Orthotics involves the application of external devices (orthoses) to support patients suffering with nerve damage, muscle weakness or joint pain.
Our orthotics specialists at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals treat both adults and children and provide expert assessment, diagnosis and non-surgical treatment for a range of neuromuscular disorders and musculoskeletal conditions, including:
- cerebral palsy
- common musculoskeletal conditions, including arthritic diseases
- polio
- sports injuries
- stroke
- multiple sclerosis
Experts in orthotic devices
We offer gait analysis and the application of custom orthotic devices to support and improve posture, function and mobility, as well as reduce pain.
We design, manufacture and provide a comprehensive range of orthoses including:
- ankle foot orthotics (AFOs)
- braces/spinal supports
- callipers
- knee ankle foot orthoses (KAFOs)
- orthotic shoes
- prescription insoles
- upper limb orthoses
For patients that require further support, we also have specialist teams in elderly care, rheumatology, pain medicine and physiotherapy.
Benefits of custom orthotics
Our orthotics specialists will conduct an initial biomechanical assessment to get a full view of your bone, muscle and joint conditions. This is used to engineer bespoke orthotics for you.
An orthoses can encompass any part of the body, although the majority of work undertaken is concerned with the lower limbs such as knee, ankle and foot orthoses.
Orthoses have a variety of functions. Some of the potential benefits include:
- improved mobility
- limb deformity correction
- maintaining function and alignment
- protecting joints
- redistributing weight in a limb
- reduced pain
- supporting weak muscles
- treating abnormal muscle tone
Locations
Our orthotic specialists provide care at Westminster Bridge Consulting Rooms based in St Thomas' Hospital:
Discover our orthotics experts
Our orthotics specialists work closely with a number of other clinical specialties including diabetes care, elderly medicine, neurology, orthopaedics, paediatrics, stroke and trauma teams providing high quality, comprehensive care for all our patients
Related services
Our orthotics team work closely with specialists in other therapy areas, including:
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Elderly medicine
Our elderly care service provides specialist geriatric and syncope assessment and assistance in taking long term care of your loved one.
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Pain medicine
Our world-renowned pain medicine specialists assess and treat spinal pain, and conditions including chronic headache, facial pain and pelvic pain.
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Physiotherapy
We offer specialised physiotherapy services for people suffering from all sorts of musculoskeletal pain.
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Rheumatology
Our rheumatology service offers treatment options for all joint and muscle pain conditions.