What to expect from a visit to us.
When you arrive, you will be greeted by one of our clinical team who will at the reception and take you through to a clinical room. There is plenty of seating if your wish to bring someone along with you. The appointment will typically last between 20 to 60 minutes and begins with the clinician asking you some questions relating to the reason for your visit. This information will be documented within your own personal file. Please bring with you any relevant medical information that you have as this will help.
The assessment usually consists of:
- Visual assessment – This can be as simple as watching you stand, walk or using clinical tools such as pressure and video analysis to monitor joint angles and kinetic data.
- Physical assessment – The clinician will physically assess you looking at muscle powers and joint ranges of motion, as well as performing any other tests that may be necessary to determine the cause of any pain.
Following your assessment, the clinician will discuss with you their findings and outline a treatment plan. Where possible, a number of options will be provided to you and examples demonstrated.
When we are looking to create an Orthotic or Prosthetic device, we consider the function, comfort and cosmetic aspects. We feel it is important to work together so that you receive the optimal solution that helps you at work, during sports or as part of your everyday life.
You are not obligated to purchase any of our products there and then, and we will not provide you with any treatment/ device that is not suitable for you.
To make your device we will need to take measures from you. There are a number of ways we can do this:
- Simple tape measure – Useful for taking simple measures for the provision of standard off the shelf items such as simple wrist braces and knee orthotics, as well as both stock and made to measure footwear.
- Foam impression – Foam boxes allow the clinician to get an accurate model of the under surface of your feet and are very useful in the provision of insoles and functional foot orthotics.
- 3D scan – Using a handheld scanner, an accurate virtual model of a body part can be created. Particularly useful for complex shapes or minimizing hands-on approach.
- Plaster cast – It's been around for a long time, however the use of plaster bandage to achieve an accurate model of a body part is still probably the most commonly used. Good for more complex devices or where a high-degree of control is required such as AFO's KAFO's and spinal bracing.
On attending your fitting appointment your clinician will demonstrate the function and application of the Orthotic or Prosthetic device. You can trial the device in our department to make sure you are comfortable and happy with the outcome.
A wear and care leaflet will be provided and a review appointment scheduled, if necessary. Any outstanding fees will need to be paid in full at this stage.
All devices and components carry a 12 month warranty from date of fitting.
Our experienced technical team are available to repair and maintain a complete range of traditional and modern devices.
We are pleased to offer free tuning or adjustments to all of our devices during their lifetime to ensure you have proper fit and function. However, for additional parts or maintenance/ repairs outside of warranty a charge may be incurred.
We wish to reassure our patients that the appropriate measures as advised by the Department of Health are in place. These measures include:
- Intensive hand washing procedures
- Sanitisation of all entrance ways, corridors and clinic rooms
- Contact clinicians wear appropriate PPE
- Ensuring no patient crossover between appointments
- Implementation of staff segregation and social distancing where possible
