Medical Conditions
How we can help with your medical condition
Orthotic consultants can provide orthotics that can be used to assist with many different types of medical conditions. A brief summary of the main conditions that we can assist with are listed below. Please note this list is just a summary. If you can’t find what you are looking for why not drop us an email and see if we can help you.
Flat feet/pronation
Rolling in effect of the foot and ankle and is often associated with a reduced or no arch visible in the foot with complaints of pain in the arch of the feet, pain on the inside and outside of the ankle joints, heel pain, shin pain of the severity it wakes children at night with complaints that their legs are hurting, Knee pain, hip pain, lower back pain. Can effect children and adults. Usually is problematic after increased activity.
Orthotic consultants can provide insoles that provide customised medial arch support and if possible correction in the insole to improve the alignment of the foot and ankle alongside advice on suitable footwear that can support your feet and reduce your pain.
High arch feet/supination
Rolling out effect of the foot and ankle and is often associated with a high or very high arch visible in the foot with complaints of pain in the heel and under the balls of the feet, pain on the outside of the ankle and foot, pain up the outside of the legs, pain in knees/hips. Can effect children and adults.
Orthotic consultants can provide insoles that provide customised arch support and if possible correction to improve the alignment of the foot and ankle and reduce pressure taken under the balls of the feet alongside advice on suitable footwear that can support your feet and reduce your pain.
Metatarsalgia
Excessive pain experienced at the front of the foot and is usually due to the movement of the fatty pad under the balls of the feet and increased pressure in this area. This can usually present anywhere between under the 2nd toe and the 5th toe. Often described as a feeling of walking on pebbles and/or like there is a stone in my shoe.
Orthotic consultants can provide insoles to help alleviate pain felt in this area and also reduce the pressure being taken by customising the insole to take pressure elsewhere through the bottom of the foot and also footwear advice on how best to support your feet and reduce your pain.
Morton’s Neuroma
Trapped nerve between either 2nd/3rd or 3rd/4th toes. Caused by thickening of the nerve tissue and patients often complain of feeling a sharp shooting pain and/or clicking in the toes and/or pins and needles in the toes that are effected.
Orthotic consultants can provide insoles to help alleviate pain felt in this area and reduce the nerve tissue from thickening further and also provide footwear advice on how best to support your feet and reduce your pain.
Plantar Fasciitis (Severe Heel Pain)
This is a very common problem where a patient will experience a very extreme level of pain directly under the heel bone of the foot and also it can travel under the arch of the foot. This is usually worse on taking your first steps in the morning and can become increasingly more painful with time. Patient will complain of bruised feeling under the heel of the foot.
Orthotic consultants can help by providing customised insoles to cushion the heel bone and at the same time to provide the arch of the foot support and footwear advice that will help support your foot and reduce your pain.
Leg length discrepancy
Leg length discrepancy otherwise known as LLD is where one leg is longer than the other. This can happen for any number of reasons including after surgery of the knee and hip, breaking of a bone in the lower leg or curvature of the spine.
Orthotic consultants can help by providing either internal raises to level the body or external shoe raises if the raise is of a significant height. This will help reduce the pressure on the lower back and allow a significant reduction in pain.
Ankle instability
Ankle instability is when the ankle has a tendency to roll in a specific direction. The most common is when the ankle rolls outwards and can result in ligament or even bone related injuries and pain.
Orthotic consultants can help by providing insoles with a specific tilt on the base to help reduce the ankle instability or even footwear/insoles and ankle braces for both sporting and general day to day use. This can help significantly help reduce the risk of rolling the ankle.
Cerebral palsy
A non- progressive neuromuscular disability caused by lesions in the brain occurring before birth, at birth, or during infancy. There are many types of motor disabilities and the patient can be effected in one or more limbs.
Orthotic consultants can provide ankle, foot orthotics, heel cups/insoles, Orthopaedic boots and insoles, Body braces, arm splints, lycra suits/shorts, KAFO’s.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and is otherwise known as degenerative joint disease, in which the joint ends, or cartilage, tend to wear away through “wear and tear”. This can affect any joint in the body but is principally seen in the feet, knees, Hips and lower back. O.A isn’t correctable so the aim is to reduce your pain and allow you to continue with your everyday life without being limited by pain.
Orthotic consultants can provide insoles, footwear, Osteoarthritic specific knee braces, Post op Hip and Knee braces, back supports.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Autoimmune disorder, which instead of protecting joints, actually attacks and inflames them. Usually effects the smaller joints first (fingers/toes/wrists and ankles). Accompanies by general feeling of ill health, joint stiffness and burning sensation in their lower limbs.
Orthotic consultants can provide Wrist/thumb braces, elbow braces, Insoles to cushion and offload joints in feet (toes), Footwear and insoles for clawed/hammer toes and severely misshapen feet, knee braces and ankle braces.
Diabetes
Resulting from a lack of insulin, which is essential for transferring glucose from the blood stream to the tissues. Diabetics can suffer from neuropathy which means in short they have reduced sensation in their feet. This puts them at high risk of injury/ulcers to the feet which can possibly lead to amputations due to infections to the bones.
Orthotic consultants can provide soft footwear with no seams to protect feet, made to measure footwear following amputations and or to prevent foot breakdowns, insoles to protect the bottom of feet from breakdown/ulceration and general footwear and total contact insoles for at risk diabetic feet.
Stroke/CVA
Lack of or too much blood getting to the brain which will usually result in the paralysis of one or more limbs of the body on one side. This usually presents with a drop foot and/or loss of use of one hand/arm/shoulder. The drop foot is a serious problem as when the patient walks the foot is usually pointing towards the floor causing the patient to fall as the toe catches the floor, resulting in further injury.
Orthotic consultants can provide an AFO to help lift the foot and keep it at the correct angle during walking which makes your walking more efficient. There are many different versions of AFO’S from simple cloth fabric versions to more complex plastic or carbon fibre versions. A shoulder brace can also assist patients who have had a stroke.