Living a healthy, active life often means being able to rely on your feet and lower limbs, and taking care to keep them in great condition. It allows you to do more of what you love in life.
Canadian Certified Pedorthists are allied healthcare professionals who are trained to assess lower limb anatomy and biomechanics. They treat musculoskeletal injuries, medical conditions, disabilities, and diseases that affect the lower limbs.
A pedorthist can help with a wide range of foot and lower limb issues, including:
- Over/under pronation
- Foot, ankle, knee, leg, and heel pain
- Lower limb and back pain
- Skin and toenail conditions
- Arthritis
- Diabetes
- Sports injuries
If you happen to experience any of these problems, working with a pedorthist is the best way to alleviate pain and prevent worsening of the condition. If any issues should arise, see a professional quickly to get help and begin treatment right away.
The goal, according to the Pedorthic Association of Canada, is to help patients achieve and maintain proper foot care and lower limb health, and live healthy, active lives. Through a biomechanical exam and gait analysis, they are able to determine the best course of treatment for a patient.
They also specialize in custom-made orthotics, orthopaedic footwear, and braces—including design, fitting, and modifications.
Samantha Calder, BSc. Kin., C. Ped (C), is the Owner/Manager of BioPed Footwear and Orthotics in Aurora. Some of the helpful services she and her fellow pedorthists at the clinic provide include:
- A comprehensive assessment of your feet and lower legs that includes providing a postural and gait analysis (evaluating how you walk or run), range of motion testing, palpation, footwear analysis, a detailed history, and reviewing any potentially complicating health factors
- Educating you about your foot or lower leg condition and the recommended treatment
- Providing custom-made foot orthotics, custom ankle bracing, custom shoes, or over-the-counter devices
- Professionally fitting you with orthopaedic footwear and compression socks that are appropriate for your foot type and problems
- Modifying footwear to accommodate problem areas.
What to expect
A typical biomechanical assessment takes about 45 minutes. A number of tests will be administered, starting with an assessment of muscle strength and joint flexibility, examining joints and muscles while seated, standing, and walking to determine if and where abnormal function and mechanics exist. Lower limb alignment is also a focus, both while standing and walking.
You can expect to be asked a series of questions, which may include:
- Past/current health conditions
- Medications
- Previous injuries/surgeries
- Daily activity
- Workplace environment
- Current footwear.
“Our goal is to improve patient biomechanics, comfort, and mobility,” says Calder, whose treatment plans are always patient-centred and include education and shared decision-making.
At BioPed Aurora, their multi-disciplinary team of clinicians, including certified Pedorthists, Chiropodists, and Advanced Footcare Nurses, empowers their clients to do more of what they love in life. They are uniquely trained and certified to identify and treat conditions of the lower limb and foot, providing comprehensive lower limb and footcare services, including the scanning and fabrication of custom orthotics in their on-site lab.
They also offer compression and bracing solutions, as well as a wide selection of stylish, orthopaedic-friendly footwear and medical footcare services.
Find relief from your foot pain at BioPed Aurora. Call the clinic at 905-726-9555, book an appointment online or request a call back.
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