SENIORS

Senior clients may be unable to look after their feet in many cases due to poor vision and limited flexibility.

We offer seniors rates at all of our clinics.

We treat the following complaints:

Athlete's Foot
Calluses
Corns
Cracked Heel
Footwear
Ingrown Toenails
Sports & Activity Injuries

Athletes Foot

Athletes Foot (Tinea Pedis) is a common fungal infection of the skin caused by the tinea pedis microbe. The signs of this complaint include itchiness, redness and peeling skin between the toes. Tinea Vesiculare is another fungal complaint of the foot that often presents with small blisters under the arch of the foot.

We provide the following solutions:

Recommend appropriate antifungal medication to remove the complaint
Advice to prevent the reoccurrence of this complaint

Calluses

Calluses (Hyperkeratosis) is a build up of thick skin on the foot caused by friction in high pressure areas of the foot. This complaint is often accompanied by corns and can be mildly uncomfortable to painful and debilitating. Calluses often appear on the bottom of the foot around the forefoot, as well as the heel and around the sides and tips of the toes. If Calluses are left untreated, they can interrupt the blood (vascular) supply to the area and ulceration may result. It is recommended that people with diabetes are regularly screened and treated accordingly to prevent the development of a callus that can cause ulcerations.

We provide the following solutions:

Complaint removal
Advice to prevent the reoccurrence of this complaint

Corns

Corns (Heloma Dura & Heloma Molle) are painful lesions/spots of thickened skin on the foot caused by friction in high pressure areas of the foot.

Hard Corns (Heloma Dura) appear on the top and sides of toes often secondary to footwear pressure and also along the bottom of the foot. Soft Corns (Heloma Molle) in most cases appear between the fourth and fifth toes. These have an unbearable stinging sensation and are extremely uncomfortable.

If Corns are left untreated, they can become very painful and may interrupt the blood (vascular) supply to the area and cause an ulcer. It is recommended that people with diabetes are regularly screened and treated accordingly to prevent the development corns that can cause ulcerations.

We provide the following solutions:

Complaint removal
Advice to prevent the reoccurrence of this complaint

Cracked Heel

Deep cracks, bleeding and pain in the heel are signs of heel fissures. These are caused by thick and dry skin.

We provide the following solutions:

Remove the dry, cracked skin
Prescribe appropriate emollients to relieve the complaint
Advice to prevent the reoccurrence of this complaint

Footwear

Correct footwear prescribed for an individual's activity and occupation is an important part of injury prevention.

The following is considered based on a client’s requirement:

Athletic Footwear

The appropriate athletic footwear is determined based on the following:

The type of sport / physical activity
The individual foot biomechanics (see biomechanical assessment, put in a link here)
The compatible footwear brand and style that suits your foot shape / size best

We provide the following solutions:

Appropriate advice in relation to how to select the correct footwear

General Footwear

The following are features of ‘good footwear’:

A firm heel counter that is a snug fit around the back of the foot to avoid slipping during physical activity
A fixation at the forefoot i.e. Velcro or lace up
Sufficient depth and width at the toes. There should always be a short space between the tip of the longest toe and the end of the shoe.
A sole made from a material with good cushioning, stability, flexibility at the forefoot and non slip outer sole

We provide the following solutions:

Appropriate advice in relation to how to select the correct footwear

Ingrown Toenails (Onychocryptosis)

An ingrown nail will occur when a portion of the nail forms a jagged edge (spicule) and begins to protrude into the surrounding tissue as the nail grows. Ingrown toenails are one of the most common reasons a client seeks the services of a podiatrist. They may occur as a result of poor nail cutting, direct trauma to the area, running in poorly fitted footwear or they may be due to a genetic predisposition which means the nails are too wide or too curled (involuted).

Ingrown toenails should be treated as quickly as possible as infection often occurs. Whilst antibiotics may sometimes be required, antibiotics alone are generally not a long term solution for the problem. The nail spicule must be removed, as leaving it will not allow the wound to close and the area is likely to become infected or painful again.

We provide the following solutions:

Removal of the spicule. Following this, nail retraining is required to help the nail grow out past the skin fold or the problem will reoccur some months later. Thus, retraining of the problem nail is a vital part of solving the problem permanently.
In persistent and severe cases nail surgery or a partial nail avulsion may be required. This is a minor surgical procedure conducted under local anaesthetic in the podiatry rooms. A narrow problematic portion of the nail is removed using a strong alcohol solution to prevent any nail regrowth in the problem area. This is a permanent solution and has a success rate of over 95%.
We also offer advice to prevent recurrence of the problem.

Sports & Activity Injuries

Many sports and physical activity related injuries are caused by the overuse and repetitive strain to the foot and lower limb.

The development of these injuries are often related to the following:

Sudden change in the sport/physical activity level
Sudden change in the sport/physical activity type
Inappropriate footwear for the sport/physical activity
Poor muscle flexibility
Poor muscle strength
Foot/ankle biomechanics

Click Here for more information on Sports & Activity Injuries

^ top of page