In 2008 I was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. I suffered a fractured dislocated ankle joint and was subsequently diagnosed with avascular necrosis and arthritis. The pain was unbearable, I was unable to weight bear, and the pain affected my sleep which really affected my quality of life.
I had a couple of operations and several cortisone injections, but although the injections helped temporarily the pain came back and was as bad as ever. I went to see a surgeon desperately seeking some alternative to surgery as the pain was getting worse, he advised me that a rocker insole might help and recommended that I should go to see David Hallowell at the Northern Ireland Foot and Ankle Clinic. David did a full assessment and explained clearly what the mechanical cause of the pain was. He then took a cast for a rocker insole which he issued two weeks later. The result was outstanding, I am amazed at how it worked. The difference the insole has made in my day to day life can not be put into words. As a young man with a young family, I was looking at an ankle fusion or a below knee amputation as my next treatment option. The rocker insole has allowed me a sense of normality in my life that I never thought possible.