Treatment solutions
Orthotics
There are two types of foot orthotics: off the shelf and custom made. Each has its role in managing foot mechanics and we work with both.
All of our custom made orthotics are made by hand and are unique to your specific needs. The design of your custom made foot orthotic depends on your aches and pains, how you move, your body shape, the activities you’ll use them for, the shoes they’re going in and more. There’s a lot to consider when designing and making them so we don’t take our decisions lightly!
It takes time and effort to produce orthotics the old school way, but over the years of trying out new technologies, we’ve always come back to the way we’ve found makes the biggest difference for our clients. By hand.
Braces
Bracing is a common treatment method that we use for the ankle and knee in both athletes and general population. Whether it be custom or off the shelf, stabilizing or unloading, the right brace for your body and lifestyle can allow you to get back into movement! Our team is constantly educating ourselves on the new types of braces being manufactured and how they reflect the research, so that we can be sure our clients are getting the best support.
Oftentimes bracing a joint is only part of solution to the injury at hand, so our bracing assessments cover your history, biomechanics, and injury needs. Please come ready to move and have the joint in consideration measured.
Functional
Foot Work
Our feet are amazing and do so much work for us that we take for granted. While a lot of us do our best to ignore our feet, we at The Stride Clinic have been studying and practicing various techniques to build up foot strength! Most people don’t have full control of their feet and toes BUT this is a skill you can learn!
Test yourself: can you lift just your big toe, leaving the little toes and the big toe joint on the ground? Flip that, can you lift your little toes, leaving the joints that connect your toes and foot (MTPJs) and big toe on the ground? We’ll bet it didn’t go as well as you might have thought. That’s O.K., call this your baseline and let’s see where foot strengthening can take you!
If you have flexible deformities of the foot like hallux valgus (crooked big toe), claw toes, hammer toes, mallet toes, or excessive flattening of the feet, now is the time reconnect with your feet!
Compression Socks
Compression socks have come a long way in the past decade. Now available in a wide variety of colours, styles and materials, there’s sure to be a pair that you feel comfortable wearing daily. If you’ve tried compression in the past and found it wasn’t something you wanted to wear, then something about the recipe wasn’t right for you. We believe that taking the time to understand your history, what you want from the socks, and taking detailed measurements makes all the difference in making compression an easy part of your life.
When booking an assessment for compression, we prefer to schedule early morning appointments so that your measurements reflect your legs at their least swollen. Please wear (or bring) something that can allow us to measure the circumference of your legs: for knee high, we will need to see up to your knee; for pantyhose or thigh high, a skin tight or very loose fitted short is best.
Footwear
We carry and have access to order a selection of specialty footwear to help accommodate various issues that can make finding the right shoe tough. From high performance running shoes, to extra depth and width shoes, stretch fabric shoes and sandals for bunions and hammer toes, we can help you find a solution that works for your lifestyle and your feet.
Custom Footwear
Sometimes your shoes just need a little help. In our lab we do lots of shoe modifications for different cases, most commonly building one up to accommodate a leg length difference. Other modifications we do regularly include: widening the sole to accommodate bunions and major arch collapses; buttressing the side of the shoe to prevent you from rolling over the side; and changing/building up the rocker angle of the sole to move you forward with greater ease. We love modifying footwear and have fun working to make the modification look as seamless as possible; we want you to love your shoes!
In certain cases, finding off-the-rack footwear to fit may prove too difficult. In those cases, we have the ability to manufacture shoes, boots (including safety boots!) and sandals that are completely custom made to meet your unique needs. Made from a mold of your feet, these babies will fit like a glove!
Footcare Nursing
— within the Barrie clinic
Teresa graduated from the Nursing Program at Georgian College in 1997 and is a member of the College of Nurses of Ontario. She completed the Advanced Nursing Foot Care Course in 2006 and has been practicing her wonders on feet ever since! She purely enjoys her work and takes pride in everything she does. Her objective is always to make her patient’s feel better.
Your feet carry you wherever you go and are a connection to every body part. If you are experiencing pain or discomfort in any way, it can affect your everyday life. Teresa is very in tune to the needs of each individual. Teresa specializes in Diabetic Foot Care, Corn/Callus Reduction, Plantar Warts, Fungal/Thickened/Ingrown Toenails and other foot related issues. If you would like more information on her services or would like to make an appointment, please call 705-331-6496!
