Services
Sports Podiatry
Reviewed by Anureet Selach, Podiatrist · Australian Podiatry Association · Registered with AHPRA
Last updated
Foot and lower limb problems interrupt training faster than almost anything else, and they tend to come back if the reason they happened isn’t addressed.
Sports podiatry is about the second part. Not just settling the pain, but working out what load, what mechanics or what footwear produced it, and changing that so you can keep going.
This applies whether you run, play football, dance, lift, or spend ten hours a day on a concrete floor for work. The demand is different; the question is the same.
What the assessment covers
Your podiatrist will look at:
- Foot and ankle alignment and stability
- Muscle function, strength and balance
- Flexibility and joint range of motion
- Your biomechanics walking, running, or in a sport-specific movement
- The factors that raise your injury risk in the activity you actually do
Bring the shoes you train in. Their wear pattern is evidence.
What a plan looks like
Based on what the assessment finds and what you’re training for, your podiatrist may recommend:
- Hands-on treatment for the injured tissue
- Gait retraining
- A strength and mobility programme
- Footwear changes
- A structured return to activity, staged rather than all at once
- Shockwave therapy for a tendon problem that hasn’t responded to conservative care
- Orthotics, where the mechanics genuinely call for them
What turns up most
In active people, the recurring list is:
- Plantar fasciitis and heel pain
- Achilles tendinopathy
- Shin splints
- Calf strains
- Forefoot pain, including Morton’s neuroma and metatarsalgia
- Knee pain related to foot alignment or training load
- Arch pain and flat feet
- Blisters, callus and nail trauma from sport
In younger athletes, Sever’s disease and Osgood-Schlatter disease are the two that come up during growth spurts.
Load is usually the answer
Most overuse injuries are a mismatch between what tissue can tolerate and what it’s being asked to do. That mismatch is usually created by a change — new shoes, a new surface, a jump in weekly volume, a return after time off, a new job on your feet.
Which is why the first question at the appointment is generally “what changed?” It’s the question that most often finds the cause.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be an athlete?
No. The assessment is about load — how much your lower limb is being asked to do and how well it's coping. A tradie on concrete for ten hours and a marathon runner have more in common than either expects.
What should I bring?
The shoes you actually train in, worn as they are. The wear pattern tells your podiatrist things you can't. Bring a second pair if you use different shoes for different sessions, and wear or bring shorts so your knees and calves are visible.
Will I be told to stop running?
Rarely, and only if continuing would make things worse. Complete rest deconditions the tissue you're trying to build back up, so the usual approach is modifying load — volume, surface, pace, frequency — rather than stopping.
Do I need orthotics for sport?
Not necessarily. Orthotics are one option among several, and for a lot of sports injuries a change in footwear, load or strength work does more. If a device is indicated, your podiatrist will explain why before anything is scanned.
How long until I'm back?
It depends entirely on what the injury is and how long it's been there. Your podiatrist will give you a realistic timeframe after the assessment and set the stages you'll work through, rather than a single date.
Ready to book?
Appointments Monday to Saturday, with confirmation by SMS.