Corns and Callous …

Corns and callouses are your bodies response to excess pressure, sheer stress and friction and a way of protecting an area from blisters or open sores.

These are areas of hard, dead skin that build up and become thickened and tough. The most common location for callouses is on ball of the foot.  

A corn is most commonly found on bony areas where there is lots of rubbing or pressure. A corn has a central core where the pressure has been concentrated, whereas a callous is usually a thinner layer of thickened skin without a central core.

Corns and callous are a common condition that Podiatrists treat.

Fungal Toenails?

Fungi are normally present in and on the body alongside various bacteria.

Fungal infections normally develop over time, so any immediate difference in the way your nail looks or feels may be too subtle to notice at first. A fungal nail infection occurs from the overgrowth of fungi in, under, or on the nail.

Fungi that are already present in or on your body can cause nail infections. Fungi thrive in warm, moist environments, so this type of environment can cause them to naturally over-populate, which is why toenails are more often commonly affected than fingernails.

If you get a manicure or pedicure at a nail salon, be sure to ask how the staff disinfect/sterilize their tools and how often they do it. Things, such as emery boards and nail clippers, can spread fungal infections from person to person if they’re not sterilized between EACH patient.

At Kaiapoi Podiatry we can easily test in the clinic to see if your nail has has fungal spores present. This test only takes a few minutes and will determine what treatment is recommended for you.  Once we know what is present, or not, treatment options can be discussed.

There is an additional cost for this test, but may save you spending unnecessary dollars on treatments that could be ineffective if the fungus isn’t detected.

Clear-a-nail treatment is available at Kaiapoi Podiatry.

This can be discussed at your appointment.

Photobiomodulation Therapy …

This is a medical treatment that uses focused light to stimulate a process called photobiomodulation (PBM). During PBM, photons enter the tissue and interact within the cells called mitochondria. This interaction triggers a biological cascade of events that leads to an increase in cellular metabolism, which can decrease pain as well as accelerate the healing process.

PBM helps restore normal cellular function which helps prevent apoptosis (cell death). This helps reduce inflammation, edema, and hastens the tissue repair process.

Things that PBM can treat include:

• ligament sprains

• muscle strains

• tendonitis - achilles injuries

• bursitis

• neuroma discomfort

• heel pain/plantar fasciitis

• pain associated with muscle spasms

• tarsal tunnel syndrome

The equipment used by Kaiapoi Podiatry is the Riancorp LTU-904 which is an infra-red, low-level laser operating at a wavelength of 904 nanometers, which provides an invisible laser beam that penetrates deeply into tissue where it is absorbed by cells and converted into energy that influences the course of the metabolic processes. The laser affected, re-energized cells help to break up fibrotic tissue, reduce pain, inflammation and scar formation and help increase capillary blood vessel formation.

As a Class 1 laser, there are no eye-safety requirements and it will not burn or raise skin temperatures.

To book a Photobiomodulation appointment, you will need to make an initial appointment with the Podiatrist first to discuss the process and also determine whether your condition is appropriate for this type of treatment. If it is, the Podiatrist will book the sessions.