Having to take sitting breaks during your shifts to get a few minutes of relief is frustrating, right? 

Absolutely. And here’s how our shift worker patients feel about it. 

Our patients tell us it makes them feel “old” – even when they’re far from it. Or that they can’t give their work their all – as the pain lingers with every step. Ultimately, they feel like their ongoing Achilles pain and the limitations it creates lets their colleagues down as they can’t be there for them like they used to.

Often, when we first meet our patients, they’ve already tried hard to relieve the heel pain.

They’ve regularly taken anti-inflammatories, but they only ever work for so long. They’ve tried countless stretches of every sort. They’ve rested more. They’ve walked more. They grabbed some insoles from the pharmacy. Nothing gives lasting results. While Google says it can take a year to get better – that’s just not possible when they’ve got to be on your feet all day for work. The problem can also get worse in that time, and they don’t want to take that chance.

Outside of work, being invited to social events can bring on some anxiety for our patients – they know they’re not going to be able to keep up. Or if the pain is particularly bad on that day, they’re going to cancel. Even their dogs give them that guilty ‘why aren’t we going on a proper walk’ look. We all know the one.

At Masterton Foot Clinic, we get it. Achilles heel pain can be hard to fix – really hard. It can last for years, and even decades. That was our experience too, until we became the first and only clinic in New Zealand to have developed the Achilles Action Plan aimed at getting our patients fully recovered and completely free of their Achilles pain – and now we’re doing it in record time. 

We put our plan to the ultimate test and prescribed it to a hospital medic who had started floating the idea of early retirement because of his ongoing Achilles pain. Between the long shifts, hard floors and constant walking from ward to ward, after struggling for months, he knew he couldn’t do it much longer. Something had to change – for his own health, physical and mental wellbeing, and that of his family’s – and his dogs! 

So we conducted a biomechanical exam of his feet and legs, confirmed his Achilles injury and suitability for our Achilles Action Plan. Then we got started with treatment. Six weeks later and he’s bringing out the dad jokes, nicknaming his feet “Happy Feet”, and smiling through his review appointment. 

His Achilles, and heel in genera,l feels great. He’s finally feeling stoked with his work performance and pace. He doesn’t feel “old” anymore. And his dog is thoroughly walked – no more guilty looks!

Is Achilles pain an ongoing problem for you? 

If it is, call us for an assessment to see if the Achilles Action Plan is right for you. All our services are completed by experienced, registered podiatrists whose job it is to get you back to feeling great and moving without pain in the shortest time frame.

Book your appointment online or call us on 06 370 4057