Orthopedic Shoes
Historical: Leather was the traditional material of choice. Now even most of the best shoes incorporate manmade materials. Dating back to as far as 40 years ago, shoes were available with different widths and lasts. (The "last" is the form the shoe is built on. It dictates the shape of the shoe). Currently, width choices (aa to eeee) are shrinking to narrow, medium, and wide; and in many cases only medium is available with traditional shoes. Orthopedic shoes provide choices in more widths, and have also gotten more stylish over the years.
We provide: We provide off-the-shelf and custom shoes. There are many design options for shoes. Custom shoes are made from a cast of the foot and allow us to make shoes for the problematic deformed foot.
The choice and engineering of the right shoes and its components require a thorough knowledge of the materials, limitations and capabilities. This is our specialty, and are always happy to provide a free evaluation!
Foot Orthotics
Historical: The first foot orthotics were pounded out of metal by hand. Plastics and man made materials dramatically opened up new possibilities. Today, a wide variety of materials are used, each having special characteristics such as flexibility, rigidity, non-shear, fast-memory, etc. Often they are combined to take advantage of these different characteristics.
We provide: We provide custom foot orthotics. These are made from an impression or cast of the foot.
This is hand-modified and fabricated in our lab. Materials used are based on the characteristics and problems of the foot. There are computer designed machines that allow digital "impressions" of the foot, however we haven't found a system that allows the personalized casting, material choices and fabrication that our approach utilizes. We feel that the real story is in the results!
Historical: Leather was the traditional material of choice. Now even most of the best shoes incorporate manmade materials. Dating back to as far as 40 years ago, shoes were available with different widths and lasts. (The "last" is the form the shoe is built on. It dictates the shape of the shoe). Currently, width choices (aa to eeee) are shrinking to narrow, medium, and wide; and in many cases only medium is available with traditional shoes. Orthopedic shoes provide choices in more widths, and have also gotten more stylish over the years.
We provide: We provide off-the-shelf and custom shoes. There are many design options for shoes. Custom shoes are made from a cast of the foot and allow us to make shoes for the problematic deformed foot.
The choice and engineering of the right shoes and its components require a thorough knowledge of the materials, limitations and capabilities. This is our specialty, and are always happy to provide a free evaluation!
Foot Orthotics
Historical: The first foot orthotics were pounded out of metal by hand. Plastics and man made materials dramatically opened up new possibilities. Today, a wide variety of materials are used, each having special characteristics such as flexibility, rigidity, non-shear, fast-memory, etc. Often they are combined to take advantage of these different characteristics.
We provide: We provide custom foot orthotics. These are made from an impression or cast of the foot.
This is hand-modified and fabricated in our lab. Materials used are based on the characteristics and problems of the foot. There are computer designed machines that allow digital "impressions" of the foot, however we haven't found a system that allows the personalized casting, material choices and fabrication that our approach utilizes. We feel that the real story is in the results!
Ankle Foot Orthosis (AFO)
AFO is a generic description for many types of braces for this part of the body. AFOs address many leg problems, most commonly being drop foot and ankle and knee instabilities. Specific diseases and symptoms include: Polio, MS, ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, CVA or stroke, CP or cerebral palsy, quadriceps weakness, peripheral neuropathy, paraplegia, hemiplegia, quadriplegia, Spina Bifida, genu-recurvatum, or hyperextension or back-knee, genu-valgum or knock-knee, genu-varum or bowlegs. Will an AFO make me walk funny? No, not usually. If someone needs an AFO, they may already use gait compensations that are obvious to others. One goal of a brace is to help you walk closer to normal. This means: less wear and pain on other joints, ability to walk longer distances, walk faster, walk safer, and to look less different from how others walk. What are the different types of AFOs? There are numerous types of AFOs available, with some that are specialized to a specific need. Metal and leather uprights attached to the shoe were some of the first types, followed by plastic (polypropylene and copolymer) that could move from shoe to shoe. Please see our "Complete List" for some of the AFOs designs we provide. Other Types of AFO's
Foot-Up AFO Carbon AFO WalkAide Leather/Plastic hybrid Night Splint CAM Walker Multipodus Boot |
Knee Ankle Foot Orthosis (KAFO)
KAFO's come in many materials and designs. Features are selected based on the requirements of the person using it. We will listen to your concerns and evaluate your gait, to ensure you are receiving the correct KAFO for your needs. Sometimes an old style metal or plastic brace is necessary...but rarely! The only way to know is to provide a thorough evaluation. Many diseases can cause the need for KAFOs: Polio, MS, paraplegia, quadriplegia, Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida and Arthritis are common examples. KAFOs help with many problems:
Stance-Phase KAFO (SPKAFOs)
Unlike other braces that require maximal effort to walk and create premature wear on joints, the new Stance-Phase KAFOs are locked when you need the support, but allow the knee to bend when you need to swing your leg through. This provides improved walking, easier application, and more enjoyment. We offer free trials, so you can see for yourself how much easier and lightweight them are. Try one today! To watch a video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PisvpLXWgbU |