Lower Limb Pain
Written and reviewed by Peter Charles, Sports Podiatrist — Shoes Feet Gear, Bardon.
We have a special interest in diagnosing and treating lower limb pain — whether it's a child with growing pains, a weekend runner with shin splints, or ongoing foot or knee pain that's been part of daily life for years. Many of the patients who come to us with heel, foot or leg pain have already tried other solutions without lasting success — and we're regularly referred complex or longstanding cases by doctors, physiotherapists, surgeons and coaches when other treatment hasn't resolved the problem. Finding the exact diagnosis and the right treatment path in these more difficult presentations is what we find most rewarding, across adults, kids and athletes alike. Accurate diagnosis is what separates a fast, complete recovery from months of recurring pain — understanding exactly which structure is injured, and why, determines everything that follows.
Who We Treat
Adults
Adult lower limb pain usually has one of two origins. The first is a sudden increase in load through a structure of the foot, heel, ankle, shin or knee — most often from increased exercise, or more standing and walking while travelling — where the load increase exceeds what that structure can currently handle, and injury results. Footwear plays a role here too: the same activity performed in less supportive footwear increases the load reaching these structures, even without any change in activity level itself. The second origin is a structural issue, such as a stiff big toe joint that no longer bends freely, or stiff ankles lacking the flexibility needed for normal walking and running mechanics. Understanding which of these is actually driving the pain is the key to a simple, effective and long-lasting solution.
Kids & Adolescents
The most common issue we see with kids and adolescents is vague or overly quick diagnosis. Children aged roughly 9 to 13 are in the typical age range for Sever's disease (calcaneal apophysitis) — and all too often, any heel pain in this age group gets labelled Sever's by default. In reality there are several distinct causes of heel pain at this age, including insertional Achilles tendinitis and plantar fasciitis. Kids are frequently told they'll simply grow out of it, when in fact they have a significant Achilles injury or debilitating plantar fasciitis that needs specific treatment for a fast return to sport. The same pattern shows up with front-of-knee pain in active kids — by far one of the two most common complaints we see at this age — where foot function plays a critical role in keeping the kneecap tracking correctly in its groove, and getting footwear and foot function right for their sport is an essential part of resolving it — something that's often overlooked.
Kids & Teens condition guides → · School & Junior Sport →
Athletes & Sports Podiatry
The athletes we see most often are high school and later-high-school students, many in high-performance programs for their sport — across cross country, football, netball, touch, hockey and rugby union, along with other running-based sports. Finding solutions that allow these young athletes to maintain maximum training load and performance, rather than simply stepping back from sport, is what we find most rewarding. From weekend runners and school athletes to national-level competitors, we use the same systematic diagnostic approach regardless of level — identifying the exact injured structure, managing training load through recovery, and returning you to full training as quickly as the tissue safely allows.
Sports Podiatry → · Running Injuries → · Hockey · Rugby Union
Where It Hurts
- Heel Pain — most often plantar fasciitis; early accurate diagnosis is critical to recovery time.
- Foot & Arch Pain — a wide range of causes, from mechanical to neurological.
- Achilles Tendonitis — tendonitis, tenosynovitis and bursitis, covering both mid-portion and insertional presentations.
- Shin Splints — muscle overload versus bone stress; the distinction changes treatment entirely.
- Knee Pain — foot function, run technique and hip stability are usually central to resolving it.
- Ankle Sprains & Chronic Instability — includes rolled ankles, chronic instability and peroneal tendon injuries.
- Stress Fractures / Bone Stress — distinguishing bone stress from muscle overload; staging determines return-to-sport timeline.
- Ingrown Toenails — temporary relief and permanent surgical solutions.
- Sesamoiditis — pain under the big toe joint, often linked to high-arch foot mechanics.
- Kids & Teen Pain — Sever's, Osgood-Schlatter, growing pains, shin splints and flat feet in active kids.
Our Approach
Our approach starts with careful listening and detailed history-taking, informed by extensive experience working with sports and high-level athletes. Thorough, specific information from that history is what points toward the possible causes and risk factors for a particular injury. From that foundation, clinical testing is targeted precisely at confirming what is actually causing the problem — rather than a generic assessment applied to every presentation. This is what makes it possible to understand not just the diagnosis, but why previous treatment hasn't worked, and to put in place a long-term solution that is both fast and effective.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a referral to see a podiatrist?
No referral is required to book an appointment with us directly. If you have relevant health fund extras cover, most funds provide a rebate for podiatry consultations.
What should I bring to my first appointment?
Bring the main shoes you use for your highest-activity times — the shoes you train or play sport in most often. You don't need to bring any previous imaging, as we can access this online.
How is a podiatrist different from a physiotherapist for sports injuries?
A sports podiatry assessment is a great place to start for lower limb pain. As podiatrists, our focus is specifically the foot, ankle and knee, and we deal with this area day in and day out — which brings a depth of experience specific to the lower limb. Once we have an accurate diagnosis, we have some additional tools available: altering load through the lower limb is heavily influenced by foot function, so mechanical tools like footwear selection, orthotics and run technique are particularly effective in athletes. We also implement rehab — strengthening, stretching and soft tissue release — as part of treatment. For some injuries, we work closely with an experienced physiotherapist to continue and complete the rehab pathway alongside us.
Book an Appointment
Our Bardon clinic is located at 148 Boundary Rd, Bardon, and serves patients from Paddington, Ashgrove, Toowong, Red Hill, The Gap and across Brisbane's inner west — treating adults, kids, adolescents and athletes at every level.
Book an Appointment
Or call us on (07) 3367 8667.
The information on this page is general in nature and is not a substitute for an individual clinical assessment. If you are experiencing pain, please seek professional advice.