Former Local Government Officer (now retired), Veronica Bailey, began to suffer from osteoarthritis in her early fifties. The condition steadily worsened and particularly affected her knees, which made walking even short distances very painful.
Veronica had always been fit and active and loved walking around the many parks, gardens and scenic places in Richmond upon Thames. Being unable to do this had a major negative impact on her lifestyle.
In an attempt to make walking less painful, Veronica tried wearing a range of different footwear as recommended by several respected High Street retailers. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to work.
Then in 2012, whilst on her way to her favourite Richmond bookshop, Veronica passed Foot Solutions in Red Lion Street and noticed window posters promoting ways to help alleviate knee pain.
Intrigued, Veronica entered the shop and was welcomed by store manager Edgar. After learning about Veronica’s situation and her lifestyle goals, Edgar guided Veronica through a comprehensive foot assessment and gait analysis.
As Veronica explains:
“The whole process was very thorough, and professional. Foot Solutions first took the time to understand my situation and goals. Then, the assessment and gait analysis, including hi tech foot scans, identified a need for custom arch supports which would prevent arch collapse, stabilise my heels and in turn, help ease the workload on my knees and make walking less painful.
When the custom arch supports were ready, I returned to the store to try wearing them with a selection of shoes and sandals. After extensive testing, I chose some Allrounder sandals and Brooks trainers both of which comfortably accommodated my arch supports.
This combination of the selected footwear worn with my custom arch supports had an amazing effect. I could once again walk pain-free for long periods and enjoy an active lifestyle”
Veronica enjoyed around 6 years of effective pain-managed mobility, regularly updating her shoes and sandals. Eventually though, ongoing arthritic wear and tear meant that replacement surgery for both knees could no longer be avoided.
Once the post op rehabilitation processes were completed, Veronica returned to Foot Solutions for a new assessment and gait analysis.
Veronica continues:
“The Foot Solutions team were brilliant and patiently guided me through the process which assessed how my new knees had affected my posture and gait and also identified the necessary modifications that needed to be made to my custom arch supports.
Since then I have never looked back. I have built up a great collection of comfortable, stylish footwear for different occasions from brands like Wolky, Mobils, Mephisto and Brooks. These shoes, when worn with my Foot Solutions arch supports allow me to walk 10 kilometres every day with no difficulty. I regularly walk from my home in Kew to and from Kingston town centre and to see my grandchildren in Acton.
I love walking and am grateful to Foot Solutions for helping me stay active.”
How Do Custom Arch Supports/Orthotics Help With Arthritis?
Custom arch supports are effective in relieving pressure on arthritic joints by supporting the foot arches, realigning the feet and evenly distributing weight, particularly during the walking process.
Foot Solutions offer a FREE comprehensive foot assessment and gait analysis which identify problem pressure points in the feet and cause discomfort during walking.