Our Brighton based Clinic uses state of the art manufacturing equipment to produce custom made orthotics on site. This means that the cost of a custom made device is kept very low and you can leave with the device on the same day in most cases.

 

Podiatry and our Podiatrists

Our podiatrists in our Brighton based clinic are specialists in all foot problems. Our Podiatrists are fully qualified and registered with the health care professions council.

 

Podiatrist Treatments

Our chiropodists / podiatrists offer treatments from routine foot care, verrucae treatments, minor surgeries to gait analysis and orthotic, manufacture. Our podiatrists have treated many Brighton based athletes for sports injuries, using orthotic, therapy and closely working with our physiotherapists. Our podiatrists will work closely with you, helping you to achieve the outcome you want from your treatment. You will be involved at every stage of the formulation of your treatment plan. Our podiatrists regularly treat runners, golfers, walkers, footballers, rugby players and many more athletes, but they also treat others who have foot problems. There are many common foot problems.

 

All about Podiatry & Chiropody

 

What is the difference involving a Podiatrist & Chiropodist?

Nothing! There is no difference between a chiropodist and a podiatrist. The term chiropodist has been traditionally used in the UK, but the term podiatrist is recognised and used more internationally. Chiropodists in the UK are being referred to as podiatrists more and more and many people in the profession refer to themselves as both.

 

What is a Podiatrist?

A HCPC registered podiatrist/ chiropodist is a specialist in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of disorders affecting the foot and lower limb. Foot disorders affect the majority of the people at some time in their lives.

Podiatrists currently have to undertake a Bachelors degree which includes 1000 clinical training hours to meet standards for the use of the protected titles Podiatrist or Chiropodist. A Podiatrist may well be trained in the use of local anaesthetics and have a licence for issuing prescription only medicines.

 

What Does a Podiatrist do exactly?

• This list is not exhaustive, but gives some idea of what a Podiatrist does:
• Relief of foot pain.
• Prescription and provision of orthoses (specialist insoles).
• Use of techniques including minor surgery using local anaesthetics.
• Preventative care for people with specific conditions such as diabetes, poor circulation and various forms of arthritis.
• Recognition of systemic medical conditions which may first manifest themselves within the foot and alleviation of the          effects of these disorders such as inflammation or ulceration.
• Routine care of problem nails, corns and callus.
• Podiatry Facilities

 

Our clinic has facilities for gait analysis, which is used as part of a functional assessment prior to the prescription of orthotics, which are manufactured on site by our podiatrists.

 

Gait Analysis / Functional Assessment

A podiatrist can tell a lot by the way that you walk or run. Tests on ranges and quality of movement, along with measurements of how each bone lies in connection to others are used in the analysis of gait.

As we walk our feet go through some very complex changes we walk. They are fantastic feats of engineering! They need to be stable enough to take all of our bodyweight, then be flexible enough to adapt to the ground, and then become rigid enough to push us forward again, all of this in less than a second.

Biomechanics are vital to our every journey, whether it is a walk across a room, or a marathon. If our gait (the way we walk) is causing us problems, a podiatrist can make or prescribe devices that go inside footwear to correct some of these problems

 

Orthotics/ Insoles

These devices can be made or prescribed after a full functional assessment. They are used to reduce pain, redistribute pressure, and to prevent problems with our feet. They can be used to treat hallux rigidus, plantar fasciitis, severs disease, leg length discrepancies, metatarsal, heel spurs, and many more conditions.

It is vital to have a functional assessment first; well you wouldnt buy glasses without an eye test would you? A podiatrist will ensure that the devices fit in your shoes properly, and that you can wear them comfortably. They take a little time to get used to for some people though.

Temporary devices can often be made on the day from as little as £30, whilst some specialist devices may have to be ordered from a lab. There is a choice of custom or off the shelf devices. Not all conditions require a custom device.

Our Podiatry team are foot specialists. They deal with everything from heel pain and orthotics to ingrown toenail surgery. The clinic is an accredited practice with the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, meaning that you can be sure that you are receiving the highest level of care at our clinic.