Foot Solutions

Helps Sarah get back on her feet

In October 2000 Sarah Brown slipped walking down some steps to the beach and so began nine years of pain and frustration for the previously active mother. Sarah had broken her left ankle very badly and had also dislocated the joint. Her ankle was plated and screwed to repair the fracture and she spent six weeks in plaster, followed by several weeks of physiotherapy. Unfortunately Sarah developed “post traumatic arthritis’ where she had bone rubbing against bone, which was extremely painful. In March 2002, she had to have her ankle fused, spending three months in an air boot and on crutches. Afterwards, she had to start using a walking stick. Two years later, Sarah had to have another operation and spend another 3 months in plaster and on crutches. By 2009, she found that even getting out of a chair or bed in the morning gave her excruciating back and hip pain and she was limping very badly.

After an introduction to Foot Solutions in Plymouth, Sarah had her feet and gait assessed using specialist technology to determine her specific needs. She was measured up for custom-made shoe inserts and trainers and was amazed to find that after just five days wearing the new trainers with the inserts, her back and hip pain had totally disappeared; she had stopped limping and was able to throw away the walking stick. Not surprisingly, Sarah was thrilled with the improvement: ‘Not only was I pain free, I didn’t need my walking stick and I was soon playing tennis again with my son, something I hadn’t been able to do for years. I could hardly believe the massive improvement in my mobility.’

Recently, ten years after her original accident, Sarah ran the Plymouth 10k Race For Life for the first time, achieving a great time of one hour and 18 minutes.