Data-driven approach to putting your best foot forward
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The move is designed to make the clinic more accessible – providing three ground-floor clinics, all with wheelchair access, and a ground-floor disabled toilet.
Podiatry is a branch of medicine devoted to the study, diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle and lower limb.
Business owner Suvanne Southgate says: “Our previous premises in Tenison Road were in a Victorian house and not disabled friendly – with the toilets and most of the clinic rooms upstairs. Our new bespoke clinic ensures we can comfortably accommodate all our clients, whatever their mobility issues.”
As well as offering the traditional range of treatments, Cutting Edge Podiatry has brought the gold standard of biomechanical assessment out of the research lab and into everyday clinical practice to offer a data-driven approach to tackling musculoskeletal problems, such as hip and knee arthritis, running injuries or lower back pain.
The clinic has joined forces with University of Oxford spin-out Run3D to use state-of-the-art infrared camera technology, combined with custom-built software, to create an exact computer model of an individual walking or running.
The cameras measure the position of small reflective markers on a patient's legs 200 times a second as they walk or run on a treadmill. The personalised computer model is used to calculate joint motion in 3D – with an individual's joint angles compared with an extensive database of uninjured controls to identify unusual gait patterns in real time.
The root cause of any injury or pain can then be identified – and data-driven rehabilitation and treatment can be precisely targeted.
“Evidence shows that gait analysis and retraining are powerful and effective interventions for helping people walk without pain," said Southgate. “But, until now, only specialist orthopaedic hospitals and elite sports performance centres have had access to the advanced technology required to provide a personalised approach to identifying and treating musculoskeletal issues.
“With this new infrared-based technology, we can accurately measure 3D joint angles in real time in the clinic – enabling us to quantify a patient's biomechanics, recommend evidence-based treatment, monitor the outcomes of the intervention and assess progress over time. The technology can instantly quantify the impact of different footwear, for example, gait retraining or surgical intervention.”
Charles Clarke was suitably impressed. He said: “Suvanne’s first-class, efficient and personal services give her clients healthy feet – an essential component of healthy lives.”
Cutting Edge Podiatry was launched by Southgate in Cambridge in 2012. She has been a qualified podiatrist for more than 20 years, with experience in both the NHS and private practice.