Podiatry

What Does A Podiatrist Treat?

Are you looking for a foot specialist? Podiatrists are healthcare professionals who have been trained to diagnose and treat abnormal conditions of the feet and lower limbs.

They can also treat and alleviate day-to-day foot problems, including:

  • Athlete’s foot
  • Ageing feet
  • Blisters
  • Bunions
  • Corns and calluses
  • Dry and cracked heels
  • Flat feet
  • Gout
  • Heel pain
  • Smelly feet
  • Sports injuries
  • Toenail problems (thickened toenails, fungal nail infections or ingrown toenails)
  • Verrucas
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Why Choose The Next Step?
Pain and loss of function in our feet and ankles can be a huge obstacle, and we understand that getting your body back to normal is of the utmost importance to you. We offer the highest standard of care in podiatry. Combining experience, professionalism, specialized technology and equipment to provide a wide range of effective services and treatments. We seek to make your visit simple, stress-free, and effective. It is our goal to resolve your pain and function issues in a way that allows you to live the life you are accustomed to.
What Happens During A Podiatry Treatment?
Our routine podiatry appointments are around 30 minutes long. During your first appointment, a full medical record including any medication is needed. A foot health assessment is performed which used in combination with your concerns allows the Podiatrist to tailor the treatment to your needs. Any foot complaints you have can be addressed and further advice provided if needed.
Podiatry Services
General Podiatry Care
We diagnose and treat all foot disorders and deformities, as well as providing general foot treatment and advice. We treat all problems on feet of all ages as well as all problems associated with a wide range of medical conditions.
Perhaps you have a painful lesion or hard skin on your foot or maybe you have thickened nails that you cannot manage, general podiatry care will help give pain relief and allow you to walk pain free.

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We offer routine foot care and foot health, as well as treatments for:

  • Athlete’s foot
  • Biomechanics (arch supports)
  • Bunion treatment
  • Corn / Callus removal
  • Cracked heels
  • Foot pain related problems
  • Fungal nails
  • Hard skin removal
  • Nail cutting
  • Nail surgery
  • Verrucae treatment
Children’s Foot Assessments
As children and toddlers grow and develop, they can suffer from a range of foot problems. We believe by assessing children’s feet early in their lives that any issues can be picked up and addressed before becoming more problematic. Prevention is always better than cure!

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Common foot problems that your child may suffer from are:

  • Club foot
  • Heel pain (Sever’s Disease)
  • Ingrown toenails
  • Knee pain (Osgood Schlatter’s disease)
  • Metatarsus Adductus
  • Sprained ankle
  • Tarsal coalitions
  • Tinea athletes foot
  • Warts (verrucae)
Diabetic Foot Care
Diabetes can reduce the blood supply and damage the nerves in your feet, leading to a number of serious foot problems which is why it is recommended to have a diabetes foot assessment performed by a podiatrist and ongoing podiatry care if necessary.

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Poor glucose control generally causes two main complications in the feet:

  • Nerve damage that results in peripheral neuropathy
  • Poor blood supply & circulation

If nerve damage occurs, you may experience some of the following symptoms in your feet:

  • Numbness or altered sensation
  • Pins & needles in the feet
  • Burning pain in the legs and feet, usually more noticeable at night
  • Coldness in the legs and feet.

Long Term Lower Limb Complications of Diabetes:

  • Loss of protective sensation
  • Decreased blood supply to the feet
  • Increased risk of infection
  • Diabetic foot ulcers, amputations and gangrene.

A diabetes foot assessment performed by a podiatrist every 3 to 12 months is advisable, depending on your risk category, the podiatrist will use the following validated assessment tools to establish a foot risk status:

  • Neurological Assessment
  • Vascular Assessment
  • Footwear assessment
  • Dermatological Assessment
  • Screen for skin cancers
  • General foot and Nail care
  • Diabetic foot health education and information

Once a foot risk status is determined, the podiatrist may make recommendations based on the results. This may include recommendations for footwear modifications and orthotics to reduce high plantar pressure sites that are at risk of ulceration.

Recommendations are made to help you achieve your goal and follow up appointments are scheduled based on your specific needs and desired outcomes.

Gait and Biomechanical Assessment
Our body parts are interconnected, and pain in one area can often originate elsewhere. By examining the entire body, Biomechanical Assessments can help diagnose and resolve associative pain and injuries.

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A static and dynamic biomechanics assessment is an investigation into your lower limb function – looking closely for abnormalities and compensations. The assessment will focus on the structure, posture, range of motion, plantar pressure, alignment, strengths and weaknesses of the foot and will include the pelvis, legs and knees and how they work together as pain in one area can indicate a weakness or structural problem in another. The information gained from a biomechanical assessment forms the basis for a rehabilitation programme, or if the problem is mechanical, an orthotic will be prescribed.
Ingrown Toenail Treatment (Onychocryptosis)
An ingrown toenail is the most common reason why people visit a podiatrist. This condition usually affects the big toenail but can affect the lesser nails too. A piece of nail or a serrated edge pierces and penetrates the soft skin at the edge of the nail, or a spike of nail penetrates the fleshy end of the toe (distal pulp).

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This results in soreness or extreme pain, swelling and redness and often produces pus. The condition affects both men and women equally, regardless of age. Is it caused by either an injury due to physical activity, ill-fitting shoes or poor nail cutting.
Orthotics / Insoles / Footwear
Custom foot orthotics are specialized shoe inserts that can help treating your foot and leg problems. Many ‘biomechanical’ (walking) complaints such as heel pain, knee pain and lower back pain are caused by poor foot function.

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Orthotics re-aligns the foot and ankle bones to their neutral position, thereby restoring natural foot function. In turn this helps alleviate problems in other parts of the body.

In addition, orthotics gives a more even weight distribution, taking pressure of sore spots (e.g., the ball of the foot, corns in between toes, bunions) and they provide some shock absorption.

Orthotics Management, 3D Scanning for Orthotics
Our custom orthoses are designed to support, align and improve the function of your feet and lower limbs. This service includes casting, one pair of custom orthoses, standard covers, dispensing, and a follow-up appointment. We also provide prefabricated orthotic and repair services.

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We have put together a list of common conditions that benefit from the use of orthotics.

  • Achilles Tendinopathy
  • Aching feet
  • Arch soreness
  • Bunions
  • Bursitis
  • Flat feet (excessive foot pronation)
  • Heel pain and spurs
  • High arched feet (excessive foot supination)
  • Morton’s Neuroma
  • Plantar Fasciitis
  • Sore shins (shin splints)

If you are experiencing any kind of foot or lower limb pain or discomfort, then orthotics may play an important part in your treatment.

Charlie S.K Lau
Registered Podiatrist (NZ)
BHsc Podiatry (NZ)
PgD in Musculoskeletal Medicine and Rehabilitation (CUHK)
Member of PodiatryNZ
Member of International Podiatrists Association of Hong Kong (IPAHK)

Charlie is a podiatrist registered under the International Podiatrists Association of Hong Kong and registered with the Podiatrists Board of New Zealand. He received professional training in podiatry from the Auckland university technology in New Zealand and furthered his education and obtained his Postgraduate Diploma in Musculoskeletal Medicine and Rehabilitation from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Charlie is currently working at the Matilda international hospital/ Matilda Medical Centre (Central) , Hong Kong Adventist Hospital- Tsuen wan and Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong. He had worked in two multidisciplinary clinics in Shanghai. He also volunteered at the HKSKH Lady MacLehose Centre and provided podiatry education for the disadvantaged.
Charlie work closely in partnership with consultant orthopedic surgeons, general practitioner and physiotherapist. They ensure each patient is thoroughly assessed; diagnosed and optimum treatment is selected.

His experience in a private practice in New Zealand and at the Matilda International Hospital in Hong Kong has provided him with a comprehensive understanding of diagnosis and treatment of a wide array of pathologies of the foot and lower leg, including:
Nail & skin pathologies (callus / cracked heels, corns, in-growing toenails, fungal nails, verrucae, foot warts, etc.)

  • Athletic and sports injuries of the foot, knee, and hip
  • Biomechanical assessments (examination of the lower limbs, looking at their structure, alignment, strengths and weaknesses)
  • Chronic pathologies
  • Diabetic foot care
  • Footwear assessment
  • Nail & skin pathologies (callus / cracked heels, corns, in-growing toenails, fungal nails, verrucae, foot warts, etc.)
  • Neurological disorders
  • Orthotic prescription
  • Paediatric assessment
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Vascular & musculoskeletal disorders