We are all vulnerable to conditions such as foot and heel pain or osteoarthritis of your knees, hips and back. Aches, pains and injuries like this restrict your work and sporting activities and really impact your quality of life, sometimes for years! Until you find the underlying cause of your pain you will be vulnerable to repeated incidence of your symptoms.
"I have had Cartilage damage and constant knee pain since my teens as a result of my poorly feet. After having an assessment and orthotics form Ian I now get hardly any pain and the cartilage damage is on the mend!".
Annie Cane, Senior Administrator
Weekend appointments available
Assessment and Diagnosis
We look to understand you and your pain. At the start of your appointment we will discuss the history of your condition, how it occurred or if it runs in your family. We also want to know what you need from your treatment, how your condition is affecting your quality of life, so we can both find the cause of your pain and treat you as an individual.
Your symptoms are then thoroughly investigated along with your joint function. We will then assess your standing and walking posture using foot scanning and gait analysis. From our findings we can establish the underlying root of your pain. We won’t simply treat your symptoms by the use of medication or leave you vulnerable to recurring injury. Our diagnosis results in long term cure. We will discuss your pain, how it was caused and agree a treatment plan that fits your lifestyle by the end of your biomechanics appointment.
Gait analysis
The way you walk and/or perform any sporting activities, e.g. running, cricket or tennis is assessed along a walk/runway. This shows us how your body reacts to the way your muscles and joints function. Where appropriate your footwear will also be assessed to see its impact on the way your body reacts. Our walkway has an imbedded footscan® system measuring precisely the way your foot moves across the ground.
Foot scanning
We use foot scanning to measure the precise time and magnitude of the movements of your feet and legs, as you take each step. Each walking step lasts only 0.6 seconds and a running step less than 0.3 seconds, so its impossible for the naked eye to see every detail and witness your damaging movement. Our footscan® takes 500 pictures per second allowing us to analyse these movements in exceptional detail.
Ian Sadler, the Norfolk Biomechanics Clinic’s principle clinician, is a qualified instructor in clinical interpretation of foot scanning technology and was involved in pioneering the use of this technology in a clinical environment. Not all foot scanners are the same, they will all produce a ‘picture’ of your feet however most only take less than 100 pictures per second and have less than 1 sensor per cm2 whereas the scanner used in the Norfolk Biomechanics Clinic has 4 sensors per cm2 and samples at over 500 pictures per second giving unparallel resolution and depth of information.
Sports Podiatry
Sports specific assessments are available where we can assess your gait while performing a specific sporting activity, for example running or bowling a cricket ball. The assessment will look at not only foot and lower limb posture but also your pelvic stability and muscle balance between left and right limb. This enables us to tailor your treatment plan to your specific activity as well as to your sporting lifestyle and goals. Sports specific orthotics can be tailored to your specific sport and footwear requirements. These insoles are not ‘hard’ and will allow your foot to move and function correctly for your sport.
Orthotics
The outstanding results of this assessment mean that should an orthotic be required, one can be designed to your exact anatomy which will control precisely the individual joint and muscle function (your biomechanics) as you perform your work, rest or sporting activities. Foot orthotics for the left and right feet usually differ, this is because by scanning in such detail the smallest differences can be assessed and treated. Orthotic insoles are available in a variety of forms, including slim line orthoses to fit into dress shoes, or lightweight cushioning insoles designed specifically for sporting activities.
