Paddocks Healthcare Clinic

Chiropody, Podiatry & Chiropractic Care
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  • Get 25 Percent off your first consultation and treatment at Henfield Podiatry

    Posted on March 10th, 2011 Martin No comments

    CLICK on the image above to download your printable voucher

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  • Ankle Sprain Treatment

    Posted on February 14th, 2012 JonCollins No comments
    Strapping the foot and ankle for ankle sprain treatment
    Ankle sprains/ strains are one of if not the most common sports injury to happen to the foot and ankle; according to the International Society of Clinical Rehabilitation Specialists. Not only does ankle injuries happen in athletes but also day to day in people lives, whether its walking down the road or running for a bus ankle sprains happen.
    Taping can be done by anyone at home with the right tape and the right technique it can be done with great effect to prevent excessive strain, pull, and tension on affected tissues. It forms part of an overall treatment plan, and without correct treatment and rehabilitation a chronic ankle injury can develop.With good strong, sturdy taping methods the foot can be manipulated in very much the same way as an orthotic/ insole to change the mechanics of the foot. If you are unsure about how effective an orthotic can be it might be worth seeing if taping and strapping of the injury on the foot has any benefit.  Also if you are constantly finding yourself putting on taping or even a permanent brace then you might benefit from orthotics/ insoles.
    There are a wide host of different taping methods out there for a wide number of foot related injuries that can occur. As previously mentioned one foot compromises 26 bones and between 200-300 muscles ligaments and tendons, not to mention blood vessels, nerves and the thick layers of skin that makes up just one foot. All of these has to work in harmony, sometimes a little bit of strapping and taping can go a long way which is what we offer at Bartholomew Way Clinic Horsham and Paddocks Healthcare Henfield for ankle sprain treatment.

    Keep reading for the full and detailed strapping technique that can be done at home…..

     

    Jon :)

  • Diabetic foot health checks

    Posted on February 6th, 2012 JonCollins No comments
    Diabetic Foot Health Checks
    What is Diabetes?Diabetes is a condition where the pancreas has either stopped making insulin, doesn’t make enough insulin or makes the wrong type which doesn’t work. You can either have Type I or type II diabetes, although they are both slightly different in the disease process, what is important is that they both have the same effects on the body and most importantly to myself as a podiatrist THE FEET!!!

    It is therefore impossible to mention podiatry without mentioning diabetes. Diabetes can effect the feet in a wide number of ways, Diabetic foot health checks include;
    • Neuropathy- which means loss of sensation which usually starts off in the feet, but can also effect the hands- so you are therefore unable to recognize or prevent injury to the feet.
    • Poor circulation- cramps in the calf, change in colour of the feet/ legs, the temperature of the feet maybe either extremely cold or extremely hot
    • Decreased resistance to infection- which can be problematic if the foot is injured in anayway.

     

    And what do you have to do??

    1. Check your feet morning and night, looking for anything out of the ordinary which may include heat, redness, swelling, pus, around a cut, or even a cut that doesn’t have these signs. If you notice any of these signs then put a dry dressing on the wound and come into clinic as soon as possible.
    2. moisturise the feet x2 daily. taking good care of the skin will go a long way to keeping it in tact and preventing any infection going into the feet
    3. Make sure your shoes fit well
    4. Don’t walk around the house or outside barefoot
    5. Have regular exercise
    6. Eat the right foods and keep your blood sugar under control your HbA1C needs to be 6.5% ideally.
    7. Have your feet checked by a podiatrist at least once a year.

     

    100 people a week lose a limb in the UK through diabetes (Diabetes UK 2009). This figure is ever rising and with simple podiatric monitoring and care we hopefully can prevent this figure including patients all over the country, the world, and in those of you with diabetes who can come in and see me at either Bartholomew Way Clinic in Horsham or Paddocks Healthcare in Henfield!!

    If your reading this now and you think well I have diabetes but I don’t have any of these problems, well that’s fantastic, but it is worth seeing a podiatrist at least once a year to get a full check over of your lower limb health, incluing your nerves, your blood supply, your skin integrity and range of motion of your joints.

    Key points if you think you have diabetes but are unsure?

    • Eating more than usual
    • Drinking more than usual
    • Feeling tired more than usual
    • Feeling pins and needles in the hands and feet
    • horrible smell when you pass water

  • Plantar Fasciitis Treatment

    Posted on February 3rd, 2012 JonCollins No comments
    Plantar Fasciitis Treatment
    What is plantar fasciitis?
    Plnatar fasciitis is a common condition that causes pain on the bottom of your foot, although the pain is usually localised to either the ball of the foot or the middle of the heel, the pain can be anywhere underneath. As can be seen by the picture where pain can be felt anywhere along the red line!!
    Signs and Symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis!!
    The diagnosis of plantar fasciitis is usually made by clinical examination, along side certain key signs and symptoms that are associated with planter fasciitis.So do you think you have plantar fasciitis? Below is a list of positive clinical examinations along side the most common reported signs and symptoms;
    • Pain on the undersurface of the foot (usually on the middle of the heel bone, or on the ball off the foot in the middle)
    • Pain first thing in the morning and pain after periods of sitting for a long time
    • less stiffness and pain after walking around for a while

     

    What causes plantar fasciitis?
    It is caused by straining the plantar fascia that supports the arch, repeated strain can cause tiny tears in the plantar fascia that can lead to pain and swelling. It is important to get planter fasciitis resolved very quickly, obviously because of the pain, but also because if it is left for long periods of time then it can become chronic in nature and be harder to fix than if it merely happened a few days ago. But never fear there are things we can do if it has been there for a long time!!!

    Below is a list of the most common causes of plantar fasciitis!!

    • your  feet have a tendancy to roll in and look like your arch drops, this is known as excessive pronation
    • you have high arches
    • you have a flat foot
    • you have a job that means your on your feet for long periods of time
    • you are carrying a few extra pounds
    • you wear shoes that have minimal support in terms of a thin sole or slip on shoes, or they are worn out
    • you have tight muscles in the calf (back of the leg)

     

    How is it treated?
    If your reading this and you think well I’ve tried a few of these online treatments and nothing is working, it is important to remember that different treatments work well for different people, and no one single treatment works well in isolation. Plantar fasciitis needs to be treated in various different ways to really repair the plantar fascia in as short amount of time as possible.
    Here is a few tips to try to repair the plantar fascia…….

    • Try and take a break from activity for a while, give your feet a rest
    • To reduce the pain and swelling try topical ibuprofen, or icing the under surface of the foot
    • Calf’s need to be stretched, in order to feel the benefit of the stretch, it needs to be held for at least 30 seconds (ideally 45 seconds). This needs to be done twice a day
    • When you wake up in the morning spend 30 seconds massaging along the length of the heel
    • Ideally get a new pair of shoes
    • It is also important to see what is going on with the structure of your foot, and see if this will cause you to have plantar fasciitis in the future or other conditions associated with the feet, some patients get an alleviation in symptoms with the stretching and tips above, however it may come back due your foot structure not being in the ideal place… If you are concerned about this then please don’t hesitate to give me a call and come in.
    • we offer many more methods for plantar fasciitis treatment…… just call in and have a chat!!!

     

    Hopefully this helps, if you have any questions about any of the information or similarly any other problems associated with your feet then dont hesitate to get in touch!!!! :)

  • Biomechanics

    Posted on February 3rd, 2012 JonCollins No comments
    Biomechanics involves the assessment of the structure, alignment and function of the feet and legs, and determines if anything “abnormal” in the foot can cause pain in the feet or higher up the body.
    Who should have a biomechanical assessment?
    A biomechanical assessment could be beneficial to anyone who has persistent foot, knee, hip and lower back pain. Sometimes patients with jaw and neck pain will also benefit from an assessment. It is also important to highlight those who have corns and callus usually present due to walking abnormally which results in the corn/callus occurring to protect the soft skin. AND  sometimes it may be recommended that a patient undergoes a biomechanical assessment even if no pain or corns/ callus is present, this can be the case if the podiatrist notices an excessive or reduced range of movement or a particular joint in the foot.

    So next question what is Gait Analysis?? Some of you may have hear about this term… this may give you a clearer idea!!!
    Gait is simply the way in which we move our whole body from one point to another. More often than not we may also run, skip, hop, waddle, jump and any way you imagine.

    Gait analysis is a method used to assess the way we walk or run and to highlight/ if any biomechanical abnormalities. Having the ability to move efficiently and having a “good” “normal” “neutral” “fluid” gait is important in avoiding injuries. It is crucial to have joints capable of providing good quality, and good direction of movement, in addition to having muscles capable of producing sufficient force is vital to generate an efficient gait cycle. If a joint is stiff whether due to trauma, tight muscles, osteo arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis or any other condition that effects the joints then the body must find ways of compensating for problem, leading to the biomechanical deformities, and therefore paving the way to show purpose for a biomechanical assessment by a podiatrist.So what happens in clinic?

    Gait analysis usually involves walking or running along a long corridor where the podiatrist will be observing all areas of the foot, knee, hips, spine, shoulders, all the way up to the position of the head. Gait analysis is useful to all people and sometimes a change in footwear will be enough to aid in injury prevention, but it’s not until we see you that we can recommend this.

    Types of injuries that are associated due to poor gait biomechanics that can be corrected by a podiatrist are;

    ·      Shin splints

    ·      Planter fasciitis

    ·      Runners knee

    ·      Jumpers knee

    ·      Patella-femoral knee pain

    ·      Achilles tendonitis

    ·      Lower back pain

    One of the best ways to see what your foot is doing is look at the wear marks on your shoes, if there is a change in the wear marks between the two sides or more wear marks on one side than another then come into the practice.
    So any questions don’t hesitate to come in, give me a call, or drop me an email. Look forward to hearing from you
    :)

  • Chiropody

    Posted on February 3rd, 2012 JonCollins No comments

    Chiropody is a very misleading title. A chiropodist is someone who deals with anything to do with feet, and well a podiatrist is….. someone who deals with feet as well.

    There is no real difference between a chiropodist and a podiatrist,,,, however over time with Podiatry becoming a more familiar term used, Chiropody is what we do very very well, these include

    • nail care
    • fungal nails
    • thickened nails
    • corns
    • callus (hard skin)
    • fungal skin infections
    • dry cracked heels

    In some patients this is needed, if you cannot bend down, if you cant see, if you have other medical conditions that mean the feet have to be checked regularly, such as diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

    HOWEVER some of you may merely want to treat yourself to getting your hard skin removed and your nails done, this is absolutely fine.

    So whatever the reason why not give me a ring, drop me an email or come on in!!!

  • Electrosurgery/ Electrodessiccation for permanent removal of verruca and corns

    Posted on January 17th, 2012 JonCollins No comments

    Electrosurgery/ Electrodessiccation

    Over the last 10 years a form of electrosurgery called electrodesiccation has been used in Chiropody/ Podiatry to treat long standing corns and verrucae with good results.

    Quite simply: Electrodesiccation is completely painless this is achieved by an injection of local anaesthetic which is given before treatment begins. An electrocautery unit looks like this:

    Our electro surgery unit

    The probe is held against the corn or the verrucae. The energy from the radiowaves causes evaporation of the cell contents, which then forms a hard plaque that is then removed with a scalpel, this technique enables the corn to be removed a lot deeper than usual. More often than not the corn and more so with the verrucae can be removed permanently.

    The Procedure

    On the day of your operation you should eat and drink as normal. You will be awake for this procedure, which involves the administration of local anaesthetic injection adjacent to the nerves supplying the area to be treated. The radiolase is then used to remove the infected tissue. Antiseptic dressings are applied and a pressure-relieving pad applied (if the area is weight bearing). You should ALWAYS arrange for transport as you will not be allowed to drive on the day of this procedure.

    The appointment time required for this treatment is one hour to one and a half hours. It is advisable to rest the foot for the remainder of the day of operation and the following day as much as possible, however most patients are able to return to work after 24 hours.  A follow up appointment 1-2 days later is required for the wound to be redressed. The wound must be kept covered and remain dry for 1 week.

    There is some post-operative discomfort, which is usually relieved with ibuprofen. The wound is usually dry with a scab formation within 2 weeks. Healing takes place over the next few weeks depending on how much rest you are able to take and provided the wound remains free from infection. The wound normally forms a scab 10-14 days post-op depending on the size of the wound. You may have to return to your Podiatrist in four to six weeks to have any remaining scab reduced.

    The majority of verrucae cases are completely eradicated in one treatment (94%) with the remaining (6%) lesions requiring a second treatment.

    If you require any more questions on electrosurgery/ electrodesiccation then please don’t hesitate to get in touch and have a chat with one of the team either Jon, Mo, Gary or Charles on 01403 276 272, or similarly go to the website www.bartholomewwayclinic.co.uk

  • Gait Analysis

    Posted on January 17th, 2012 JonCollins No comments

    <div>So what is Gait Analysis??
    Gait is simply the way in which we move our whole body from one point to another. More often than not we may also run, skip, hop, waddle, jump and any way you imagine.
    Gait analysis is a method used to assess the way we walk or run and to highlight/ if any biomechanical abnormalities. Having the ability to move efficiently and having a “good” “normal” “neutral” “fluid” gait is important in avoiding injuries. It is crucial to have joints capable of providing good quality, and good direction of movement, in addition to having muscles capable of producing sufficient force is vital to generate an efficient gait cycle. If a joint is stiff whether due to trauma, tight muscles, osteo arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis or any other condition that effects the joints then the body must find ways of compensating for problem, leading to the biomechanical deformities, and therefore paving the way to show purpose for a biomechanical assessment by one of the Podiatrists within our team.

    Contact us on 01403 276272 to have a chat to Jon, Mo, Charles or Garry.</div>

  • Caring Nail Surgery at Paddocks Healthcare

    Posted on January 14th, 2012 Martin No comments

    Are you suffering with a painful toenail?

    We can help solve your problem permanently.

    We have undertaken many hundreds of nail surgery procedures and we have many happy patients who no longer have problems with their toenails.

    Book a consultation now and take your first steps to permanently more comfortable feet and toenails.

    Call reception on: 01273 495106  (quote “WEBPAGE”)  or use the contact form

    A typical surgery schedule will involve:

      • A 30 minute initial assessment, followed by a 45-60 minute surgery appointment (often the next day).
      • We then like to see you again to redress the toe(s) within 48 hours (ideally 24 hours later).
      • Then a carefully demonstrated routine of self redressing for 2- 3 weeks followed by another review appointment.
      • Often self redressing will continue for several weeks after this.  Most toenails heal quickly and completely in 3-6 weeks, some can take longer.

    This package includes follow-up to healing and costs £295

    Including:

    • Initial Assessment and GP letters
    • The surgery and all fees
    • 24-48 hour follow-up appointment
    • All redressing appointments until full healing

    We can arrange a payment plan if your finances cannot stretch to the whole cost immediately.

    Call reception on: 01273 495106  (quote “WEBPAGE”)  or use the contact form

    We undertake partial and total nail avulsion surgeries, with phenolic ablation of the nail matrix, under local anaesthesia.

    These procedures can be appropriate for a wide range of toenail problems, from an acute inflamed bleeding toe to a longstanding ingrowing toenail that flares occasionally. We also treat patients with thickened nails and nails that are persistently uncomfortable with minor surgical procedures.

    Nail surgery may not be appropriate for all nail problems or patients.

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  • Great August FitFlop SALE

    Posted on August 5th, 2011 Martin No comments

    We’re having a FitFlop sale in August between the 8th and the 31st….

    25% off all FitFlop including the early drop winter stock!!

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  • Free Slow Motion Gait Video and Foot Pressure Studies : May & June 2011

    Posted on April 14th, 2011 Martin No comments

    Call Stella on (01273) 495106 to book a free 30 minute session.

    • You will have slow motion walking video shot from front and behind and a pressure mat study performed.
    • There will be an opportunity to try Aetrex foot orthotics chosen for you by the pressure study software.
    • We will post your FREE data CD of the video taken and screenshots of the pressure mat study, as well as a short recommendations report.

    Book now places are limited…

    (01273) 495106

     

     

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