Sports Injury Podiatrist & Rehab Services

What is sports and rehab podiatry?

Sports and rehab podiatry is the assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of foot and lower limb injuries caused by sport, exercise or overuse — with a focus on getting you safely back to activity while reducing the risk of the problem returning. At Blueprint Podiatry in Tuggerah, our podiatry team combines genuine running and gait analysis with objective testing to guide your recovery, not guesswork.

Who is it for?

You don't need to be an elite athlete to benefit. We help runners, weekend sport players, gym-goers, and anyone whose foot, ankle, shin or knee pain is holding them back. Common reasons people see us include:

• Achilles tendon pain and calf-related injuries
• Plantar heel pain (often called plantar fasciitis)
• Shin pain and lower-leg overuse injuries
• Forefoot and metatarsal pain
• Ankle sprains and post-injury rehabilitation
• Post-surgical lower-limb rehabilitation

What causes sports-related foot and lower limb injuries?

Many sporting injuries develop when load outpaces the body's capacity to adapt — for example, ramping up training volume too quickly, returning from a layoff, or changing footwear or surfaces. Foot mechanics, muscle strength, joint range of motion and running technique all influence how load is distributed through the lower limb. Symptoms can include localised pain, stiffness, swelling, reduced strength, or pain that worsens with activity and eases with rest.

How does Blueprint assess and treat sports injuries?

Our team of three registered podiatrists each holds a Bachelor of Podiatry and a Level 1 Running Coach qualification, and each is trained in Foot Mobilisation Therapy — so running mechanics and lower-limb rehabilitation are core to how we work.

Where clinically relevant, your assessment may include:

• Force-platform gait analysis on our Zebris instrumented treadmill, measuring plantar pressure and ground-reaction force while you actually walk and run — not just visual observation.
• Objective strength and range-of-motion testing with a VALD dynamometer, giving us reliable baselines to guide your rehab and inform return-to-sport decisions.
• Custom orthotics when indicated — 3D scanned under weightbearing conditions and 3D printed in-house, with patient-matched left and right devices.

From there, your treatment plan is tailored to you and may include a structured loading and strengthening program, footwear guidance, foot mobilisation therapy, and in-clinic modalities such as shockwave therapy or dry needling where appropriate. Our goal is to help manage your injury and support a confident, measured return to activity.

When should you seek help?

Consider booking if pain persists beyond a few days of rest, recurs each time you return to sport, limits your training, or follows an acute injury such as a sprain. Earlier assessment often means a clearer path back to activity.

Practitioners offering this service

• Ally McIllhatton - Tuggerah Clinic
• Matt Shanahan - Tuggerah Clinic
• Remy Kozary - Tuggerah Clinic

Our clinics offering this service

• Tuggerah Clinic