Unresolved pain?

June 21, 2018 by Tracy

Do you need a Biomechanical Assessment & Footscan?
 
Unresolved back, hip or knee pain? Wasting money on treatments to no avail? A poke and a prod won’t cure chronic pain!
 
What is a Biomechanical Assessment?

Biomechanics is the name given to the area of science concerned with the analysis of mechanics of human movement. In other words it is the science of explaining how and why the human body moves in the way that it does. Biomechanical Assessment leads us to diagnosis and treatment planning.

Rarely do we find that our left and right sides are symmetrical. This is equally so for our feet and legs. The foot is a complex structure of 28 different bones (not 26 as commonly cited), 214 ligaments and 38 muscles, bearing our body weight as we walk every day.

The examination is not focused simply upon the foot but includes the entire body, looking at the head, shoulders, pelvis, legs and knees, assessing the relationship between them. It is important to examine the lower limbs as a whole because they are closely connected and pain in one area can be due to a weakness or structural problem in another area, and can often be exacerbated by poor posture and learnt habits.

The result?

When we stand, walk or run our body has to cope with, and compensate for, these anomalies, often leading to pain and chronic injury over time. 

Once we have identified the causes of your problems we can develop a tailor made treatment plan to improve your symptoms. This may involve one or more of the following:

• Rehabilitation such as stretches, and exercises along with postural advice and corrections.
• Bespoke orthotics to be worn inside your shoes, to help support, and realign under or overused soft tissues and underlying structures. 
• Footwear advice.
• Referral on to other members of the healthcare team if further specialist advice is needed.

What is involved during an assessment?

A detailed Biomechanical Assessment takes about 30 minutes, with three parts:

• You will provide a full history including including previous injuries, and details of the current presenting symptoms, etc.
• Static assessment - an anatomical examination will take place, various specific measurements will be taken both laying down (non-weight bearing) and standing up (weight bearing), muscle testing will also be carried out.
• Dynamic assessment - you will be assessed whilst walking or running in order to understand what is happening during the gait cycle.