PODIATRIST SEES SURGE IN OVERUSE INJURIES

Podiatrists and physiotherapists are reporting a surge of patients suffering overuse syndrome after taking up exercise during the pandemic, often as an antidote to lockdown lethargy. Jeffery Jenkins, a podiatrist and director of OnePointHealth in Penrith, said there had been huge demand for services once people came out of the most severe lockdown. “Everyone started exercising,” he said. The biggest cause of lower limb pain was sudden overuse. “When bodies aren’t used to it, it causes arch pain, plantar fasciitis, shin splints, and Achilles tendonitis.”

 

Jeffery Jenkins

 

Research by the Australian Podiatry Association conducted last October found that 70 percent of Australians wore less supportive shoes than usual or went barefoot when working at home. One in three reported more pain or discomfort in their feet and lower limbs, and had reduced walking or exercise as a result.

 

Source: Julie Power, The Sydney Morning Herald [3/21/21]

Courtesy of Barry Block, editor of PM News