Health & Wellness Magazine HealthQuest Spring 2018 | Page 27

SEEING A PEDORTHIST Should You See A PEDORTHIST? BY: BRENDAN WALSH CANADIAN CERTIFIED PEDORTHIST, HEALTHQUEST DO YOU ever experience recurrent foot, knee, hip or lower-back pain? For individuals experiencing persistent leg and foot problems, you should schedule an appointment at HealthQuest for an evaluation and recommendation. Our podiatry and pedorthic team is specially trained to perform comprehensive evaluations to alleviate foot pain, address all foot care needs, and keep your body in balance to reduce pain. We see a wide range of clients including children, athletes, diabetics, and individuals looking to enhance day- to-day comfort. treatment options can be recommended. It is important to note that they can vary from person to person. Some of the more common options include custom orthotic inserts and orthopedic footwear. Custom orthotic inserts are made from scratch, based around the clinical findings and a cast taken of your foot. Custom orthotics look similar to the off-the-shelf insoles you can purchase at the drug store, but are actually a highly- customized support designed specifically for you to create better alignment between the foot and ankle. A visit with a Pedorthist begins with a biomechanical assessment. Biomechanics refers to the way all the ligaments, muscles and joints work together to help move your body forward, while also considering the forces of these movements on the ground in order to determine the stress that is being placed on individual areas during the walking motion. Since your body moves as one overall system, a complication in one area can create problems in other parts. Our Pedorthists are committed to overall foot health and work closely with our on-site Podiatrist, Dr. Costantinos Sugarman, who can diagnose and treat patients for a wide variety of foot problems. Most insurance plans will cover the initial assessment, orthotics consultation and one follow- up appointment. Some will even cover a portion of your cost for the orthotics themselves which can cost a few hundred dollars. Keep in mind that even if you have to pay some out-of-pocket fees that are not covered by your plan, your investment in improving your body alignment can pay off in the long run by helping you avoid more serious problems down the line. You can think of your body's mechanics like a river. When there are no obstructions, the water simply moves along with one easy motion. When a blockage occurs, the fluidity of the river is interrupted and the water diverts some place else in order to complete its goal, which is continuing down the river bed. The same can be said for you biomechanics. When all joints, muscles and ligaments are working within their normal range of motion, then the body moves efficiently and pain free. When a “blockage" occurs – such as a uneven pelvis, flat foot or rotated patella – then the body’s fluidity is changed and this can lead to pain in certain areas. Once the biomechanical assessment is completed, When visiting HealthQuest for an evaluation, it’s important to bring along the footwear that you will use with the orthotics. HealthQuest also has many orthopedic