Footnotes
“Excellent service from Total Foot Health.
This was my first visit. Callum was very knowledgeable and explained things clearly, giving realistic advice. Very professional and friendly manner. Clearly mapped out the way ahead. Was welcomed by the team from the moment I walked in.
Thank you for your help“
If your feet could speak, what would they say?
“Why do I need to wear bigger shoes?”
As you get older, the ligaments and tendons that support your arches start to lose elasticity and your feet can start to spread out. This would be more pronounced if you are carrying any excess weight which adds to the downward pressure on your feet.
Whilst the majority of people will need to wear bigger shoes, having low arches does not necessarily mean that you need further intervention. However, if you have foot pain or have noticed that your shoes have worn down on one side, it might be a sign that you need arch support. Physical deformities such as bunions and/or hammer toes are also more likely to develop as we age.
Here at Total Foot Health, we supply and fit both ‘off-the-shelf’ and custom-made orthotics to help with these and other symptoms. Whilst it might seem economical to choose and fit your own insoles, we strongly advise against this as it could be possible to do some long term or irreversible damage.
Our general podiatrists are trained to supply and fit the best available off-the-shelf and custom made orthotics and our musculoskeletal specialist offers a Video Gait Analysis or Biomechanical / Musculoskeletal Assessment.
Our custom orthotics are made from the best quality materials to cushion, support and/or encourage function for comfortable walking and other activities. Furthermore, we guarantee our orthotics for 36 months against breakage through normal use.
Whilst this is an inevitable part of the aging process, you don’t have to suffer.
Please call us on 01722 340057 for more information or to book an appointment.
JUSTINE’S CORNER
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HAVE A CORTICOSTEROID INJECTION UNDER LOCAL ANAESTHETIC IN YOUR FOOT?
(An honest review)
First of all, don’t confuse anabolic steroids with corticosteroids. The former increase muscle mass and improve athletic performance and the latter are very effective anti-inflammatories.
Corticosteroid injections can be used to treat a myriad of conditions including:
- Painful joints, such as hallux rigidus or metatarsalgia secondary to hallux valgus
- Plantar fasciitis
- Painful nerve conditions such as Morton’s Neuroma
- Painful bursitis, often associated with other deformities
- Painful trigger points such as nerve pain following an ankle sprain
- Painful tendonitis
It is generally considered to be quite uncomfortable to have an injection in your foot. This is mainly because the corticosteroid is being injected into a small space. At Total Foot Health, we rate our patient’s comfort as being of the utmost importance so administer our injections under local anaesthetic when required.
After getting the patient into a comfortable position that allows us easy access to the site in question, we use our ultrasound to ensure that the anaesthetic is injected directly into the relevant area. We use a very fine needle and most patients feel nothing more than a slight scratch upon initial penetration of the skin.
It can take up to 30 minutes for that anaesthetic to take full effect but your podiatrist will be checking its efficacy periodically and administering more if required. It is important to note that the anaesthetic is only blocking the nerve so you will still be able to feel pressure applied to the area.
Once the foot is numb, another dose of local anaesthetic is injected directly into the space to be treated, immediately followed by the corticosteroid. This helps to dilute the viscosity of the corticosteroid which will aid dispersion and improve its effectiveness. Your specialist podiatrist will then clean up the area before applying a sterile dressing. Please remember that you should not drive after a local anaesthetic in your foot or leg.
Whilst you should see an initial improvement in your condition, corticosteroid injections aren’t a quick fix and can take up to 6 weeks before you experience their full effect. A benefit of our treatment packages at Total Foot Health is that all of your follow up appointments are included in the cost. It’s very important that you attend these appointments so that your Podiatrist can monitor your progress and make timely interventions as required.
Call us on 01722 340057 for more information or to make an appointment.
GOODBYE TO JUSTINE
One of our Receptionists, Justine, left us at the end of February to spend more time with her family.
She was popular with patients and staff alike and said that leaving Total Foot Health was a very difficult decision to make, but she really felt that her family needed more of her time.
She said that she really enjoyed her time working at Total Foot Health, particularly liaising with the patients and she will sorely miss so many of you.
We support her decision and wish her all the best for the future.
Jocelyn Shepley will be replacing Justine on reception.
REHABILITATION VS PHYSIOTHERAPY
Rehabilitation is a broad term that is concerned with returning a patient to their original condition following injury, illness or surgery.
Physiotherapy (also known as physical therapy) is a type of rehabilitation therapy that mostly focuses on a patient’s physical function.
Clinicians work with patients to improve movement, strength, stability and function through a series of targeted exercises and other treatments.
At Total Foot Health we offer comprehensive and compassionate rehabilitation treatments with our Rehabilitation Specialist, Chris Ball.
Chris is a former international gymnast, professional cyclist and Iron Man athlete.
He has studied Human Physiology and movement forms and has extensive experience working as both a Coach and a Rehabilitation Specialist.
Chris’s rehabilitation treatments are tailor made to suit the needs of each individual patient and may include elements of physical, occupational and vocational therapy as well as neural manipulation to release local nerve restrictions and aid movement.
Working alongside other clinicians within the Total Foot Health practice, we can confidently provide our patients with the best and quickest possible recovery from injury, illness or surgery, thus allowing them to return to doing the activities they enjoy the most.
SWIFT MICROWAVE TECHNOLOGY FOR STUBBORN VERRUCAE
Some may say it is ironic that the most effective available treatment for the removal of stubborn verrucae is ‘Swift Microwave Therapy’ when it takes a minimum of 3 treatments administered at 4 weekly intervals, plus a further 4 – 18 weeks before the final results are confirmed. But that is probably because they don’t know that it can up to 10 years for the body to heal itself without intervention.
Swift is a relatively new technology that boasts an impressive 80% success rate. The specially designed probe delivers a precise and controlled dose of microwave energy directly into the verruca site.
As the microwaves travel into the tissue, water molecules begin colliding and create localised heat energy. This, in turn, activates an immune response and the body starts to destroy the defective cells thus eventually ridding the body of the verruca.
Each burst of microwave lasts up to 5 seconds and whilst some minor discomfort may be experienced during the treatment, most patients report that any pain experienced quickly subsides. Unlike other invasive treatments for stubborn verrucae, no dressings are required and patients are able to return to their day-to-day activities immediately upon leaving the clinic.
For patients with a lower pain threshold, we can administer a local anaesthetic prior to treatment. Please note that an additional charge applies and you will not be able to drive for 24 hours afterwards.
With the warmer months slowly approaching and taking into account how infectious verrucae can be, we strongly recommend that you take action NOW.
Please call us on 01722 340057 to book an appointment today.