Author: mattwelckadmin (Matthew Welck)

Recovery from foot and ankle surgery takes longer than most people are told, and being uncomfortable at three or four months is common rather than a sign that something has gone wrong. But pain that carries on always has a reason — time and healing, the way the foot lines up, an irritated nerve, a...

Sharp pain under the heel with your first few steps out of bed, easing as you move about and returning after you have been sitting, is the classic pattern of plantar fasciitis. Despite the name it is not really an inflammation but wear where the band of tissue meets the heel bone, which is why...

Hallux rigidus is arthritis in the big toe joint, and it is often mistaken for a bunion. The clue is stiffness rather than the lump, and it hurts most when you push off. This guide explains what actually helps — from a stiff-soled shoe to cheilectomy, silastic joint replacement and fusion — and what the recent evidence, including the Cartiva recall, really shows.

Bunion surgery is often described as a six-week recovery, but the honest picture is closer to six months. Most people are walking in a protective shoe from day one and back in normal trainers by 6 to 10 weeks, yet the swelling, stiffness and final shape of the foot take far longer to settle. Our...

A ruptured Achilles is one of the most commonly missed injuries in A&E. The bigger question is what to do next — an operation, or several weeks in a walking boot.

One of the first questions patients ask about a total ankle replacement is how long it will last. The honest answer is a range rather than a single figure, and it depends on the implant, the alignment achieved at surgery and how the ankle is looked after afterwards. In our latest patient guide, we set...

Do you feel like your ankle keeps rolling or wobbling, even long after your original sprain has healed? A recurring sense that your ankle cannot be trusted on uneven ground is one of the most common concerns we see in clinic, and it usually has an identifiable, treatable cause. In our latest patient guide, we...

Padel is one of the fastest-growing sports in the UK — but behind the boom in popularity lies a surge in foot and ankle injuries that I’m seeing every week in my clinic. From ankle sprains and Achilles tendinopathy to stress fractures and ligament tears, the explosive lateral movements, hard court surfaces, and often inadequate...