New specialist Orthotics Clinic opens at former Mungret College

A new specialist Orthotics Clinic is open at the old Mungret College building. Picture: Olena Oleksienko/ilovelimerick. In Collaboration with Orthotics Clinic

Dr Declan Sweeney PhD is celebrating the opening of a new specialist Orthotics Clinic at Mungret College in Limerick

Dr Declan Sweeney PhD is bringing more than 20 years of experience to the newly opened specialist Orthotics Clinic at the former Mungret College, offering advanced care for foot and lower limb issues in Limerick and the wider Midwest region.

Dr Sweeney, a Clinical Specialist in Biomechanics and Orthotics, offers a service which focuses on helping both children and adults manage and alleviate pain by treating a wide range of conditions, including plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, Sever’s disease, Morton’s neuroma, metatarsalgia, shin splints, and runner’s knee.

The newly opened Orthotics Clinic welcomes clients from varied backgrounds, with Dr Sweeney saying, “ Typically, I see people who present with symptoms arising from plantar fasciitis, from severs disease, from shin splints.

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“I see people from a variety of different backgrounds, from people who are working on their feet all day to athletes involved in running or team sports such as hurling, football, soccer, and rugby.”

Patients can expect a thorough biomechanical assessment, which includes taking medical history, and performing a physical examination and gait analysis. Dr Sweeney said, “What I want to do is work with people, devise a solution to get them back moving comfortably and pain-free and get them active again.

“Orthotics involves a detailed biomechanical assessment. We start with taking a medical history. We do a physical assessment, which involves gait analysis. We may look at an individual walk, we may look at an individual run, and we identify what their biomechanical issues are, and from that we can devise an appropriate solution.”

Based on the results, Dr Sweeney designs custom-made orthotics; specialised in-shoe orthotic devices tailored to an individual’s foot and movement patterns. These orthotics can be created from digital images, moulds, or casts, and are designed to adjust biomechanical forces to reduce pain and improve mobility.

Explaining how the orthotic works, he said, “ An orthotic is a specialist in-shoe device that can be placed inside a runner, a shoe or a football boot. And when the person uses it, it alters how their foot functions and alters certain biomechanical properties in their foot-ankle complex.

“The orthotics are designed to work by altering the forces and movement patterns with a joint to elicit a biomechanical effect, which causes a reduction in symptoms an individual may experience.”

In addition to his musculoskeletal case-load Dr Sweeney also provides a specialist orthotics service for children with physical disabilities.  

Dr Sweeney welcomes both new and returning patients and looks forward to helping people move comfortably again, saying, “I am really looking forward to seeing you. I can’t wait to introduce you to my new clinic, and I can’t wait to help you!”

For more information, visit the Orthotics Clinic website.