WINTER sporting foot injuries have given way to a sharp rise in serious issues from home-office fashion, baffling wearers, Ballarat podiatrists say.
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The city has not been immune to the rising trend in slipper foot and Ugg Boot injuries with Ballarat's house-bound office workforce feeling the pain.
My FootDr Ballarat podiatrist Jade Leonard said this often surprised most patients who typically presented with uncertainty about their foot pain. Ms Leonard said well-fitted, supportive footwear was really important, even about the house.
When you're used to being in shoes all day in the office and instead wearing slippers all day at home, it can make a difference.
- Ballarat podiatrist Jade Leonard (My FootDr Ballarat)
"We're really noticing soreness from people working from home who are not typically getting up and putting shoes on," Ms Leonard said. "When you're used to being in shoes all day in the office and instead wearing slippers all day at home, it can make a difference.
"...If you're standing up cooking for an hour on a hard floor or getting up from the desk a bit, you're not doing the best for your feet."
This comes on a wave of iso sports injuries across the city with sports exercise experts concerned in people overestimating the load on the bodies, most often from not easing into taking up running, walking and cycling in lockdown.
One Ballarat physiotherapist told The Courier last month of a young man who started walking Lake Wendouree every day in thongs and reported severe pain in the arch of his foot.
Ms Leonard said her clinic had also seen a rise in patients with pain from joining in the walking trend to stay fit amid lockdowns in Ballarat.
"We always suggest people get a good pair of shoes, to get fitted properly, if they are going to get walking or exercising in them," Ms Leonard said.
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There is also increasing concern from injury experts about a fresh wave of injuries as we emerge from lockdowns, including women moving back into wearing heels for office wear.
In exercise terms, people are cautioned to move back into organised sports, training and gyms being mindful they will need time to adjust back to pre-pandemic fitness levels and expectations.
Walking and running about Lake Wendouree continues to be a popular iso exercise option for people in lockdown with numbers still strong to start winter.
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