The Pedaler Podiatry

WHAT WE DO

15 months after opening our doors in Milton, we have become widely known and relied upon to make the feet and legs of the cycling community pain free.  It is a mission that kicked off our unique enterprise, drove us into cycle shoe retail, and now stands us apart from your typical local bike shop / podiatry service.

Over time, the families of our treated cyclists have come to realize that we also provide comprehensive podiatric care for every member of their family as well.  From growing pains right through to offloading heel pain and pressure relief insoles for Grandmas tap shoes. 

The Pedaler remains one of the few Podiatry practices in Brisbane to still run a full onsite Orthotic Lab.  Each and every pair of cycling or walking orthotics remains hand crafted by head podiatrist Nathan White with his 17 years of industry leading experience.  It also allows us to run our now famous no gap second set of orthotics* for loyal Pedaler patients.

As part of The Pedaler Community, if you need any questions answered about foot health, drop in, give us a call or make an appointment.  Sometimes it only takes a few minutes to set you in the right direction.  

*subject to conditions.

Use it before you lose it

It's December, and now is the right time to make sure you have received the best value from your amazing health insurance.  If you haven't been to see us this year, need a quick orthotic review or body tune up, now is the time to get it done.  With most health insurers resetting on January 1, make sure you don't waste your benefits.

Contact us now to make an appointment.  Get ready for 2017!

Improving your Hamstring's flexibility.

Many amongst us know that they need to work on their hamstring flexibility. When I bring it up with my patients they aren't unduly surprised.

Aside from stretching, I also ask patients if they perform myofascial release with their hamstrings (Eg. Foam Rolling) and often the answer is yes.

The difficulty is that foam rollers are too large and cumbersome to properly address this particular muscle group. With this approach, you will generally find that the relief is temporary and minimal.

I have a two step approach for addressing hamstring muscle stiffness based on the anatomy. 

Step 1. Addressing muscle stiffness at the hamstring origin point.

Step 2. Addressing hamstring muscle stiffness in the belly of the muscle.

Step 1: Addressing muscle stiffness at the hamstring origin point. Hamstrings originate from your ischial tuberosity, aka your 'sit-bones' and from the femur. There is a degree of irony here as our hamstrings weren't actually designed to be sat on. 

• Sit on a hard surface, preferably a chair.

• Take a tennis sized ball and place it just past your 'sit-bone'. (This is one of the few times I would recommend using a harder ball like a cricket or lacrosse ball.)

• Move you body weight onto the ball and proceed to roll from side to side. (If you feel as though you are rolling over steel cables then you are doing it correctly.)

• Do this for 2-4 minutes or until you feel a change or until you stop making change.

Step 2: Addressing hamstring muscle stiffness at the belly of the muscle. We have three hamstrings; semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris. The first two are located closer to the inside of your leg and the other is closer to the outside near your Iliotibial band (ITB).  Remember to roll on the center of the hamstrings but also on the inside and outside.

• Sit on a hard surface, preferably a table or bench top.

• Hard balls don't work for this, I only use the ALPHA ball from yoga tune up. These balls have some give and their large grippy surface is ideal.

• Place the ball in the center of your hamstring and then move your body weight atop of the ball.

• Once you have found a tender spot or knot then sit on that spot with your weight and begin to flex and extend your knee. You will feel you hamstrings moving past the ball as you move your leg.

Re-test your flexibility!

Try to touch your toes and see the difference.

NB. If the spot is not tender make a mental note of relaxing and if that location is still not tender move to a new spot.

NB. If you start feeling numbness or tingling down your leg or foot move to a new site. The sciatic nerve does pass down the back of the leg and can become trapped by the ball.

David Gruhl

Why does my heel hurt?

Perhaps the most common problem we encounter as Podiatrists at The Pedaler is heel pain.  'My heel hurts when I get out of bed'.  'It hurts when I get up for a coffee'.  This type of pain is synonymous with our old friend 'Plantar Fasciitis'.  A name that looks as painful to pronounce as it is to deal with.  It's pronounced 'fashy-i-tis'.

Make a time to chat to us about heel pain.

Plantar Fasciitis (often termed heel spur) is the most common pathology effecting the foot.  Approximately 10% of the population will experience pain under their heel in their lifetime with women more likely to suffer from the condition then men.  The highest risk category are those between the ages of 44-64 who spend prolonged periods on their feet.  Obesity is also closely linked to the presence of heel pain.  The term 'heel spur' is often used in place of Plantar Fasciitis, however there is little evidence to support the link between the two. Heel spurs are quite common in the ageing population without the presence of any heel pain.  Again, the link between the development of heel spurs and obesity is tightly linked.

The pathophysiology of Plantar Fasciitis is not pure inflammation as the name would suggest.  Essentially, the plantar fascia is subjected to enormous repetitive loading over our life times and becomes damaged through micro trauma (tears).  This hinders the structural integrity of the tissue often leading to enlargement, collagen disruption and pain.  Due to this often non inflammatory process, the term fasciosis is often used rather then fasciitis.  Either way, it still hurts.

Despite being an enormously common condition, a treatment outcome for Plantar Fasciitis is notoriously fickle. Anyone who professes to have a blanket solution to Plantar Fasciitis across the population is treading dangerously close to selling snake oil.  Each case of heel pain needs to be taken on its individual merits.  An understanding of the patient's risk factors needs to be taken into account and realistic expectations need to be set out.  Far too often, the magic pill of orthotic therapy is wheeled out and its failure is often related to missing the other key components of a comprehensive treatment plan. 

To this end, if your heel hurts, we need to get a full picture of your presenting complaint. This will translate into a thorough treatment solution not limited to orthotic therapy.  With the right tools, a conservative option will lead to gradual success.  If it doesn't, then the less conservative treatment options tend to get a little 'uncomfortable'.  Make a time to have a chat with us about your heel pain today.

The Pedaler Orthotic Lab // No gap on your 2nd set of orthotics.

When we moved locations from Brisbane's Northside to Milton last year, we decided that one of the most important components of our new layout would be an onsite orthotic lab.

Over time, more and more podiatry practices have started to outsource their orthotic work. We firmly believe that your Podiatrist needs to be on hand to make those important decisions regarding your orthotic prescription when your orthotics start to take shape.  

With a lot of help from our friends at Milan Construction, we designed a sound proof (almost) orthotic lab to be build right in the centre of our new business.  This allows us to design, build and modify all our walking and cycling orthotics onsite.  It also gives us scope to build whatever we want whenever we want it.

We also store all of our foot molds for future use and replication.  All of our clients who have prescription orthotics are entitled to fund only orthotics in each subsequent calendar year after their initial prescription.  That means no gap orthotics for those that have applicable health insurance*.  We can then create bespoke options for more unusual footwear or replicate existing designs to make your morning rituals less of a hassle.

Make a time to see us today and see what kind of magic we can build for you.  

*some conditions apply