Foot pain is no fun. You can’t go for a walk, you can’t play your favourite sport, you can’t get out of bed without hobbling, and the list goes on. And, if you think about it more deeply, foot pain affects much more than just your physical wellbeing; it affects your mental health as well. Frustration, helplessness and sadness are some common emotions that tend to surface as an episode of foot pain drags on. This is even more true when you have been trying to deal with it, but just don’t seem to be getting anywhere. So, what’s missing? What could potentially be stopping you from getting your mobility and confidence back? Let’s have a look!

1. You haven’t dealt with the root cause

When it comes to foot pain, it is important to acknowledge that the pain itself is a symptom. A symptom occurs because something is causing it. While managing the symptom is crucial, it is equally important, if not more, to identify the cause of the symptom and deal with it.

More often than not, many foot problems are a result of poor or inefficient foot biomechanics (a more technical word for “functions”). This means your feet are not doing what they are supposed to do at various points of the gait cycle, leading to compensation and overuse. Your foot type, ligaments and muscles are all in play in contributing to how you walk.

Can you change the way you walk? Maybe? But, it is going to be hard. Let’s look at it this way. If you are short sighted, you can’t really “train” your eyeballs to restore a 20/20 vision. What you will need is a pair of prescription glasses. The same goes with your feet. If they are not functioning optimally, instead of trying very hard to walk differently, you are much better off with a pair of prescription orthotics (or, insoles as people call them) and let them help you.

Dealing with the root cause significantly reduces further damage to an already painful foot. It will give you a much better chance to get better.

2. You haven’t done the right treatment

If dealing with the root cause is a long-term management, doing treatment is a short-term management that focuses on providing symptomatic relief – the part that will make you feel better.

One of the reasons why treating foot pain is often challenging is simply because we can’t just not use our feet altogether. That is just not practical advice. You have work, you have social commitments, you have a life to live! How could you just simply “rest your feet”? Trust us, every time we hear that, we have to try very hard not to roll our eyes!

So, other than resting your feet, what can you do to get some relief and help your foot heal faster? Two of our favourite treatments are shockwave therapy and THOR laser therapy. They differ in the way they work (while we are not going to dive into that today, you will be able to find out more about the “how” behind those treatments in our website), but they both offer enhanced healing and faster recovery.

On top of that, the frequency and duration of the treatment just as important. Like a lot of other things in life, the results of these treatments are accumulative. It is unrealistic to see them as a one-off treatment that will give you miraculous results. The severity of your condition will be the deciding factor of how often and how long you should be getting shockwave or laser therapy for.

3. You haven’t found the right person

Not to sound like a dating app, but compatibility is actually a thing! We say that because treating foot pain is a journey. It takes time. It takes commitment. It takes trust. If you are doing it with someone you trust and feel comfortable with, you are more likely to get good results and have a positive, pleasant experience along the way.

While all podiatrists are university-trained and professionally qualified, we have different philosophies and personalities, and that could be what makes one more compatible with you than other.

We’re not saying we’re the right person for you – we may be, we may not be. That’s for you to decide! And, the only to find out is to book an appointment with us.

We take your foot pain and quality of life seriously because they matter! Meet with one of our podiatrists today and let’s make foot pain a past together.