Your feet consist of a matrix of 26 bones, 30 joints, and more than 100 muscles, ligaments and tendons—its complexity rivals even the most sophisticated manufactured machines existing today. Almost miraculously, these structures work together to support the weight of your body and propel you through your day. Most of the time, your feet can tolerate the daily abuse you put them through. However, it’s no surprise that flaws caused by everyday wear and tear or overuse can eventually lead to damage and promote injury. Most minor injuries will heal with time, but if you are in serious pain, there’s no good reason to suffer unnecessarily on your own. Our experienced, capable practitioners are well-versed in diagnosing and treating many foot and ankle-related injuries such as neuromas, plantar fasciitis, heel spurs and ankle sprains. We’ll get you back on your feet in no time.
When should you visit a foot care practitioner?
Injuries are an inescapable fact of life. Accidents happen. You may lack the proper safety skills and awareness to manage an unfamiliar situation. You may knowingly engage in risky behaviour. You may push your body past its physical limits. Foot injuries can happen to you anytime, anywhere. However, you don’t have to live with the associated pain, discomfort and loss of mobility and function forever.
Most minor foot injuries tend to resolve independently with patience and time. Home remedies, general preventative measures, and avoiding activities that can aggravate the injury are usually enough to help promote healing, improve mobility, and minimize pain and discomfort. However, more serious foot injuries often require medical intervention to heal correctly. Visit a foot care practitioner for diagnosis and treatment if your foot injury exhibits:
- Pain or swelling that worsens over time with no indication of improvement
- Any numbness, tingling, or burning
- Symptoms that do not improve with home treatment
- Symptoms that become more severe or more frequent
- New foot or toe deformities
Also, make an appointment with a foot care practitioner if you have experienced a foot injury and have diabetes, are a senior, or are in another high-risk demographic. It should go without saying, but if you have any urgent symptoms, such as severe bleeding, open wounds, pus or evidence of fractures, get to a hospital immediately.
Don’t hesitate!
Many injuries and conditions can worsen over time, so the earlier you seek treatment, the easier it is to optimize your future wellness and quality of life.
What to expect during your visit
During your appointment, your foot care practitioner will perform a comprehensive evaluation, diagnose new conditions, and offer treatment options to fix and prevent any problems. Here’s a quick overview of what you should expect during your visit:
Evaluation
Our evaluation process is straightforward and non-invasive, designed to quickly get to the root of the problem and develop optimal treatment options. During your visit, your evaluation may include:
- A review of your past medical history and the history of your present illness or conditions
- Comprehensive foot and lower limb inspection and physical assessment
- Biomechanical assessment and gait analysis: how you walk, stand and run, where your feet apply pressure, and how the energy generated from walking transfers through your body
- Assessing your daily footwear and self-care habits
- X-rays, vascular, dermatological or neurological exams and functional tests of all types depending on need
Treatment
After your foot care practitioner completes their assessment, they’ll explain their findings and the treatment options available to you. Your treatment plan will vary depending on your condition and the details of your specific case, but it could include:
- Routine foot care: General cleaning and preventative maintenance; treatment of recurring conditions that could aggravate or promote further injury.
- Stretches and muscle-strengthening exercises: Accelerates healing, improves your body’s resistance to future injury and fixes muscle imbalances that may promote biomechanical stress.
- Orthotics: We may prescribe orthotics to reduce pain and help correct improper stance, positioning or movement.
- Cutting-edge therapies and techniques: Reduce pain and inflammation and accelerate healing with radial shockwave therapy and Thermalase cold laser treatment.
- Rehabilitative massage: Improve circulation, stimulate healing, and reduce pain and inflammation.
- Foot care-related advice and education: Tips and techniques for maintaining foot health and preventing future complications when away from our office: advice on proper footwear, hygiene, at-home, self-care practises movement techniques, etc.
- Surgery: If you’ve developed a foot condition and it’s resistant to other treatments, your podiatrist may perform minor surgery to correct the issue and prevent it from recurring. Surgery is always a last-resort measure. Except in rare circumstances, we’ll never recommend it unless all other options have failed.
For a more in-depth view of all the treatments we offer at our clinic, head to our Treatments and Devices page.
Your treatment, your way
We aim to design practical, realistic, fast-acting treatment plans that are at most a minor inconvenience and get you back to living healthy and pain-free as soon as possible. Through patient-doctor collaboration, we’ll work together to identify a proven, effective treatment plan that matches not only the needs of your condition but the needs of your specific situation and lifestyle.
Plan Your Visit
Injuries inevitably happen, but that doesn’t mean you must tolerate unnecessary suffering. We’re here to help you if you need it. Our Ottawa-based clinic offers comprehensive care for all demographics and the most modern, cutting-edge foot care techniques and treatments in the Capital Region. Together, we’ll identify the best treatment plan to correct your foot injury and prevent recurrences.
Whether you’re an Ottawa resident or just visiting, take a step in the right direction and book an appointment with Greenberg Podiatry.