Khalil Elgharsi, owner of Wealcan Medical Equipment, Supplies & Orthotics believes in helping people who are in pain find solutions. No matter what the problem is he believes that there is something that he can offer that will give pain relief.
Many people are afraid of seeking help because they think it will mean another medication or surgery, but often a small change in habit, lifestyle or even in your shoes can make a big difference.
Elgharsi is a board-certified pedorthist and certified compression fitter for the treatment of lymphedema and venous disease. He has practiced pedorthics in New York and the Kansas City area since 1997, with extensive experience in sports medicine, lymphedema and diabetic foot care.
“Wealcan is a high quality medical products and equipment store with a focus on foot-care products like inserts and custom adjustments, lymphedema supplies, orthopedic supports and braces,” Elgharsi said. “We work with walk-ins as well as working with athletes, healthcare professionals and government agencies. I saw a need for a full service medical equipment store and custom foot insert business in the area.”
Many of his customers suffer from painful or disabling conditions of the foot, ankle, knee and back caused by disease, congenital defect, overuse or injury.
A pedorthist works with physicians or directly with individuals and give a whole range of conservative - or non-surgical - treatment options. A pedorthist works to relieve pressure, redistribute weight, accommodate or support conditions, prevent injuries, compensate for imbalances or overuse, and preclude the worsening of damage to the foot.
“In addition to addressing lower-limb problems, footwear prescriptions can address foot-related problems, such as lower back pain, pelvic imbalances, or other limits to your physical ability to perform,” Elgharsi said. “The first part of your pedorthic assessment includes a history taking. Probing questions are asked to get a better picture of where and why you are experiencing the pain. Once we have an idea of how long you have been experiencing this discomfort, a series of tests will be performed including testing the range of motion of each joint. This motion is influenced by several structures: configuration of bone surfaces within the joint, joint capsule, ligaments, tendons, and muscles acting on the joint; testing the strength of certain muscle groups; determining the type of foot position: overpronation (the degree to which the arch of your foot collapses upon impact), and excessive supination, (weight rolls onto the outer edges of your feet).”
Elgharsi said since feet are the foundation for your entire body, when this foundation is misaligned or functioning poorly the effects can be felt throughout the body, whether in muscle and joint pain or through more serious injuries.
He works to identify bony prominences, edema, discoloration and checks knees and lower back alignment. He also does a gait analysis to observe how someone walks.
From the analysis of all this information he designs a customized treatment plan, which may include: a recommendation of use of foot orthotics to either correct or accommodate; stretching and strengthening exercises will be given if needed; footwear will be recommended that best suits a customer’s lifestyle; and consultation with and/or referral to other health care professionals as required.
Wealcan supplies not only foot orthotics and insoles, but also custom-molded shoes and boots, compression stockings, lymphedema garments, shoulder, back, wrist, knee and ankle braces, sports tape, therapy supplies, and also walkers, canes, standard and power wheelchairs, hospital beds, bath chairs, and a full line of pediatric supplies that are hard to find elsewhere.
The majority of the population suffers from overpronation, or excessive supination, yet most people are unaware of their our own foot type and how it affects the rest of their body.
“By simply supporting the feet properly overall body alignment can be improved, alleviating pain and helping the body heal itself,” Elgharsi said. “The best part of my job is helping people live a pain-free life.”
Wealcan is located at 1612 S 4th St, Leavenworth, Kan. Phone: 913-297-3066 - Fax: 913-297-3067
Website: www.wealcan.com
Website: www.wealcan.com