By Amy Chapman, Clinic Manager/C. Ped (C)

The onset of Covid halted elective surgeries across the world. Our health care professionals had to focus on the pandemic and caring for those affected. This led to a backlog in elective surgeries and an ever-growing wait list for routine surgeries, such as knee replacements. Patients are left waiting and suffering in pain with unknown timelines and expectations. This typically causes people to decrease their activity levels, which can lead to further health complications such as diabetes, high blood pressure and further injury. Our goal is to keep people moving while working with them to managing their pain levels. Movement needs to be easy and comfortable, and we can remove the barriers that are causing someone to take on a more sedentary lifestyle. Pedorthists have always worked with a patient’s health care team to provide non-invasive treatment plan solutions that can help delay a potential surgery or help to manage pain while waiting for surgery. The backlog in elective surgeries, means that our services are needed more than ever.

Knee Bracing

Many people with knee osteoarthritis most likely have a knee brace graveyard in their closet somewhere. We offer a variety of knee braces and will work with you to find the best fit. An “unloader” brace is typically suggested when the osteoarthritis is located on either side of the knee. This unique brace is lightweight and has a low-profile design. It uses leverage to decrease compression at the site of the osteoarthritis, therefore helping to decrease of alleviate pain caused by alignment issues at the knee.

Orthotics

As with knee bracing, orthotics can work to correct alignment issues in the feet that may be contributing to improper knee alignment. We can control how the foot interacts with the ground, in turn having control over the lower limb mechanics. A full assessment by a Canadian certified pedorthist can determine if your feet are causing the issues at your knees.

Footwear

Are you in the right shoes? Depending on the cause of your osteoarthritis, footwear can be a contributing factor. Our footwear is what connects us to the ground and supports our movements. If the base of support is not stable, the rest of the chain will not be stable and the stress will transfer to other joints, primarily the knee.

Referrals

After assessing our goal is always to look at this from an interdisciplinary approach. We inform and educate our patients on any other allied health professionals that may add to the success of your treatment plan and enhance the work we are doing with you. Just remember, you do not have to wait in pain. We can help to manage your pain levels, all while keeping you moving and healthy!