Further Information
We cover some of the most frequently asked questions here. You’ll find information on our practitioners and on specific treatments elsewhere on our website.
If you’re using health insurance, you’ll usually need a GP or consultant referral. In all other cases, it is possible to self refer. We also understand the value of existing patient: practitioner relationships so if your existing practitioner feels that you would benefit from a referral to see us, we’re more than happy to work with them.
We treat musculoskeletal injuries (including sports injuries) and also other musculoskeletal conditions such as back pain or osteoarthritis. We see a wide range of patients of all different ages.
Since we don’t have multiple tiers of middle management or shareholders to pay, we can provide medical procedures at a significantly lower cost than the private hospitals. An outline guide to fees is provided here but due to the extensive range of treatments offered, if you would like a list of treatment fees for a particular service, please contact reception on 01943 850950 (or drop us an email) and we will be happy to provide this to you.
Our practitioners vary in which insurance companies they deal with but our reception staff can advise on this. If you are using health insurance, please check with and gain authorisation from your insurer before you attend.
If an insurer (or any other third party) declines to meet any of the appointment/treatment costs – either in part of in full, you will become responsible for any shortfall that arises.
Patients should also note that for podiatry services, most insurers do not cover the cost of foot orthoses. Orthoses made in clinic by the podiatrist are typically between £45.00 and £90.00 a pair
For patients who wish to claim back from a “Hospital Fund” or “Cash Plan” policy such as those operated by Simply Health, please ensure that you check the terms of your policy before you attend. Most of these policies will cover therapies such as physiotherapy, podiatry and osteopathy. As far as medical claims on these policies are concerned, the General Medical Council (GMC) does not have a specialist register for Musculoskeletal Medicine which means that under the terms of most cash plans, you will not be covered for our medical services. Some private medical insurers do have discretionary recognition for specialist doctors in Musculoskeletal Medicine, but they do not tend to apply these criteria to their simpler cash plan policies.
Treatment Rooms: We have two treatment rooms on the ground floor and one on the first floor. If you have difficulty managing stairs, please make our reception staff aware when booking your appointment so that they can ensure that a ground floor treatment room is available for you.
Parking: we have a small car parking area adjacent to our main entrance (which can accommodate two vehicles), and the clinic is also located next to the car park at the Morrison’s supermarket in Guiseley (Morrison’s have an agreement with the council to allow anyone using the town’s facilities to park for up to three hours).
Entrance: We have a low threshold at the main front door entrance and a portable wheelchair ramp for use where required.
Other: There is also a wheelchair accessible toilet on the ground floor. We also have a portable loop system available, so please mention this at reception should you wish to use it.
The practitioner will take a detailed history and conduct a physical assessment to try to establish the precise nature of your problem. They will also try to identify any causative, and/or perpetuating factors before recommending a management/treatment plan.
Where the patient wishes to proceed with treatment at the first visit, we aim to do this if appropriate. Please note however that this may not be possible for insured patients receiving medical procedures from our specialist doctors. This is because the insurer often has to approve the recommended treatment and may also require a written report to assist them in this decision.
Your practitioner will need to be able to assess and treat you. For example, for the assessment of a back condition, a practitioner will need to be able to see and examine your back so it will be necessary to partly undress to allow this. Some of our patients like to bring a pair of shorts and a t-shirt to change into.
For podiatry appointments, we also ask that you wear clothing that allows easy access to your feet and lower legs, such as a loose pair of trousers or again, some shorts.
If you have previously received investigations such as x-rays, it may be helpful if you can bring along a copy of the results of these if they have not been forwarded on directly by your doctor. If you are also taking any medication, please bring along a list of what you are taking.
For podiatry appointments – the podiatrist can obtain helpful information about the way you walk or run from the wear pattern on your shoes, so bringing in a selection of shoes that you currently wear is useful. Runners and other athletes with biomechanical problems may need to run for an accurate assessment to be made. Sometimes this is performed on the treadmill in clinic and at other times, we use the area at the back of the clinic to assess a more natural running style. For such patients, it may be appropriate to bring a pair of running shoes and some suitable clothing for this purpose.
If you have already received x-ray or MRI, it might be helpful to have those results with you. However, it is now possible for patients to self refer for investigations such as an MRI scan. Our advice is that investigations should only be pursued on the recommendation of an experienced practitioner to make sure that it is appropriate and that you don’t waste your money. Sometimes the problem isn’t structural and sometimes pain can be referred from another area.
When a practitioner makes a decision to refer a patient for an investigation, they usually do so to either confirm or exclude a suspected clinical diagnosis and this will influence the type of investigation they request (e.g. x-ray, MRI or other type of imaging). Yet in many cases, conditions can be diagnosed without the need for imaging, from gaining a detailed description about your symptoms and by performing a thorough clinical examination. In addition, our doctors have ultrasound scan facilities which can be used to aid diagnosis at a consultation where this is appropriate. A consultation with one of our doctors includes a diagnostic ultrasound scan at no additional charge (patients pay only the cost of the consultation)
Most injections involve the administration of some local anaesthetic and the decision about whether a person will be likely to be able to drive following injection should be based on a number of factors. You should therefore discuss this with your practitioner.
If you have received analgesia in the form of Entonox gas during your injection procedure, you should also wait at least 30 minutes before driving and again, you should only do so if you feel fit to do so.
Remember, you should only drive if you feel fit to do so, and if you consider that you would be able to perform an emergency stop if it was necessary to do so. To do otherwise could invalidate your insurance policy.
Musculoskeletal problems by their very nature sometimes require multidisciplinary input. If one of our practitioners feels that you would benefit from the input of another healthcare professional (either here at the clinic or elsewhere), they will discuss this with you and (subject to your consent) will make a referral for you.
Technically, there is no difference. The term “Chiropodist” was changed in 1993 to the more modern term “Podiatrist”. However when we book an appointment for you, we will ask you about the nature of your problem to ensure that an appropriate appointment is booked.
Musculoskeletal podiatry involves the diagnosis and treatment of conditions which affect foot function such as achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, metatarsalgia, arch strains, tibialis posterior dysfunction, bunion pain, foot arthritis and more. Biomechanics (the way you walk or run) can also be an influencing or contributory factor in problems that might develop not just in the foot but in areas higher up the limb such as knee pain so musculoskeletal podiatry also aims to correct any deficiencies in your biomechanics to help restore normal function and prevent symptoms reoccuring.
General chiropody on the other hand includes things like nail trimming and the treatment of corns, callouses and verrucas.
…And if there is something else you’d like to know which isn’t covered here, just get in touch with us to ask.
- 01943 850950
- info@wharfedaleclinic.co.uk