When a joint or muscle is being overloaded, loading is faulty or not being used when it should, it causes the structure to strain and breakdown while the body compensates and moves around. Our rehabilitation consults identify these and map out how they affect you.  Our goal is not only improve the function of the injured area and to decrease pain, but also make sure it doesn’t re-occur. This is done through strengthening and rehabilitation exercises, balance training, gait training, footwear modifications or orthotics.

Rehabilitation podiatry works by giving the body more feedback support, this includes reconnecting the nerve messages to re-establish healing or quicken the process. We identify body imbalances in muscles tensions, joint dysfunction and overall force on your legs and body during physical activity, work or leisure. If you are not healing quickly, or injuries are reoccurring,or you just aren’t able to improve your speed or endurance while running, this is where we look deeper and more holistically. Rehabilitation podiatry incorporates gait (walking/running) analysis, pressure pattern analysis and muscle versus joint loading testing. Our treatment is tailored to your individuals body’s unique way of working within its range, from foot function, up to knees, hips, back and neck.

Ripple Podiatry has two locations.

Our Hamilton East clinic is located inside Lisa Hansen Physiotherapy at – 14 Beale St, Hamilton East.

Our Chartwell clinic is located inside Trudy Field Physiotherapy – 24 Rossiter Place, Chartwell.

We believe the body should work together efficiently the way it was designed to. The body works in cause and effect – when you adjust one area, it has an impact on other areas up and down the body both positively or negatively. Thus, the “ripple effect” is how we help – by finding where the dysfunctions are happening and adjusting them.

Anyone who suffers with lower limb pain, or is prone to injury or those wanting to improve their running or sport can be assessed. Whether its ACC or chronic long-term issues. Usually injury affects the whole body, not just the area that hurts. Once we have found the key factors influencing the painful area, we can work with other health professionals to make sure your have a faster and long-lasting recovery. We treat a wide range of conditions from the lower limb down Prevention is also always the best treatment, try us for a warrant of fitness for an event or just to be proactive.

Each activity, age and gender have common conditions that are also assessed and treated differently. Overall, I see a lot of ball of the foot (forefoot) pain that feels like lumps or shooting pain. Heel and Achilles pain is also very common, with morning being the worst time for pain for people. There are many different reasons for these types of pain, and all are treated differently, so its best to get a proper diagnosis as “Plantar fasciitis” isn’t often the case. Ankle instability can casue long-term pain and impact of the knees and hips, that stops you tramping, enjoying a walk and playing sport with your child.

If the treatment plan is too much or too quick for how your body responds, you can be a little sore or if we are adjusting how your body works you may have pain in a different location as those muscles condition to doing something new or different. Let the podiatrist know if this happens and they will be able to adjust the plan or change how its performed. This way your body accepts the adjustments and keeps them.

In New Zealand, AUT in Auckland is the only Podiatry training University, the undergraduate programme is a 3 year bachelor course. The students have an onsite clinic and are taken through practical applications from day one.

Rehabilitation podiatry is a specialised area off this and requires at least a post-graduate diploma in Rehabilitation in Health Science. This is 2 years further study and involves both practical and research-based training. Kate has completed her Masters in Rehabilitation in Sports Science and has completed other training including Trigenics through the Trigenics institute of functional Neurology, Running Coaching through Evolution Running UK and rock tape and Kinesiology tape course, Oov body rehab training through Oov Pilates.

That all we look at is FEET! There are a range of different areas of podiatry, and although most podiatrist do general nail and skin care and orthotics, we cover a lot of other areas as well. Rehabilitation podiatry is a specialized area focused on rehabilitation of the body’s function, stability and mobility. We work from the feet upwards, as the body works together no matter what the movement or position. Meaning, with some exercises, manual treatment, muscle stimulation, trigger point therapy and gait training, orthotics are used less, for shorter and less aggressively to allow the body itself to heal and maintain itself.  

Yes, we treat kids of all ages for a variety of lower limb issues