Checking The Reality of Foot Health in Toowoomba
It’s Foot Health Month in Australia and the team at The Podiatrist, led by Managing Director Troy Parsons, is on a mission to see Toowoomba take advantage of the expertise of Podiatrists when it comes to getting back on their feet, out of pain, and achieving the levels of activity they want – not the levels they may be currently restricted to.
“Ongoing foot pain is a hugely under-recognised problem that impairs the lives of so many people every day.” says Troy, who approximates his clinics see at least 300 Toowoomba residents every week for foot pain alone, discounting the vast range of other podiatric services on offer. “People are living with and persevering with foot pain in the hope that it will eventually get better on its own, which often it doesn’t”.
Looking further into the patients that do come in with foot pain, very few of these are ‘new’ problems. “Sadly, we rarely see acute cases. Most people try something without success and come to us after weeks, months and years of ongoing problems”. This is a key area behind the Australian Podiatry Council’s theme for this year of “Pods get YOU. moving and pain-free!”, as the longer a foot or leg problem is not efficiently managed, the worse it tends to become and the more difficult the recovery.
Treating lower limb problems requires not only an accurate diagnosis but the treatment of the cause itself, as opposed to just the symptoms. “Many patients who have previously gone elsewhere have been advised to rest, take anti-inflammatories and get cortisone, but these are merely band-aids. These don’t treat the cause or stop the problems continuing long into the future”. Troy has invested extensively in equipping his clinics with high-calibre diagnostic tools, some of which are athlete-grade and carry with them an almost $50,000 price tag. These elements have had plenty of Toowoomba residents raving about The Podiatrist in reviews over Google and Facebook, with many boasting that “they were able to get to the core of my problem really quickly” and of the excellent staff, service, care and the team “going above and beyond” for their patients.
In Australia, many people still remain unaware of the extent of the services of a Podiatrist. Podiatrists spend four years studying the anatomy and physiology of the lower limbs from the waist down, including the hips, spine and neck. This makes them the first port of call when it comes to identifying, diagnosing, treating and preventing pains and problems with the lower limbs. Each year, the team at The Podiatrist also attend a variety of seminars and courses to grow their knowledge and skill-base. This is demonstrated in the treatments they offer that go above and beyond the norm in podiatry, such as cycling assessments, laser treatments, wound healing and even shockwave therapy.
Beyond the technology offered, Troy declares his team, which is the largest Podiatric team in Darling Downs, to be the greatest asset to both the clinic and the patients. “They are fantastic. They’re passionate about their work, they go above and beyond for their patients, they work so well together and learn from each other to get the best outcomes for their patients”. Troy deems one of his Podiatrists to also be a “unicorn” given his double-degree in both Podiatry and Physiotherapy, adding a new level of knowledge and skill that the entire team benefits from and builds upon their holistic approach to healthcare. The Podiatrist also have a massage therapist and a naturopath on board.
About The Author
Troy Parsons
Qualifications
B.Hlth.Sci.(POD)Hons, B.App.Sci.(HMS-Ed), M.A.POD.A, M.Sports Med. A., A.A.P.S.M.
Director / Podiatrist
Throughout high school Troy experienced a multitude of injuries from a wide variety of sports. He tried everything from GP, physio, chiro and magnets with little success. Then one day while getting fitted for school shoes the man serving him commented that he had very poor lower limb alignment and that he should see a podiatrist. So impressed with the result, he researched the profession and the rest as they say is history.
Having been in the industry for 12 years, Troy is particularly interested in biomechanics, alignment issues, sport/lifestyle related injuries and paediatrics. His career highlight was being one of 20 podiatrists nationwide appointed to the medical team at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.
Troy is proud to own a successful and growing practice and strongly believes your feet are your independence. They are commonly neglected and the significance of the feet and lower limb is commonly overlooked. He loves helping people get over their injuries, improving their quality of movement and optimizing their performance.
Special interest in running assessments, technique correction, injury prevention and performance enhancement.
