Showing: 1 - 6 of 6 RESULTS

Plantar fasciitis – When to see a doctor

Many cases of plantar fasciitis improve with simple home treatments like resting the foot, icing it and using arch supports and over-the-counter pain relievers. If these don’t help, you should see your doctor right away.

Plantar fasciitis treatment Perth can give you corticosteroid injections to ease pain and reduce inflammation. They may also inject platelet-rich plasma (PRP), which contains healing growth factors, into the damaged plantar fascia.

Symptoms

Pain on the bottom of your foot or heel. It usually comes from walking or standing for long periods of time. It may be a dull ache or feel like a sharp stabbing pain. It may be worse in the morning or after long periods of rest. It may also hurt more when climbing stairs or after exercising.

Plantar fasciitis occurs when the plantar fascia (the band of tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot) gets irritated and inflamed. This band of tissue helps to form your arch and connects your heel bone to your toes. It is similar to a rubber band and helps absorb the shock from your feet hitting the ground when you walk or run.

The best treatment for plantar fasciitis is to stop activities that cause pain and to use ice on the affected area several times a day. Medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen or naproxen) can help reduce pain and swelling. A physical therapist can teach you exercises to stretch the foot and Achilles tendon. A night splint that holds the foot in a flexed position over the arch during sleep can also help.

If home treatment doesn’t improve your symptoms, you should see a doctor. He or she will ask about your medical history and do a physical exam. The doctor will check for tenderness in the bottom of your foot and look for areas of inflammation. X-rays or an ultrasound can show thickening and scarring of the plantar fascia.

Diagnosis

Plantar fasciitis usually results from straining the ligament that stretches from your heel to your toes. One strain probably won’t do much damage, but repeated ones can weaken the ligament and lead to pain. Your foot doctor will diagnose plantar fasciitis by performing a physical exam and checking your symptoms. He or she may also order an X-ray or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test to confirm the diagnosis and rule out other conditions, such as a stress fracture or nerve entrapment.

Your doctor may recommend resting your foot by reducing or stopping activities that aggravate the pain. This might include limiting athletic activities that cause your feet to pound on hard surfaces and taking up low-impact exercise such as swimming or cycling. Your doctor may also recommend stretching your foot and calves to help with the pain.

Over-the-counter NSAIDs can help reduce pain and swelling. If NSAIDs don’t help, your doctor might suggest extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) to stimulate the tissue and encourage healing.

Treatment

The most common symptom of plantar fasciitis is pain that comes on the bottom of your foot, usually in the area of your heel. The pain may be a dull ache or a sharp, stabbing sensation. You may notice that the pain is worse when you first step out of bed in the morning, but it typically lessens or disappears as your feet warm up.

Most people with this condition get better within nine to 12 months after starting simple treatment methods. These include resting the affected foot as much as possible and changing or avoiding activities that cause pain. Using shoe inserts to cushion your feet and reduce stress on your heels is also helpful. Icing the sore spot on your foot several times a day and using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to decrease pain and inflammation are also recommended.

Your doctor may suggest that you work with a physical therapist on stretching exercises to help stretch your calf muscles and plantar fascia. These exercises should be done several times a day. A physical therapist can also recommend a variety of treatments, including ice treatments and massage therapy, to decrease your pain and inflammation.

If these treatments aren’t effective, your doctor may want to order magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasound. These tests aren’t used to diagnose plantar fasciitis but are sometimes ordered if the other treatments don’t help or if your doctor thinks there is another cause of your heel pain.

Prevention

If you’re experiencing pain in your heel or foot that doesn’t get better within a week, talk to your healthcare provider. They can help you find at-home treatments to reduce inflammation and improve your symptoms.

Plantar fasciitis occurs when the dense tissue band that runs along the bottom of your foot irritates or tightens, causing painful heel and arch pain. The pain is usually felt when you stand or walk and can feel like a bruise or an ache. The pain can also be felt when climbing or walking up or down stairs, especially when you’re first getting out of bed or after sitting for a long time.

Prevention options for plantar fasciitis include keeping the calf muscles and Achilles tendon flexible and avoiding overuse of your feet. Adding stretches to your routine can also decrease the likelihood of developing plantar fasciitis, as well as wearing shoes with proper support and making sure your arches aren’t too high.

For those who continue to have heel pain that doesn’t improve with rest and other nonsurgical treatment options, a doctor may recommend a cortisone injection or more intensive therapy. Most people who receive conservative treatments for plantar fasciitis experience improvement within 12 months. For severe cases, surgery may be required.

Why Athletes are Turning to Cold Laser Therapy for Nail Fungus

Fungal nail infections thrive in warm and moist environments, like showers, locker rooms or even in ill-fitting shoes. These pesky fungi can easily infect toenails and spread them to other nails or even the skin around your feet.

Lunula uses two beams of laser light to both damage the fungus and help your body clear it. It’s a painless, walk-in, walk-out procedure.

 

1. It’s Painless

Unlike oral antifungals, which can cause side effects such as nausea and stomach pains, laser therapy for nail fungus is completely safe. It also doesn’t require any downtime, so you can resume your regular activities immediately after the treatment.

In fact, it takes less than an hour for a complete nail fungus laser treatment session. It’s perfect if you have a busy schedule and don’t want to take any time off work.

This innovative technology uses a laser beam to vaporise the fungus that causes toenail infections. A handheld device that emits a particular wavelength of light, called the Noveon laser, uses no heat and targets only the fungus. Its fungicidal effect occurs as the laser light passes through the toenail and reaches the inner tissue.

The Noveon laser has a dual wavelength that projects two different colours of near-infrared light at the toenails to selectively kill fungi, without damaging the surrounding tissues or nail matrix. It’s the most advanced laser therapy currently available for nail fungus.

2. It’s Effective

Fungus is a bacteria that overpopulates in moist environments, such as your shoes and socks. It can also enter your toenails through cracks or cuts. It can be very hard to get rid of, especially since the fungus loves warm and wet conditions. Fungus can cause itching, nail discoloration and a foul smell. It’s a pain to deal with, but you can cure it with a new treatment that’s been proven as effective.

The fungus laser machine uses low-level laser light to kill the fungi in your nails. The fungus nail laser machine emits two different types of laser light; one to destroy the fungus on a cellular level and another to increase blood flow and encourage healthy nails to grow. This is the most advanced laser treatment for nail fungus and it is completely safe to use.

Fungal nail laser treatment is significantly more effective than the toxic oral medications and expensive topical treatments. Oral antifungals like terbinafine and itraconazole are only around 60% effective at best and require multiple months of treatment to work. And even with these, you are likely to see the fungus resurface within 12 months. In comparison, cold laser therapy is painless and has been shown to have a higher recurrence rate reduction than traditional treatment methods.

3. It’s Safe

The fungus is vapourised and killed in seconds and the treatment is completely safe for the surrounding skin tissue. It also does not have any of the side effects that are associated with oral antifungals.

In fact, the fungus that causes nail fungus is so hardy that even popular antifungal pills (terbinafine and itraconazole) are only effective less than 50% of the time and carry a risk of liver damage1.

Adelaide Fungal Nail Clinic uses the Lunula Cold Laser treatment to treat fungal nail infections or onychomycosis. The Lunula is the first and only laser nail fungus treatment that is proven to work. The treatment involves passing the laser light over each of your infected nails and is quick and painless. The result is a nice healthy looking nail that will take a few months to grow out and replace the fungus infected nail/s. We recommend that you attend for treatments once a week for four weeks followed by a monthly check up.

The Lunula Laser Nail Fungus treatment is recommended by podiatrists and is a superior option to time consuming nail paints, possible side effects of oral medications and painful hot laser treatments. It is especially helpful for patients who are diabetic or suffer from poor circulation, or are immunosuppressed and at high risk of developing nail fungus.

4. It’s Fast

When fungus is present on the nails it is not only unsightly but also slows down the healing of the nail and can cause pain. This often results in a patient not being as active and the fungus can spread to other toenails and other areas of the foot. Fungus can be difficult to eliminate with oral anti fungal medications as they have serious side effects and the fungus is resistant to them.

Laser therapy has shown to be extremely effective and the Lunula low level cold laser treatment Adelaide is the gold standard in eradicating nail fungus. This device uses two laser beams simultaneously to help destroy the fungus in the nail bed and surrounding skin. The first laser is red (660 nm) which helps to promote healing in the area and the other is blue (405 nm). The blue laser acts directly upon the fungus causing changes in its outer wall and weakening it significantly. This allows the body’s immune system to attack and kill it.

Patients can expect little if any discomfort during the laser nail fungus treatment. There is no need for any anesthesia and this treatment can be done in the comfort of your own home or at clinic. Patients who receive a course of four Lunula laser treatments can expect to have their fungus eradicated and clear healthy nails in about three months.

Chiropractic and Yoga For Stress Relief

There are some things that go together perfectly – peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, chiropractic and yoga. Both chiropractic treatments and yoga work to improve balance, coordination, strength, and flexibility while improving overall nervous system function.

As muscle tension is relieved, positive hormones like oxytocin are released helping to reduce stress levels. When combined with regular chiropractic adjustments, the benefits are even greater.

1. Increased Flexibility

Yoga combines breath techniques, stretches and poses to offer relaxation and peace of mind to those who practice it. Many chiropractors now recommend this exercise as a way to improve flexibility and body awareness.

Yoga can help strengthen muscles and joints as well. This can make you more resilient to stress and pain. However, before you take up this activity, check with Chiropractor Richmond to ensure it is safe for you.

In addition, yoga can help reduce the level of cortisol in your body. Cortisol is a hormone that increases when you are stressed, helping the body prepare for a fight or flight situation. But, long-term exposure to cortisol can decrease the body’s ability to manage pain and increase the likelihood of a flare-up of your condition.

Yoga can also help with sleep and balance issues that often accompany chronic stress. This may be because the activity encourages you to focus on your breathing and posture, which can reduce anxiety. In addition, the stretching exercises can help your body relax and get better quality sleep. This can be important for your overall health as poor sleep habits can contribute to stress and a low immune system.

2. Better Sleep

Chiropractic is effective for managing stress and anxiety symptoms because it relieves muscle tension, improves spinal function, and promotes overall nervous system function. This helps to reduce the body’s production of cortisol, which is a chemical that increases when we are stressed and can interfere with the brain’s ability to control pain.

In addition to providing physical relief, chiropractic can also teach patients relaxation techniques. Deep breathing and mindfulness practices like meditation can help calm the mind and lower stress levels. These tools are especially useful in reducing neck and back pain associated with stress.

Yoga has long been touted as a healing activity that benefits the mind and body. Research shows that it can help alleviate depression, decrease anxiety and encourages relaxation. Additionally, it can increase flexibility and balance, which reduces stress and strain on the spine and joints.

Similar to chiropractic, yoga helps to align the spine, promotes balance and improves joint function. Regular practice of both activities also helps to strengthen muscles and improve overall strength, which reduces the risk of injuries that can be a result of stress.

3. Increased Strength

There are some things in life that go together perfectly, like peanut butter and jelly or bacon and eggs. Yoga and chiropractic are two such things, they offer complementary benefits when done in tandem. Both help the body to become stronger and more flexible while also relieving tense muscles and encouraging proper alignment.

Many people turn to chiropractic when they are experiencing aches and pains that are the result of chronic stress. When our bodies are under constant stress, it can lead to tight muscles that cause a variety of symptoms, including neck or back pain, headaches, digestive problems, sleep issues and even a sore jaw from clenching teeth.

Chiropractic helps to relieve these symptoms by reducing irritation in the nerves that causes muscles to tighten up. In addition, chiropractors often recommend different lifestyle changes, such as exercising regularly, practicing relaxation techniques and incorporating healthy eating habits, to help patients reduce their stress levels.

Regular yoga sessions can also help to lower the body’s stress levels by reducing the fight or flight response that occurs in the nervous system. When you combine your chiropractic treatments with a daily stretching routine of yoga poses, it can strengthen your muscles and allow the healing process to continue at a faster pace. Chiropractor Carlton can even help you find a suitable yoga instructor in your area.

4. Better Balance

Most people know that reducing stress is good for them, but often struggle to find realistic ways to do so. Chiropractors can provide advice on things that you can do, like improving your posture at work or doing yoga, to lower stress levels. In addition, chiropractors are able to perform spinal manipulations and treatments to reduce pain and improve spinal function.

Yoga also helps to relieve stress by allowing the body to relax and increase flexibility. In addition, it can strengthen muscles to help prevent future injuries from occurring. When chiropractic and yoga are combined, the benefits can be even more extensive.

Atlas Chiropractic Body Clinic is a deeply researched, results-oriented corrective care technique that restores the spine back to health and eliminates pain and nervous and circulatory dysfunction. Atlas Chiropractic Body Clinic is safe, conservative and non-invasive.

Both chiropractic and yoga offer excellent ways to promote balance, ease tight muscles, reduce muscle spasms and improve posture, but they do so from somewhat different approaches. This combination allows each method to complement and reinforce the other, creating a powerful treatment that can bring the mind and body into alignment. Contact us today to learn more about how combining Chiropractic and Yoga can help you Evolve in Balance.

Shock Wave Therapy: Sonic Solutions for Empowering Wellness

Shock waves are mechanical forces that create cavitation bubbles that have a physical impact on the tissue. This increases microcirculation and stimulates healing. It also helps break down scar tissue.

Unlike steroid injections and surgery, shock wave therapy is safe, effective and non-invasive. It has a very good clinical success rate in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain.

What is Shock Wave Therapy?

Developed originally to break up kidney stones (lithotripsy) and later used to treat bone conditions like non-union fractures, extracorporeal shockwave therapy is a noninvasive treatment in which a hand held device emits inaudible high energy sound waves into the body. The resulting mechanical pressure wave damage to the tissue triggers the body’s natural healing response and in many cases relieves pain. Mr Gordon uses the Swiss DolorClast, a state of the art machine with two different settings; radial and focused shockwaves.

These pressure waves are similar to the acoustic waves caused by lightning strikes or the sonic booms generated by airplanes. These acoustic pressure waves stimulate the metabolism, build new blood vessels and promote tissue regeneration. They also induce pain relief by hyperstimulation of the nerve transmission system and disintegrate calcified deposits in the case of tendinopathy.

Shockwave therapy is a great option for patients who have not had any success with more conservative treatments such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), rest, physical therapy or chiropractic care. In addition, it is a quick and cost-effective treatment that can be done without the need for sedation or anesthesia. Patients often experience pain reduction within a week of receiving treatment and have the added benefit of returning to their normal life activities sooner. Patients receive weekly treatment sessions of about 15 minutes each for a total of three to five treatments.

How Does Shock Wave Therapy Work?

podiatrist Carlingford will use a device that converts compressed air into sound waves. They will then apply a gel to the area being treated and deliver the shock waves over the skin. The shock waves stimulate the healing process and cause a small amount of local inflammation, but this is part of your body’s natural response to heal itself.

The sound waves will also break down calcific deposits. They will create small bursts of pressure that penetrate the tissue and break apart calcifications that are causing pain, stiffness and mobility issues. The treatment will also help to stimulate the production of new blood vessels to improve the circulation to the area and promote healing.

You will likely need a few shockwave therapy sessions to get the maximum benefit. Each session lasts only a few minutes and is relatively comfortable. You may experience a little discomfort at the time of your appointment, but this should go away after the treatment.

Shock wave therapy is a great option for patients who want to avoid surgery and are looking for alternatives to conservative treatments like rest, NSAIDs and physical therapy. It is an excellent choice for those with chronic musculoskeletal problems like plantar fasciitis, lateral tennis elbow and other tendonopathies. It is also a good option for those with spinal or joint calcification who are not candidates for surgical intervention.

What are the Benefits of Shock Wave Therapy?

The shockwaves desensitise nerve endings which can lead to an immediate decrease in pain. They also cause controlled micro-trauma to the tissue which stimulates the body’s own healing response. This is done by forming new blood vessels which increase circulation in the affected area. It also breaks down disorganised calcifications and degenerate tissue which then promotes healing.

Shockwave therapy is a simple treatment which has been shown to be effective in treating chronic tendon injuries such as plantar fasciitis, tennis elbow, chronic back pain and chronic shoulder pain due to calcific tendonitis (frozen shoulder). It can often provide a solution for patients who are not responding to NSAIDS or other conventional treatments like injections.

The shockwaves are delivered from a specialist machine through the skin into the affected area. This can be uncomfortable for some people but it is not painful. The shockwaves do not destroy or damage the tissue but instead have a number of therapeutic effects including stimulating the formation of neovascularisation in the affected area, enhancing tenocyte activity, decreasing Substance P which is a neurotransmitter that relays pain signals, and positively regulating inflammation. This stimulates the natural healing process in damaged tissue which is often stalled in chronic and degenerative conditions like calcific tendonitis. In some cases the results can be quite dramatic reducing or eliminating the symptoms of the condition.

What are the Side Effects of Shock Wave Therapy?

Unlike electroconvulsive therapy (ECT or “shock therapy”) you may have seen depicted in movies, shock wave treatment does not cause pain, discomfort, or any physical trauma to the patient. In fact, patients often find it relaxing.

This advanced treatment can be used to treat a variety of painful musculoskeletal conditions in bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints. It helps break up soft tissue calcifications, enhances collagen synthesis, and releases growth factors to improve blood circulation and accelerate the healing process. It can help patients avoid invasive treatments such as steroid injections or surgery.

In one randomized controlled trial, researchers evaluated the effectiveness of extracorporeal shockwave therapy in shoulders with chronic calcific tendinitis. Using the University of Peloponnese Self-Administered Pain, Functionality and Quality of Life Questionnaire, they measured pain, functionality, and quality of life before, immediately after shock wave treatment, and at four weeks after. The shock wave treatment group experienced significantly more improvement in all three measures than the control group.

The treatment is safe for most healthy adults, but it is not recommended if you have bone tumors, metabolic bone diseases or have poor blood circulation in the area where you would like to receive the shockwave therapy. You should also be aware that shockwave therapy is not a first-line treatment option and you will typically need to undergo at least one course of conservative therapy, such as physiotherapy, before your Castle Hill podiatrist can recommend this advanced treatment.

What is Certificate IV in Ageing support in Australia?

Whether you’re looking to get started in Aged Care or already working in the industry, Certificate IV in Ageing Support can help you to reach your career goals. The qualification focuses on skills related to good living, personal care and behaviour management. The course includes intensive English language training and employment support. Students will also learn about safety procedures, liaising with other healthcare professionals and the role of the support worker.

If you want to be a part of a fast growing sector, Certificate IV in Ageing Support is a great choice. The course provides an insight into the day-to-day work of support workers in residential facilities and homes. You’ll learn to assess needs, plan and deliver individualised service plans, and maintain quality service delivery. It’s the ideal qualification for those seeking professional development or to start a new career.

Aged care courses is offered through Skills Training Australia. Students are required to complete a minimum of 60 to 120 hours of study. They can also choose to undertake part-time traineeships or even apply for an employment-based traineeship. The Certificate IV in Ageing Support qualification includes 15 core units and three specialty units. The course covers work with both adults and children.

The course is taught by specialists in Aged and Community Care, who provide guidance and support for students. Students will learn to coordinate and implement services for older people, and to support those with chronic diseases. The course also teaches skills to coordinate and deliver services to individuals with physical disabilities and mental health issues. A special focus is placed on helping students develop person-centred and compassionate support for individuals with disability. Upon successful completion of the course, you will be able to enter the aged care industry as a Personal Care Assistant. Alternatively, you can continue studying in a variety of Advanced Diplomas.

The Certificate IV in Ageing Support and Cert III in Individual Support are available to students in both the residential and home care sectors. Applicants are required to have a current National Police Clearance and are required to complete a work placement. Depending on the length of the program, the work placement can be completed at different times during the course. The placement will be supervised by an accredited assessor, who will sign off on the duration of the placement. You will need to be able to demonstrate evidence of flu vaccination for your industry placement. The Assessor will also be able to provide you with information on Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) if you already have the relevant skills.

If you have already been in the health or leisure industries for some time, you may be eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). You can ask ET Australia’s Assessor about RPL, which will allow you to complete the qualification online. To be eligible for RPL, you must have a minimum of three to five years of relevant experience. You must also have a LLN that meets the ACSF LEVEL 2 standards.

Speech Delay in Children: What Causes It and How to Address It

If your child is not meeting speech development milestones, it can be a cause for concern. Speech delay in children can be caused by a variety of factors, including genetics, environmental influences, and neurological problems. In this blog post, we will discuss what causes speech delay in children and how you can address it.

Most common causes of speech delay:

Hearing loss

Most people take their ability to hear for granted, but for children with hearing loss, this vital sense can pose a serious challenge. Hearing is essential for speech development, as children need to be able to hear speech sounds in order to learn to produce them. This can create a vicious cycle, as children with hearing loss may miss out on important speech cues, leading to delays in speech development. In turn, these delays can further impede the child’s ability to develop proper speaking skills. For parents of children with hearing loss, it is important to seek out early intervention services. With the help of speech pathologists Oran Park, children can learn how to cope with their hearing loss and build the skills they need for success.

Oral-motor difficulties

Oral-motor difficulties are fairly common, affecting up to 25% of the population. These difficulties can make it hard to produce clear speech, and may also cause problems with eating and drinking. Oral-motor difficulties can be caused by a variety of factors, including neurological conditions, physical impairments, and developmental delays. Treatment for oral-motor difficulties typically focuses on improving muscle strength and coordination. This may involve exercises, speech therapy, and/or adaptive devices. With speech pathologists Penrith treatment, most people with oral-motor difficulties are able to improve their speech production and eating/drinking skills.

Apraxia of speech

Apraxia of speech is a neurological disorder that can make it difficult to produce speech sounds. The exact cause of apraxia is unknown, but it is thought to be caused by damage to the motor areas of the brain. This damage can be the result of stroke, head injury, or degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. People with apraxia often know what they want to say, but they have difficulty coordinating the muscles needed to produce the correct sounds. As a result, their speech may sound garbled or slurred. Treatment for apraxia often involves working with a paediatric speech therapy & occupational therapy in Sydney to help the individual learn new ways to produce speech sounds. With treatment, many people with apraxia are able to improve their ability to communicate.

Autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder is a common autism-related disorder that can cause speech delay. The autism spectrum disorders includes a wide range of symptoms, which can make it difficult to diagnose. However, one common symptom is difficulty with communication and social interaction. This can manifest as speech delay, or difficulty understanding and using spoken language. In some cases, people with autism spectrum disorder may not speak at all. While there is no cure for autism spectrum disorder, early intervention and therapy can help to improve symptoms and communication skills. With the right support, people with autism spectrum disorder can lead happy and fulfilling lives.

If you are concerned that your child may have a speech delay, it is important to talk to your child’s doctor or a certified speech-language pathologist. They will be able to assess your child’s development and give you guidance on how to best address their needs.