Jake joined the My FootDr team after completing a Bachelor of Podiatry at the Queensland University of Technology in 2020 and currently works at our Camp Hill podiatry clinic. Jake has always aspired to work in the health industry, and has always been passionate about helping others, and through podiatry, can help patients in staying on their feet for as long as possible, so as to improve their general quality of life.
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Frustrated by patches of dry, thick skin on your feet? Whether they’re causing you pain, making it difficult for you to wear shoes comfortably, or you simply don’t like the way they look, removing dead skin from the feet can give immense relief while being painless – when done safely and correctly.
Today, the Podiatrists at My FootDr are sharing everything you need to know about dead skin on the feet, including preventing it before it starts, and how to remove it safely.
We call this dead skin callus, and it develops as part of a natural process where your body responds to excess pressure or friction to an area of the foot by adding new skin in these specific spots. This creates a protective barrier which prevents the friction from damaging the skin over your feet, which may otherwise cause a skin tear, leaving you vulnerable to infection, pain and other problems.
If your dead skin appears flakier than thickened, then you may have skin dryness, an Athlete’s foot fungal infection, or other skin condition like psoriasis.
Having patches of dead skin on the feet is not a reason to sound alarm bells, especially when present in small amounts without discomfort. However, it is important to understand the warning signs and what to look out for, particularly when the callus becomes quite thick. You should consider having the callus safely removed when:
Often, when we remove callus in our clinic, we find that there are also one or multiple corns present beneath the callus that adds to the painful problem. See the difference between corns and calluses here.
When callus is removed correctly, it is not painful, as it is dead skin with no nerve endings or blood supply. Unfortunately, we see many people after they have attempted to reduce their calluses at home but have created a set of new problems as a result. Some remove too much callus, painfully cutting into the healthy skin beneath. Remember – the callus developed as a natural body response to unnatural or excessive pressure or friction, so it’s important to leave a layer intact to continue to protect the foot, and never remove too much so that you cause skin damage.
Others use pharmacy medications, often acid-based, to ‘eat away’ at the callus. Unfortunately, these often come in size-specific coverings, and will get to work on whichever area of the skin they come into contact with – whether it is callused or not. This means the acid can move onto the healthy skin and cause significant pain and damage.
The safest way we recommend to remove the dead skin is to have it professionally removed by your podiatrist. This is particularly important if your feet are already at risk from conditions like diabetes, problems with blood flow or healing, and the like. Here at My FootDr, we carefully debride the right amount of callus to give you relief and comfort while keeping your feet protected and minimising your risk of infection. If any corns are present beneath the callus or on other areas of your feet, we’ll remove these too.
While callus is easily treated by our experienced podiatrists, its development can also be prevented or slowed. Our top tips are for prevention are:
If you do have callused dead skin and want it gone in one appointment, we’re here to help. We’re proud to be your trusted local podiatry providers, committed to delivering exceptional service, every time.
Book your appointment with us online here or call us on 1800 FOOT DR.
It’s back to school time, meaning our little ones will be back to learning, homework and sitting down for long periods of the day. Having to learn and remember a large amount of material each day can be very draining for kids, so make sure you give them a brain-break with exercise and energy busting activities! Getting your kids moving not only has many health benefits but can also help them at school with:
Kids on the move has created this convenient and effective energy-burning workout: All you need is a deck of cards!
Have fun assigning different exercises to the suits!
Do you have swollen feet or ankles after you’ve been sitting, standing or walking in a hot environment? You’re not alone. Medically known as heat oedema, this uncomfortable swelling generally occurs because the heat from your environment causes your blood vessels to naturally expand (dilate). As they do, fluid can leak into the surrounding tissues. Pair this with gravity encouraging the passage of larger volumes of fluid down into the legs, and you’ve got swollen feet, ankles and even legs.
Read moreEver wondered if your nails grow at the same speed? Our toenails grow 2-3 times slower than our fingernails! It’s very important to cut and look after toenails correctly to avoid ingrowing and infections, otherwise you’ll be waiting a while for the nail to grow out.
It’s estimated that 50% of ingrown toenails in kids and adolescents are caused by nail cutting technique. Usually if our patients are suffering from ingrown toenails and have poor cutting technique, we observe the following:
These issues are easily preventable by always cutting the nails straight across with nail scissors.
Our podiatrists offer ingrown toenail treatment so make sure to make an appointment if you, or someone you know is suffering.
Every year, the average Australian takes over 2.7 million steps. That’s a lot of weight, pressure, heat and kilometres for our feet to cover – and often with little rest or breaks in between. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we thought we’d swap out the notion of roses and chocolate with a thoughtful gift that will be very welcome by your partner or yourself – caring for your feet.
Here are five ways that your local My FootDr clinic can help care for and pamper your feet this Valentines Day – while doing your feet a world of good medically speaking to keep you going through all those steps.
Cosmetic nail restoration is loved by both men and women, and those that:
It’s also the perfect solution to improve the appearance of toenails in one appointment for those that don’t want to risk substandard safety and hygiene protocols, and hence infection risk, reported to be found in many traditional nail salons due to a lack of sterilising instruments between use on multiple people.
Using the KeryFlex proven nail restoration system, our experienced and board-registered podiatrists create a flexible, non-porous and realistic looking nail over your existing nail. It is durable and is unaffected by acetone, nail polishes or detergents – meaning you can paint it as you please! Aside from the immediate improvement in appearance, your natural nail will continue to grow out beneath the new nail.
Learn more about Keryflex here.
Our skin and nail care appointments, often referred to as ‘general or clinical podiatry’, are comprehensive and all-inclusive appointments that immediately care for your nail and skin concerns, give your feet a fantastic tidy-up, and leave you feeling much more comfortable on your feet than when you first walked in.
With the majority of our patients having these appointments every 6-8 weeks to keep their feet feeling great and in tip-top shape year round, we welcome you to experience this foot care, completed by our experienced podiatrists, as a one-off treat, too. Your podiatrist will take care of any lumps, bumps and even the thickest or curliest of toenails. This includes:
We love these appointments due to the immediate relief patients feel when they put their feet down on the floor after this care – which is often the difference between feeling like they’re constantly walking on a pebble (of hard skin beneath their feet) and feeling like they’re walking on air.
While some people get away with minor cracks that can be cared for in a skin & nail care appointment (above), after a long summer and many months of wearing thongs – which many still wear daily – cracked heels are a big problem around this time, that we see and treat very effectively with these specific appointments.
As cracked heels start with hard, dry skin that thickens and worsens over time, our podiatrists work to remove all the excess dead skin – a process that is usually simple and painless using our sterile instrument range. We ensure that no sharp edges are left that will catch on your carpet or socks, which could otherwise pull the skin, creating significant damage.
Treating cracked heels now, and not at the end of the summer, is a great preventative measure to stop cracks progressing deep down into the healthy, supple skin beneath. We call this the danger zone, as deep cracks in this area can quickly leave you vulnerable to infection by creating portals of entry for bacteria, fungus, viruses – and a great deal of pain – that you often can’t reach on your own.
Our shoes become the ground we walk on and determine what and how our feet feel. That’s why if you choose your ground to be a hard plastic, the chances of your feet feeling tired and achy, or the chance of you developing foot pain, is much higher.
This is exactly why so many of our clinics offer a footwear range so you can try on and get the best shoes for your feet – and not just that feel great, but fit your foot type, too. We have podiatrists and trained staff available to ensure you get the best fit and maximum comfort.
Don’t have a My FootDr near you? That’s okay! We have an online store too.
Finally, the best way we can think of to treat your feet this Valentine’s Day – or help your loved ones treat theirs – is to care for those lingering aches, pains or injuries. You know, the ones you may be hoping will get better on their own, or that you know you need to have seen, but it’s been a crazy last 12 months (which it absolutely has!).
This is done through a biomechanical appointment, where our experienced podiatrists look at:
Alongside your history and a series of other questions, this consultation will determine the how, what and why of what’s going on – followed by an optimal plan to get you pain-free and feeling great!
Our podiatry team are ready when you are! As the largest podiatry provider in Australia, we’re proud to be your trusted local podiatry providers, committed to delivering exceptional service, every time. Book your appointment with us online here or call us on 1800 FOOT DR.
We all buy shoes straight off the shelf, yet our feet are all different shapes and sizes. So how do you know if your shoe is right for you, particularly as you get older when you are at a higher risk of aches, pains, having a bunion, or sustaining a fall-related injury?
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The menisci are C-shaped rubbery cartilage discs present in pairs between the bones within the knee joint. They are known as the medial meniscus and the lateral meniscus depending on whether we’re referring to the meniscus on the inside of the knee (medial) or the outside of the knee (lateral).
If you’re suffering from a meniscal tear then you’re not alone – it is estimated that 6 in 1000 people suffer from this knee pain here in Australia, with men being more likely to sustain this injury than women by 2.5 to 4 times, and the peak age of injury being between 20 and 29 years.
Your knee joint is one of the strongest joints in your body, taking on and transmitting forces equal to 2-3 times your body weight during regular walking – and even more so during running sports, stairs and the like. The menisci play an important role in this, working to absorb shock and distribute load through the joint, improve knee stability, and helping control knee flexion and extension movements – to name a few.
Meniscus tears can occur from:
Sudden meniscal tears cause pain and inflammation within the knee joint, stiffness and instability, which is aggravated when the knee is bent and straightened. You may feel or hear a popping when the injury first occurs. If your tear is degenerative in nature, then your symptoms may start with a dull ache or niggling at the knee before worsening.
If you suspect you have torn your meniscus, it’s important to have it diagnosed professionally immediately to confirm the diagnosis and rule out other causes of knee pain like ligament tears, tendon strains and more. This is something that your My FootDr podiatrist can help with.
Before you’re able to get in to see your podiatrist, you can help relieve the painful symptoms by using:
Next, your treatment will depend on the severity of the tear and its location, as different areas have differences in blood supply. Small tears in well-supplied areas respond effectively to regular treatment, while large tears in poorly vascularised areas may need additional measures like surgery.
Here at My FootDr, we may use a number of treatment strategies as part of your care, ranging from custom foot orthotics to help promote optimal leg alignment and reduce excess strain or forces on the knee joint, to knee bracing and strapping, stretching and strengthening, and ensuring your footwear is offering a good level of stability and support throughout your recovery.
We also recommend partnering with a great physiotherapy team that are experienced in treating meniscal tears. An early assessment will set you on the right track and have you implementing the best strength and conditioning techniques at the right time to maximise your recovery, while helping prevent accidental re-injury or injury worsening.
Joint hypermobility, often referred to as ligamentous laxity, means that your ligaments, joints and other tissues exceed the normal range of motion for that structure. People with this condition are considered naturally very flexible, and were historically referred to as being double-jointed. Despite it being estimated that 20-30% of people may have some form of joint hypermobility, this condition, and the risks it may pose (or the benefits it may bring), tends to go unnoticed in the majority of people.
Joint hypermobility tends to be inherited, running in families, and is thought to be linked genetically to changes in the structure of the collagen protein found in our tissues. When the tissues that help support and stabilise the joint are loose or stretchy, they cannot properly do their job, and so the joints are hypermobile.
Joint hypermobility may also be linked to low muscle tone, shape of the bone ends (for joint hypermobility), and proprioception of the joints. In less common cases, hypermobility is a symptom of a disease or disorder like Ehlers-Danlos, Marfan’s and Down’s Syndrome.
Many people with joint hypermobility do not have any symptoms aside from having stretchy tissues or flexible joints. When symptoms are present, they may include:
Between 25% and 50% of children below the age of 10 may have signs of hypermobility. As kids grow older, this percentage decreases. Most children won’t show any negative side effects of their hypermobility, often using it to their advantage in sports like gymnastics and dancing.
When symptoms do arise, it usually presents as foot and leg aches, and is sometimes mistaken for growing pains. Kids may also be more susceptible to sprains, strains, and less commonly, subluxations and dislocations.
If your joint hypermobility persists into adulthood, it’s important to be aware of the risks so you can manage any problems that arise. These risks include a higher likelihood of sprains, strains and dislocations, joint instability, and poor muscle strength. As the connective tissues in the feet tend to be more loose, those with joint hypermobility have a greater likelihood of having flat feet, and have a higher risk of developing problems associated with flat feet like plantar fasciitis heel pain, posterior tibial tendon dysfunction, and more.
Women can also find that they become more flexible and hypermobile in pregnancy due to a hormone called Relaxin that circulates through the body to relax the tissues and body in preparation for childbirth. This is usually temporary, and occurs particularly in the second and third trimesters.
When joint hypermobility causes painful and uncomfortable symptoms, they will need to be managed as they arise.
If a person’s joint hypermobility is asymptomatic with no effects on everyday life, direct treatment may not be necessary, though strategies can be implemented to support the tissues and joints to prevent pain and injury from developing. These may include:
If you suspect that you have joint hypermobility in one or more of your joints, your My FootDr podiatry team can help you manage any symptoms and help protect your joints from injury.
In peripheral arterial disease (PAD), which is often referred to as peripheral vascular disease (PVD) narrowed or blocked blood vessels in the legs result in reduced blood flow to both the feet and legs. This can produce a range of consequences for the feet as the cells and tissues suffer, hence those diagnosed with PAD and other blood flow impairments to the feet must take special precautions to look after their feet, maintain their foot health, and prevent serious problems like foot ulcers.
A gradual build-up of plaque on the inner walls of the arteries obstruct regular, healthy volumes of blood from passing through at an adequate rate to get to the tissues of the feet. This plaque is composed primarily of cholesterol and calcium, and those with high cholesterol levels, that smoke, or who have diabetes are most at risk of PAD.
As PAD may not have any notable symptoms in the early stages, it is often picked up by checking blood cholesterol levels and then with explorative arterial studies or imaging. Aside from the consequences on the feet, PAD significantly increases your risk of suffering a heart attack and stroke. While PAD is uncommon in young adults, over 22% of those aged 75+ years currently have a PAD diagnosis.
Without an adequate blood supply to the feet and legs, the cells and tissues don’t receive sufficient oxygen, nutrients or energy for healthy function. As a result, you may experience:
Intermittent claudication describes muscle pain and cramping in the feet and legs during exercise, whether it be strenuous activity or simple walking. It often affects the calves, and often starts as a niggle or ache before progressing to cripling, limping pain. This is usually the earliest and most common PAD symptom.
When we have a wound or an injury, our body and cells require a healthy blood supply in order to effectively repair, heal and close the wound. This means that both wounds and injuries heal slower with PAD, causing painful symptoms for longer and increasing the risk of complications for our feet.
The slower wounds heal, the longer they stay open and are susceptible to infection. If an infection does take hold, the diminished blood flow will also make it harder for the body to effectively fight and clear the infection.
In less common but more severe cases, a person may develop a sudden and serious restriction in blood flow which may cause tissue death or paralysis. This can put you at risk of limb loss, and requires urgent medical attention.
As podiatrists, we can pick up on the early warning signs of PAD by examining your arterial pulses at the tops of your feet and around your ankles. We’ll also look for other signs of diminished blood flow to the feet including your capillary refill time (CRT), hair growth (or the absence of) around your toes, the colour and texture of the skin on the feet, or performing an ankle-brachial index (ABI) test.
Using these results, we’ll fill your GP in on the results, refer you appropriately if required, and discuss how you can best look after your foot health.
While there are a number of general things you can do to minimise the impact of PAD, like ceasing smoking, lowering your cholesterol, eating well, exercising, reducing stress and taking certain medications. There are also a number of extra steps you can take to care for your foot health specifically and manage the risks we mentioned above. These include: