Diagnostic Tools

Lots of specialised kit to help us get to the bottom of your issues

Knowledgeable and skilled

Our foundations within the clinic are built on our extremely knowledgeable team and the array of skills they have at their disposal. For a thorough assessment however sometimes additional tools may be required to investigate a lesion, injury or a health condition. As a progressive practice we have invested heavily in not only the training of our team but the diagnostic element of our care pathway to ensure the best outcomes and up to date informed advice for our patients. 

Devices you may see in the clinic

• Kardia ECG

• Doppler Ultrasound

• Ankle and Toe Pressure Measurement

• Diagnostic Ultrasound

• Footscan and Podosmart Gait Analysis

• Dermatoscope

• EasyForce and EasyAngle

Kardia ECG

A quick and simple device used by us to detect 6 of the most common types of heart arrhythmias. Kardia ECG is used on all our new patients and as an annual check for our existing patients, to assist in diagnosing some of the more common heart conditions, and can help ward off the chance of a heart attack when followed up with a full ECG with a cardiac specialist.

Doppler Ultrasound

Coupled with Kardia ECG assessment, Doppler Ultrasound is an important element of vascular analysis. It gives a sonic reading of the type of pulse in your feet. This can give us additional information as to the quality of the blood supply from your arteries. Irregularities can be picked up, such as where there is a stiffening of the arterial wall causing possible increased risk of limb ischaemia, stroke and heart attack. This is an essential tool for us in the management of people with diabetes and peripheral vascular disease.

Ankle and Toe Pressure Measurement

Our Huntleigh Doppler kit allows us to not only use the ultrasound element to analyse the pulses in the feet but to also take toe pressure and ankle pressure readings. This in turn gives us a definitive picture as to whether there is a major issue with the circulation into a foot or feet. The findings from an assessment can allow preventative action to be taken in order to maintain the circulation to a problem foot or limb, possibly saving them from amputation.

Diagnostic Ultrasound

One of our newest additions to the clinic is our Orca Medical Konica Minolta MX1 diagnostic ultrasound, which will give us a clearer picture of pain and injury issues. It allows us to highlight not only issues along tendons, ligaments and fascia but can assist in defining specific areas of inflammation. The ultrasound may also be used to guide corticosteroid injections for a more accurate dispersal and improved therapeutic effect for issues like neuromas and plantar fasciitis.

Footscan and Podosmart

These 2 devices work hand in hand with each other when analysing the walking/running gait cycle. Footscan is a pressure plate system that reads the loading distribution of the feet as they strike the ground, while the Podosmart in-shoe system can give us angular analysis by which the foot adopts at different points in the gait cycle. Combined together this gives us a true snapshot of the way you walk and can guide us to the root cause of your issue, so that we can not only manage your pain but resolve the problem.

Dermatoscope

Dermatoscopy is the investigation of epidermal skin lesions. The dermatoscope enables us to look at the layers of the skin under a polarised light with a magnifying lens to better diagnose skin lesions. Verrucae, warts, foreign bodies and types of skin cancers can be analysed using this clever little bit of kit. 

EasyForce and EasyAngle

EasyAngle and EasyForce allow us to not only measure strength and flexibility, but give clarity for our patients on the improvement in their injury. The EasyForce quite simply measures the force exerted by a muscle/s when attempting a particular action, giving an accurate quantifiable resistance reading. The EasyAngle on the other hand can accurately measure the range of motion of joints and actions, showing the grade of injury initially and the improvement during or following rehabilitation.