Your Heel Pain Experts
Our skilled physiotherapists and podiatrists offer various treatments for heel pain to suit everyone.
Your Home of Heel Pain Rehabilitation Services
At Foot Foundation, we're experts in podiatry, physiotherapy and solving heel pain. Whether you're suffering from short-term pain or a long-term condition, we can help. Our team will thoroughly examine your heel and create a plan to help you get back on your feet and moving comfortably. We want you to feel your best, so we offer specialised care and tailored treatments for your specific heel problem. Whether it's your bones, joints, muscles or nerves that are causing you grief, we'll help you find comfort and confidence in every step.
Services Offered
Diagnosis and Education
Understanding the root cause of heel pain is vital. Our clinic focuses on educating patients about various conditions contributing to heel discomfort, offering clear insights into the diagnosis process. We aim to empower individuals by imparting knowledge that aids in identifying and comprehending the specific factors causing their heel pain.
Manual Therapy
Our clinic offers hands-on techniques as part of heel pain management. Through skilled manual therapy, we employ various specialized methods such as soft tissue mobilisation and joint manipulation. These techniques target specific areas contributing to heel pain, aiming to reduce tension, improve flexibility, and enhance overall foot function.
Dry Needling
Our clinic introduces Dry Needling, a specialised hands-on technique administered by our expert physiotherapists. Through the precise insertion of thin needles into trigger points, this non-invasive approach effectively addresses muscle tightness and discomfort associated with heel pain.
Exercise Prescription
We customise exercise regimens tailored to alleviate heel pain and enhance foot health. Our specialised exercises target strengthening, flexibility, and stability, addressing the underlying issues triggering discomfort. These personalised routines are designed to complement treatment plans, aiding in recovery and preventing future occurrences of heel pain.
Orthotic Therapy
Our clinic provides custom-designed orthotics to support and alleviate heel pain caused by biomechanical imbalances. These orthotic solutions are crafted to suit individual foot structures, correcting alignment issues and offering the necessary cushioning and support. By utilising orthotic therapy, we aim to optimise foot function and mitigate the discomfort associated with heel conditions.
Shockwave Therapy
Utilizing focused sound waves, shockwave therapy is a non-invasive treatment for heel pain. This approach stimulates healing in affected tissues, reducing pain associated with conditions like plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendinopathy. Our clinic offers this proven method to accelerate healing and alleviate chronic heel discomfort effectively.
Footwear Education
Choosing the right footwear is key in managing heel pain. Our clinic offers guidance on selecting supportive shoes that alleviate discomfort. We provide tailored recommendations for footwear designed to offer stability and cushioning, empowering patients to make informed choices for relieving heel-related issues.
Taping, Padding and Compression Socks
These methods serve as supplementary support for heel pain management. Our clinic offers taping techniques, strategic padding, and compression socks tailored to alleviate discomfort. These interventions aim to provide immediate relief, reduce strain, and promote healing in conditions like plantar fasciitis, offering additional support alongside our comprehensive treatment plans.
Night Splints
Our clinic offers custom-fit night splints to alleviate heel pain, especially associated with conditions like plantar fasciitis. These devices gently stretch foot tissues overnight, promoting flexibility and reducing morning discomfort and stiffness.
Immobilisation Boots
For severe cases of heel pain, particularly after injuries or trauma, our clinic provides immobilisation boots. These specialised boots offer support and stability, allowing the affected area to rest and heal effectively. By restricting movement, these boots aid in reducing strain, promoting recovery, and minimising discomfort associated with heel injuries or conditions.
Injection Therapy
Our clinic has established strong affiliations with accomplished sports physicians and orthopaedic surgeons who are proficient in administering specialised injections, including corticosteroids or platelet-rich plasma (PRP). These skilled professionals play a pivotal role in delivering minimally invasive treatments, specifically tailored to address persistent heel pain, such as that associated with conditions like plantar fasciitis, ensuring optimal care and effective relief for our patients.
Surgical Options
Our clinic maintains a close partnership with skilled orthopedic surgeons. This collaboration ensures comprehensive care for complex cases of heel pain. By working hand in hand with these specialists, we ensure a multidisciplinary approach to provide the best possible treatment options and care for our patients.
Conditions We Treat
Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis, affecting around 10% of the population at some point in their lives, manifests as heel and underside foot discomfort. Characterized by pain in the plantar fascia—a supportive tissue for the foot arch—this condition ranges from occasional flare-ups to enduring issues. Often felt as a sharp bruising sensation when pressure is applied to the inner heel, plantar fasciitis commonly causes intense pain during the initial steps in the morning, gradually easing as the foot warms up. While X-rays may reveal a bone spur, it typically indicates excessive stress from the plantar fascia rather than directly causing the pain, showing calcification in the affected area.
Heel Spur
A calcaneal spur, commonly referred to as a heel spur, emerges as a small bony growth beneath the calcaneus. This formation initiates due to prolonged stress on the heel bone, leading to calcium buildup beneath the heel and the eventual formation of a spur-shaped deformity. Some theories suggest that this bony development serves as the body's mechanism to safeguard the arch ligaments from persistent stress by depositing calcium, thereby enhancing stability in the plantar fascia.
Achilles Tendinopathy
Achilles tendinopathy is a condition more precisely defined by pain, stiffness, and reduced strength primarily centered at the back of the heel bone. Typically, it occurs suddenly due to direct trauma or excessive overuse, resulting in significant inflammation that manifests as redness, heat, swelling, and discomfort during movement.
Sever's Disease
Sever's disease, also known as calcaneal apophysitis, stands as a prevalent source of heel pain among children aged 7 to 14. Primarily affecting active youngsters engaged in sports like soccer, rugby league, AFL, netball, basketball, rugby, and hockey, this condition more commonly affects boys than girls. It typically emerges just before puberty.
Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome
The Tarsal Tunnel constitutes the space formed between the inner ankle bone (medial malleolus) and a structure that secures tendons in place across the inside of the ankle and foot, known as the flexor retinaculum. Tarsal tunnel syndrome, a distressing foot ailment, occurs when the posterior tibial nerve gets compressed or pinched, resulting in symptoms that may manifest anywhere along the nerve's route. In its typical presentation, this syndrome often leads to aching pain in the inner ankle region.
Tibialis Posterior Tendinopathy
The tibialis posterior tendon plays a crucial role in the heel and ankle, originating deep within the calf and extending behind the inner ankle bone (medial malleolus) towards various points on the inside and underside of the arch. Throughout daily activities, this tendon endures significant tension and strain as it supports the foot arch, prevents excessive flattening (overpronation), and aids in the foot's propulsion. During running or high-impact activities, the demands on this tendon intensify, requiring even greater effort to support these movements.
With five state-of-the-art facilities in Auckland City, Hamilton, Tauranga, Rotorua and North Shore, you can be sure you're getting the best treatment for your foot condition, to put the bounce back in your step.
