Our Services

We offer a range of services from different clinicians to address your requirements. Hopefully these are explained in the information below but please contact us if you want to discuss which service would be best for you.

Biomechanical Assessments

Our bodies are subjected to a great deal of force during our normal day to day and sporting activities. This will put strain on particular parts of our body and when these forces exceed what our bodies are happy with we sustain an injury. Our assessments aim to identify what is injured and then understand how your body is working and how this leads to the injury. We can then discuss the various treatments that we think will be of benefit to you.

We can use a variety of technology products to help with this process. We have video, footscan and baiobit. All of these provide us with further fine tune our assessment and show you what is going on. Often the more information we have the more accurate we can make our understanding and treatment.

Biomechanical Assessment Bronze - £85

This assessment for a simple foot pain issue and ideal for people less active. It can also be used for people who have more complex problems that want to have an initial assessment to discuss which assessment might be suitable and to discuss treatment options as well.

The foot pain may be in the heel or arch or the forefoot. It is probably felt when standing or walking and comes on as time on feet increases. It may settle quickly when sit or rest and not linger after. It has probably come on gradually and getting to the point of being an irritant rather than debilitating.

Includes:

History of the issue
Diagnosis of the presenting symptoms
Basic assessment when on the couch, standing and barefoot walking
Link the way your feet work to the issues you are presenting with
Discussion of what we think is going on and treatment options
If premade orthoses to be used then fitted at this appointment
Impressions for custom can be taken at this appointment
Advice on management of the presenting problem and further courses of action will be discussed.

Biomechanical Assessment Silver - £120 Footscan Assessment

For active people with foot, leg, knee, hip or back pain that is caused by standing, walking or running.

For active people who are having trouble with being able to continue their activity, such as walking, running, gardening, day to day activity

Includes:

Detailed history of the problem(s) that you are concerned with and a discussion about what is the best assessment tool to help you.
Diagnosis of the presenting symptoms
Assessment of foot and body function on the couch, when standing and walking barefoot
Footwear assessment
Muscle strength and flexibility assessment
Compensations – how you are moving and the implications on the your body
We aim to link the way you move, to how your body works and the injury you are having issues with
We will use the footscan pressure mat to gather further information when you are standing and walking
This provides more information on what we feel is going on and why
Discussion explaining what we think is wrong and what we feel needs to happen
Explanation of possible treatment options and packages
Possible treatment if time allowed
If orthoses are part of the treatment plan then these will be ordered at this session

Biomechanical Assessment Silver - £120 Video Assessment

This assessment will use video to record your walking. This allows us to break down your movement and analyse frame by frame. This shows up small details that we are unable to detect at real speed. It also allows you to see what you are doing and so makes things easier if you are trying to make changes to the way that you move.

Biomechanical Assessment Gold - £150

This assessment has everything. We shall use the footscan, video and baiobit technology to give a fully comprehensive overview of how and why you move as you do. This is a service that is not available in many places in the country. Treatment will also be offered at this assessment and orthoses, if required, will be ordered.

Biomechanical Running Assessment - £175

For people who are running or using running as part of their training who are experiencing pain / limited mobility due to pain.

Painful symptoms anywhere in the body.

Also can be used to assess running performance. This can be helpful for injury prevention or limitations in progression of running speed or duration.

Includes:

A detailed history of running, injury, training, goals and expectations.
Diagnosis of the presenting symptoms
Assessment of feet and body function on the couch, standing and walking barefoot
Muscle strength and flexibility
Footwear
Compensations – how you are moving and the implications on the your body
We aim to link the way you move, to how your body works and the injury you are having issues with
We use the Footscan mat, baiobit and video analysis to gather further information when you are standing, walking and running
This provides more information on what we feel is going on and why
Discussion explaining what we think is wrong and what we feel needs to happen
Explanation of possible treatment options and packages
Treatments if time and appropriate
If orthoses are part of the treatment plan these can be ordered at this session or at a follow up session

Footscan and Baiobit

The footscan mat is able to provide us with further information about how you are walking or running. We take a recording of you standing still and also record you walking over the mat a number of times. We can also record you running either inside or outside. This will provide us with a baseline reading of a number of things. The main things we can see how is much pressure you put on each foot and how your body weight moves forward over your foot as you move forward. We can then use this information to help us form a diagnosis and plan a treatment. This information is also used to help design the Phits and Podfo orthoses. The baseline information can be kept and used to monitor progress as we progress with treatment.

Baiobit is a gyroscope that sits at the top of your pelvis. You are then able to walk, balance, run and various other tests that provides us with an amazing amount of data to show how your body is moving. This will help give more details on your compensation patterns and is excellent for measuring before and after treatment intervention.

Running Gait Retraining - £85

This would be a session following on from an assessment or following in depth chat and we would have a plan

Used to address how you are running to help with an injury or performance

Can be used if you are looking at reducing the level of support in your current footwear

Includes:

Video analysis of your current running form
Discussion on what needs to change and why
Exercises to help change the movement patterns
Running drills to help make the changes to your running
Putting it all together in a practical session
You are videoed on the treadmill or outside and then this is discussed and we look at how to make the changes that we feel are required. This will include specific exercises and running drills. Video feedback is used to show you how you are running and how to make the changes required. This can also be offered as a group session for up to 10 people

Routine Podiatry - New Patient £55, Follow on £48

Nail Care

Are you having trouble with your toe nails?

We are able to offer treatment to help you with your nails. Whether they are too thick to cut or you are just having trouble getting to them, we can help. Some nails naturally thicken as we get older and some become involuted (the edges turn inwards) this makes them harder to cut.

Out skilled podiatrists are able easily cut and maintain your nails for you. What is often a problem can easily be sorted out with the right person using the right tools.

Callus and Corns

Hard Skin Care for Your Feet

Callus and corns are a build up of hard skin on our feet. This is due to the skin being subjected to higher pressures than it is happy with and it becomes thicker as a protection. The problem is when the skin thickens too much and then becomes painful. Removing the hard skin is an easy option to make your feet more comfortable. We use a scalpel to remove the hard skin with care.

Sometimes corns are caused by a structural problem (e.g. hammer/claw toes), footwear, the way you walk, a lack of fatty padding or bony changes in the foot.

If the problem persists or becomes unmanageable with routine care we can look at trying to offload the area with insoles.

What are corns and callus

When our skin has extra pressure applied to it from footwear or an extruding bone, the skin becomes harder. This is called a callus. If the pressure continues, the centre of the callus can be very localised and this becomes a corn.

The hard skin is removed and the corn can be enucleated. The surrounding skin is then smoothed off so the area is blended in. This gives the most comfortable finish and the longest time between treatments. Sometimes we will need to pad or protect the area and you may need to keep this on for a day or so.

Dermal filler is normally injected underneath the corn to provide cushioning and therefore ease discomfort and prevent reoccurrence.

Verrucas

A verruca (plantar wart) is a wart on the foot caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). They commonly occur on the soles of the feet and toes. Verrucas can be contagious and spread to other people through direct person-to-person contact.

Causes of verrucas

When the skin gets very wet it loses its suppleness and flexibility, which can cause tiny cracks and splits to occur. These breaks in the skin make it easier for the verruca virus to penetrate the skin. This happens through direct skin-to-skin contact, or indirect contact with contaminated surfaces. The verruca virus thrives in warm, moist environments such as swimming pools, changing rooms and bathrooms.

Are verrucas harmful?

Verrucas are harmless but can be uncomfortable and painful if they develop on weight bearing areas, such as the feet. In addition, hard skin (callus) can form over the top of the verruca which can increase discomfort to the area.

What’s the best way to get rid of a verruca?

This is a question we get asked almost every day. So, let me introduce you to Swift Microwave Verruca Treatments, offered here at Colpod Podiatry & Therapies.

Verrucae are caused by some strains of the HPV virus. The way that almost all verruca treatments work is not to kill the virus directly, but to create inflammation in the infected tissues which helps the body to recognise that the virus is there. Verrucae can last for many years without treatment because the virus hides itself from the body’s defences.

So what is Swift Verruca Treatment?

Well, Swift was developed here in the UK. The way that Swift works is to create heat in the affected skin, which helps to trigger the inflammation that we want.

The microwaves are applied to the skin via a small probe, which has a disposable tip, single use for each treatment. The treatment itself lasts for only seconds, then we leave the verruca alone for a month for the body to do its thing to get rid of the virus. We review after a month, and if a second treatment is needed, we would do this then. We carry out up to 3 treatments a month apart, then review after a further 12 weeks if needed. Within 3 treatments Swift has been shown to be up to 80% effective.

The only drawback to Swift treatments is that they can hurt, but only for a few seconds. We will always talk you through the treatment options to decide what is right for you.

So if you are ready to be rid of your verrucae, then give us a call.

What is Verruca Needling?

Verruca needling is a minor surgical procedure carried under local anaesthetic for the treatment of stubborn verrucae. It has a reported success rate of 60% however, as with all verruca treatments results cannot be guaranteed.

What does Verrucae Dry Needling Involve?
The procedure involves the use of a fine needle to puncture the verruca lesion multiple times. The goal is to implant infected cells into the dermis thus stimulating an immune response and, therefore, destruction of the human papilloma virus responsible for the development of verrucae. Please use the photo in this section.

The Benefits of Verruca Needling
One huge advantage over other treatments such as cryosurgery and caustics is that only one session of treatment is usually needed. If you have multiple lesions, then still only the “mother lesion” needs to be treated as a systemic immune response is initiated.

There is no evidence that suggests using this technique can spread the virus further.

If you need any further information, please call the clinic.

Injection Therapy

Steroid Injections

Steroid injections are used as a powerful, anti-inflammatory treatment for a specific area of the body including the foot and ankle. Common reasons for this are:

painful joints, such as hallux rigidus or metatarsalgia secondary to hallux valgus
painful bursitis, often associated with other deformity
painful nerve conditions, in particular Morton’s neuroma
painful trigger points such as nerve pain following an ankle sprain
painful post-operative scars

How do steroids work?

Steroids have a powerful anti-inflammatory effect that can help to break the pain/inflammation cycle. They also work by reducing the bulk of soft tissue in the treated area.

The steroid may be given along with a local anaesthetic to block pain from the injected area, giving immediate relief while the slower acting steroid takes effect.

Normally a course of up to three injections can be given, at intervals of 6-8 weeks or up to 3 on an annual basis.

The steroid usually starts to take effect in approximately 24-36 hours, however it can take 6 weeks for the full benefit to be felt.

Are there any risks?

These may occur but are extremely uncommon and generally resolve within a few weeks – they include:

Short term increase in pain – this effect is short lived and can be relieved with an ice pack or simple pain killers.
Possible raised blood sugar levels in diabetic patients. Diabetic patients should monitor their blood sugar after the injection. Adjustment of diet or medication may be necessary for a few days.
Facial flushing – for a short time only.
Skin dimpling, or skin discolouration at the site of injection.
Soft tissue rupture.
Very rarely bleeding and/or bruising in the injected area may occur which may cause increased pain for a few days

Ultrasound Scanning

Ultrasound scan provides us with the ability to look inside our bodies to see what is going on with regard to our injuries. Ultrasound scanning is really good at seeing the state of ligaments and tendons. We use it most often for Achilles tendon and Plantar fascia issues. It can also be used to look at bones or joint spaces. We can see the state of the tendon with regard to how much damage has gone on and where this damage is located. We can see if there is a tear or a rupture in a ligament or tendon or if the joint is restricted. This information then allows us to direct your treatment more appropriately. For example if there is not much damage and there is not a lot of swelling or acute damage we can progress treatment quickly. Conversely, if we see acute damage and maybe a tear we can then keep loading lighter until we start to get healing occurring. If we are going to carry out one of our injection therapies we would perform this with ultrasound guidance. This means that the injected material is injected into the correct place. This is vital to ensure that you receive the most effective treatment.

Sports Massage / Soft Tissue Therapy

Don’t let the title “Sports Massage” put you off if you’re not a particularly “sporty” person. Sports massage and soft tissue therapy can be beneficial to any person suffering with muscle, joint or ligament pain.

Our therapists will take an holistic approach to your treatment, looking at factors such as lifestyle, occupation, activity levels and health conditions to provide a service that suits your needs and gets you back to a place where you can enjoy doing the things you love.

Benefits of Sports Massage/ Soft Tissue Therapy

Increase mobility and flexibility of muscle tissue
Decrease the risk of injury
Correct muscular imbalances
Relieve tension and stress
Improve Range of Movement & flexibility
Relieve muscle pain and spasm
Breakdown scar tissue & adhesion
Get you back to full function after surgery/accidents/slips or falls
Increase or decrease muscle tone
Deactivate trigger points
Improve postural awareness
Correct dysfunctional movement patterns
Speed up recovery from training & aid rehabilitation
Identify potential causes & help with injury prevention
Can form part of a training programme tooptimise performance

Increase feelings of well-being