The Foot & Heel Pain Specialists
Thank you for visiting this page.
Why do you need our help?
Before going further let’s first discuss about the basic structure of foot and what may be the reasons for the Foot and Heel pain
Structure of Foot:
The foot is an intricate structure of 24 bones that form two arches. The longitudinal arch runs the length of the foot, and the transverse arch runs the width. The ankle joint is the interaction of the foot and the lower leg, and the toes are on the far side of the foot. The bones of the foot are primarily held together by the shape that they fit with each other and by a fibrous tissue known as ligaments. The muscles of the foot, along with a tough, sinewy tissue known as the plantar fascia, provide secondary support to the foot. The foot has internal muscles that originate and insert in the foot and external muscles that begin in the lower leg and attach in various places on the bones of the foot. There are also fat pads in the foot to help with weight-bearing and absorbing impact during weight-bearing.
The foot is the foundation of most athletic movements. Pain indicates that there is something wrong with either the interaction of internal structures of the foot or with the how the foot is interacting with external influences. How and when the pain occurs and the locations of the pain are the primary clues to what may be causing the pain.
Below is the list of few common foot and heel problems we commonly see:
Plantar fasciitis:
You may have heard of the related condition called heel spur syndrome. Plantar fasciitis refers to an inflammation of the plantar fascia. The inflammation in the tissue is the result of some type of injury to the plantar fascia. Typically, plantar fasciitis results from repeated trauma to the tissue where it attaches to the calcaneus. It is a painful inflammatory condition of the foot. It occurs on 10% of the population over a lifetime. The plantar fascia is a band of tissue, much like a tendon, that starts at your heel and goes along the bottom of your foot. It attaches to each one of the bones that form the ball of your foot. The plantar fascia works like a rubber band between the heel and the ball of your foot to form the arch of your foot. If the band is short, you'll have a high arch, and if it's long, you'll have a low arch, what some people call flat feet. A pad of fat in your heel covers the plantar fascia to help absorb the shock of walking. Damage to the plantar fascia can be a cause of heel pain. Plantar fasciitis is a common problem among people active in sports, especially runners. It typically starts as a dull, intermittent pain in the heel and may progress to sharp, constant pain. Often, it is usually worse in the morning or after sitting, and then decreases as the person begins to walk around. In addition, the pain usually increases after standing or walking for long periods of time, and at the beginning of a sporting activity. As a rule we generally find that there are combinations of causes and this is where our ‘specialty’ really comes into play. It is a very specialized condition requiring specialized knowledge.
Metatarsalgia (‘Ball’ of the foot or Metatarsal Pain):
Pain in the ball of the foot (called metatarsalgia) may have many different causes (including arthritis, poor circulation, pinching of the nerves between the toes, posture problems, and various disorders). It refers to the pain which is experienced at the ball area of the foot. This area is also known medically as the metatarsal foot region. Metatarsalgia can affect not only the ball of the foot but also the joints and the bones within that region. Metatarsalgia is coined as a term to indicate any pain which can be experienced in the metatarsal region of the foot. Literally, the term means "pain in the metatarsal area". The metatarsals are the long bone structures which can be found in the feet's front part and located just underneath the toes. Our approach is to find out exactly why these problems are happening to the patient and eradicate them at their source.
Re-occurring ankle pain:
Patients will often consult us with pain in the ankles that has not resolved following an injury. These cases will usually exhibit an imbalance in the foot that has prevented healing by exerting unusual pressure on the injured site. By correcting the balance, the injury can be allowed to heal naturally.
Achilles pain:
Achilles pain spans a range of symptoms from slight tenderness along the Achilles tendon to a sharp burning pain on the back of the heel right where the Achilles tendon attaches to the heel bone. It may or may not be accompanied by swelling. Achilles pain is usually caused by excessive or unbalanced tension in the Achilles tendon which causes micro tears at the attachment to the heel bone. This can be due to a muscle imbalance (shortening of the calf muscle) or hyperpronation (fallen arches and ankles rolling in). Hyperpronation causes the heel to lean in which typically causes increased tension on the inside attachment. Achilles pain may also be caused by the heel counter of your shoes rubbing against the tendon or tendon attachment area. Orthotics are able to give good results in these cases and our consultants will be most happy to assess whether we can help you.
Bunions (hallux abducto’ valgus): A bunion is generally considered as an enlargement of the joint (a lump of bone) at the base and side of the big toe. Hallux valgus or hallux abducto valgus (HAV) is the name used for the deviated position of the big toe and a bunion refers to the enlargement of the joint - most of the time the two go together and can just be referred to as 'bunions'. Bunions are most widely considered to be due to an imbalance in the forces that is exerted across the joint during walking. The resulting abnormal motion and pressure over the joint, over many years (combined with poor fitting footwear) leads to instability in the joint causing hallux valgus and bunions. Accurate orthotics may stop a bunion growing in the vast majority of cases and may stop the constant pain associated with their growth.
Knee, hip pain or lumbar back problems: These problems are not always due to foot imbalance, but our consultants will be happy to advise you about this. Many cases can be completely cleared by wearing orthotics, but we would need to see you to offer our expert opinion.
Although there are many causes of foot and heel pain, the two most common conditions we treat are plantar fasciitis and Metatarsalgia.
On your initial visit with us, we would take a thorough history and do a thorough examination of the problem that you have. Once we have determined that orthotics can help, we will show you samples of our tailor made orthotics and then we can help you decide what types of orthotics you need. We will then advise you of the exact costs involved. You are under no obligation to go ahead with the order and your consultation remains free.
If you decide to proceed with your orthotics, then we will proceed to take records of your feet.
Laser scanning is our preferred measurement technique and although not unique to us as a measuring device its use is excellent as a way of determining foot shape. However, it must be stated that a laser scan is merely a measuring device and it’s the tailor made orthotics where the unique manufacture comes into fruition. In other words, even ineffective orthotics can be made using laser measurement!! The technical work is carried out at our laboratory in the USA where the work is very advanced.
Although not always required, we do offer great after care services. Overall only 10% of the clients may need the aftercare visit and that too only a single repeat visit. There are some cases where multiple adjustments are needed especially with a complicated case.
All our after-care and adjustments are completely free within the first year and given by highly experienced Biomechanics Consultants or technicians. Our orthotics are designed to return your feet to their ideal position generally known as sub-talar neutral. However (and this is where it gets complicated!) some clients have feet that they cannot cope with this position and we will need to re-assess this. Orthotic adjustment is generally a very poorly understood concept by practitioners in our field but we consider it absolutely vital. It is unrealistic to expect every client to adapt to their orthotics immediately without adjustment and the need for adjustment should never be looked upon as negative as this is never an indication of the final result.
- Our free consultation means that it costs you nothing to find out whether we can help you. We will not allow you to buy orthotics if we are not 100% certain we can help you.
Our combination of unique methods of manufacture, coupled with laser scanning gives you an incredibly high chance of success - Your journey to us will be a very worthwhile one, no matter how far you travel
- Our consultants have all suffered with foot pain at some stage, so you receive not only very expert help, but empathy and a willingness to go that extra mile to achieve your cure
For a free consultation simply telephone the clinic on 0844 567 8889 and one of our friendly staff will make an appointment for you to visit at a convenient time. Our Biomechanics Consultant will assess your condition and give you information about why you have the problem, whether you will benefit from orthotics and how we are going to tackle the condition.
100% money back guarantee
We offer a completely free consultation where one of our highly experienced biomechanics consultants will assess your suitability for our orthotics. If after using our tailor-made orthotics and taking advantage of our free aftercare service within the first year, (if needed) your pain has not gone, we will refund your money in full. It's as simple as that!