Basic foot hygiene and nail cutting may be all that is needed to keep your feet in good health but when normal feet turn in to problem feet, it's best to seek professional help.

Some problems are inherited, some develop from illnesses in middle age and some from the pressure of ill fitting shoes.

Andrea Bruce and her colleagues are trained in all aspects of care for the feet and lower limbs.

Apart from the routine foot care problems such as corns and calluses we are able to offer more specialist services...

The toe nail (often the the big toe nail) grows in to the skin at the side of the nail becoming embedded. This can cause the toe to weep or bleed and leads to pain, irritation and possibly infection. Seek advice as quickly as possible especially if you are a diabetic or have a long-term illness. Most frequently the chiropodist can attend to the problem in the surgery with rapid results. Occasionally more severe cases will require minor surgery under local anaesthetic. This simple operation resolves the problem promptly with good cosmetic effect.

If you are experiencing pain in your feet, ankles or knees under everyday loads, or if discomfort develops after sporting activity, you may have a structural problem with your feet. This disturbs their function and places abnormal stress on the limb leading to injury. The chiropodist will be able to tell if any biomechanical problems exist by evaluating movement in the lower limbs. Measuring angles and ranges of joint movement and how you walk and run will help the chiropodist to gauge the way your feet and legs work. One leg may be longer than the other and your bad back may well originate from your feet. The chiropodist may prescribe corrective appliances (orthotics) moulded to the shape of your foot, which will help it to function normally and distribute your weight more evenly.

The way a child walks can say a lot about whether there are any problems. The chiropodist can detect any underlying defects which need treatment. The earlier the problems are detected the quicker they can be treated. The chiropodist may prescribe exercises or corrective appliances which can fit easily in to shoes and may alter the shape of the foot.

Also available at The Centre: OSTEOPATHY, counselling, reflexology, homeopathy, hypnotherapy, aromatherapy....