With football starting up again we’ve caught up with local podiatrist Sikhie Samarasekera to talk about footy feet.
“For me, good footy starts with good boots,” Sikhie says. A member of your local podiatry team who knows what it’s like to strap on the wrong pair of boots, one of Sikhie’s colleagues Ryan suffered a stress fracture in his foot as a junior when he chose a footy boot that put more pressure under his big toe than what it could handle.
Here’s Ryan. “Back then I used to get so sore in my big toe after the first few games of the season. This was pre-podiatry for me so I had no idea what was happening, and like most teenagers I thought I knew everything and it would settle down eventually. It didn’t.”
So Sikhie and his fellow podiatrists from PridePlus Health in Emerald are on a mission.
“We’re here to keep everyone playing footy and not missing games with foot injuries.”
And his most important advice is to get your footy boots right for you. He has three main things to look out for.
“Make sure your boots fit properly, nowadays we have widths available from brands like Asics, New Balance and X-Blades. Don’t go jamming wide feet into narrow boots,” he says.
“Next, get the right midsole for your foot needs and position. If you’re covering a lot of ground like Paddy Dangerfield make sure your boots have a layer of cushioning and a thicker sole under the heel.
“This takes load away from your calf muscles to allow you to go further without getting as tired.
“Finally, get the stud pattern right. Key position and rucks who jump and land should use smaller studs to reduce landing injuries. Blades and molds work well here. The trade off is the risk of slipping over and getting a spray from the coach. But I’d rather slip than do my ACL”
Sikhie is also first to admit that in the past podiatrists had struggled to fit orthotics into footy boots due to old style arch supports being big and chunky.
He’s proud to say that his team were one of the first in Melbourne to be 3D printing the thinnest and lightest modern orthotics that can fit comfortably inside footy boots to reduce injury risk.
“If I could have treated 16-year-old Ryan’s feet with what we know now as podiatrists, the old man could still be playing,” he says with a smile.
“I just want to keep footballers out there playing and loving the game.”
You can learn more about footy feet and how to keep you on the field and off the injury list from the team at prideplus.com.au
