“There are very few things in healthcare that are close to 100% successful,” says Patrick Shields. “But this is pretty darn close.”
An experienced caregiver in advanced orthopedics, Shields is also the owner-operator of Footworks Advanced Foot Care – a recently-opened clinic in Moose Jaw. Having first launched in Swift Current, he says both the success of the original location and an evident need for lower limb care in South Central Saskatchewan made the city a logical next step for expansion."
"We were receiving referrals to our Swift Current clinic from one of the clinics here in Moose Jaw,” he explains. “Once patients had been put in contact with us, we felt the best option was to open up a clinic and invest in the community here.”
Footworks began serving patients at 2-94th Ave NE in Moose Jaw, just west of the old Union Hospital, in November. In the three months since, they’ve been able to help area residents experiencing a variety of foot ailments and lower limb diabetes. A private clinic operating in partnership with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, they pride themselves on offering innovative approaches to health and wellness services that leave patients’ feet feeling stronger and healthier.
“We provide any lower limb healthcare that’s within our scope of practice,” says Shields. “We have alternative, non-surgical methods for ingrown nails, as well as non-toxic treatments for toe fungus. And we also have a partnership with Foster’s Shoes in Regina, which means we can do custom orthotics with their pedorthist.”
With a reflexologist on staff, Footworks also offers complete lower limb massages that focus on pressure points and give overall relief. Those pressure points, Shields explains, help the bottom of the feet feel interconnected with the rest of the body. He adds that the therapy can relieve neck pain, headaches, migraines and stomach issues.
Outcomes in patients of all ages, and with both recent and long-lasting ailments, have been excellent, in Moose Jaw as well as Swift Current.
Originally from Alberta, Shields and his family moved to Saskatchewan in 2019 and quickly recognized a need for advanced foot care in Swift Current. He built that first clinic, at 2-244 1st Ave, “from the ground up,” and quickly began providing treatment for diabetic foot ulcers.
Footworks’ treatments, Shields points out, help to expedite the healing process in foot ulcers and get patients back to everyday activities. He cites a gentleman who came into the clinic having not stepped into a pool or lake for three years because of ulcers on the bottom of his feet.
“It’s been a complete change for him,” says Shields. “The treatment does help heal the feet, but it really impacts people socially and psychologically as well.”
Footwords Advanced Foot Care can be followed on Facebook, and appointments can be booked online or by calling (306) 983-6262 in Moose Jaw and (306) 973-6161 in Swift Current.
