause bunions to form which then can cause arthritic changes to the big toe joint therefore causing the pain."
Ms Calvert-Evers talked to her client about her foot type and what an orthotic could do to relieve the pressure, and possibly slow down the changes helping with pain management.
"Whilst the arthritic changes will not change, by putting the foot in a more neutral position and taking the pressure off the big toe joint, its progression may slow down," Ms Calvert-Evers said. "After the fitting of custom-made orthotics the patient left for her holiday."
When the patient returned six weeks later for a check of the orthotics, she stated she was much more comfortable and was keeping up when walking with her friends and at the gym. The patient now comes to Modpod Podiatry each six weeks for general footcare and a checkup.
"She felt much more confident about being able to keep herself active and living the lifestyle she had hoped for in her retirement," Ms Calvert-Evers said.
Modpod Podiatry is located next to Morisset Square at Shop 6, 48 Newcastle Street, Morisset, next to the library. To make an appointment to have your feet checked call 9157 5391.
