Foot pain does not have to be a part of everyday life.

Too many people accept aching arches and tingling toes as just their lot in life. For some with aching feet, the problem is an irritant, but for those with diabetes, problems with the feet are simply too dangerous to ignore.

If you’re suffering from foot pain – from the ache of a bunion to the serious health concerns that can result from diabetes – or if you just want to pamper your tootsies, the Foot and Ankle Wellness Center is the answer.

The Foot and Ankle Wellness Center is unlike any other foot clinic in Edmonton, or anywhere in Canada.

Dr. Sheharyar Chaudhry and his team at the Foot and Ankle Wellness Center help you put your best feet forward.

Along with traditional podiatric care, the centre has a full retail component with orthotic footwear, surgical capabilities, state-of-the-art treatment unavailable anywhere else in Canada, and a relaxing foot spa for those days when you just need some pampering.

The mission of the Foot and Ankle Wellness Center is to provide quality foot and ankle health care via the latest diagnostic and treatment methods. Its objective is to promote awareness of lower limb maladies to the general public so that foot and ankle pain need not be considered “normal.” (You do not need a referral from a doctor to see a podiatrist.)

The centre is run by Dr. Sheharyar Chaudhry, a surgeon of the foot and ankle with14 years experience in Edmonton.

Dr. Chaudhry earned his degree in podiatric medicine and surgery in 1990. He pursued further studies when he was accepted as a primary care podiatric medical resident at the University of Southern California Medical Centre in Los Angeles. His desire to stay on the leading edge of footcare has resulted in Dr. Chaudhry bringing to Edmonton – and to Canada – two unique therapies.

Dr. Chaudhry uses a special nerve-testing machine from the Dellon Institutes of Peripheral Nerve Surgery, which measures the amount of nerve damage that has occurred in the feet of diabetics, who are at risk of encountering serious foot problems.

If the damage is mild to moderate, a conservative course of action is taken, such as regular diabetic footcare, appropriate footwear, and possibly Anodyne Therapy, an infrared medical device that increases circulation and decreases pain.

Anodyne Therapy is used in more than a thousand hospitals, universities, clinics, home health agencies, physical therapy centres, long-term care facilities, physician offices and even by the U.S. military.

In the event of more serious nerve damage, there is the surgical option developed by the Dellon Institutes of Peripheral Nerve Surgery of decompressing the peripheral nerves to reverse the numbness, which has a 90-per-cent success rate.

Dr. Chaudhry is the only doctor in Canada certified to perform his procedure. These treatments are for those with moderate to severe foot problems, and are unique to the centre. But what of the more mundane, but still painful, foot problems such as corns, calluses, bunions, warts, hammer toes, etc? The centre can, of course, handle all these problems, but with the added benefit of being a one-stop shopping centre for all your foot health needs – saving you time and wear and tear on your feet.

“As a wellness centre, we offer pain relief through certain types of footwear,” says Dr. Chaudhry. The centre offers a wide range of orthotic shoes from New Balance, as well as the unique z-Coil pain relief footwear, the world’s only footwear specifically engineered for foot, leg and back pain relief.

z-Coil shoes are unique in that they contain a coil located under the heel that have been shown to absorb 40-50 per cent of the impact of walking or running.

There’s good news from the style front as well. Today’s lines of orthotic-friendly shoes are as stylish as anything you’ll find in a regular shoe store.

And if you don’t have any foot problems, but feel that your feet need a little pampering now and then?

The Foot and Ankle Wellness Center can accommodate your wishes, with massage and pedicure rejuvenation.

The address of the Foot and Ankle Wellness Center is 11903-111 Ave. The centre is on the main floor, with plenty of free parking. It is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, with evening hours to come.

Phone 780.488.4844, or visit the website at www.footandanklewellness.net.