Most people suffer foot or knee pain at some point in their lives but it can be difficult to find effective treatment with long-term results.
Foot and knee pain expert and musculoskeletal podiatrist, Dr Paul Dowie says “Many foot and knee conditions are misdiagnosed and incorrectly treated, often because only symptoms are treated and the cause and contributing are not addressed.”
With 25 years’ experience in musculoskeletal medicine, Dr Dowie has been the chosen practitioner to some of the world’s best athletes, providing proven solutions to help alleviate pain, heal injuries and even delay or eradicate the need for surgery.
Following are some insights Dr Dowie provided into best practice treatment for many common foot and leg complaints.
– Bad foot posture can continually pull your body out of alignment, placing undue stress on other joints and tissues contributing to pain, injury and degeneration. Consulting a lower limb, musculoskeletal expert who has an understanding of complex foot and leg biomechanics, is essential in ascertaining the exact nature of your condition and providing appropriate treatment.
– Many foot and knee conditions, e.g. plantar fasciitis symptoms, knee, heel and ankle pain, injuries and arthritis are incorrectly treated with cortisone injections, anti-inflammatory medications and arthroscopies. These may provide some temporary relief but rarely fix these conditions, but can delay healing and even cause further tissue damage.
To achieve safe, effective, long-term outcomes in assisting pain, function and mobility concerns, the latest medical research supports the following strategies:
1. Assisting load management, to reduce forces and stress placed through the joints and tissues
2. Encouraging joint and tissue repair (often with natural regenerative therapies i.e. Prolotherapy and PRP)
3. Improving joint and tissue function, strength, condition and range of motion to support long-term healing
If you have any foot or leg pain, you can see Dr Dowie at his Foot and Leg Pain Clinics in Williamstown and other locations across Melbourne. Call 1300 328 300.
