Orthotics is the area of medicine that deals with the production of custom external supports.
Our expert orthotists and technicians are on hand to improve the health of our patients by prescribing and designing custom orthoses to correct and support issues that affect their skeletal or neuromuscular system.
Is an orthotist a person who is able to walk?
The orthotist or orthopaedic surgeon is an health professional from the allied field who is knowledgeable in biomechanics and material sciences as well as pathophysiology and engineering. They are certified in the design, fitting and maintaining of orthoses. They will be HCPC certified and a member of the British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists (BAPO).
Are orthoses the same thing?
Orthoses are supports or devices that are placed on the exterior of the body to help, prevent, or correct deformity , and enhance biomechanical performance. Offering solutions from top to bottom, they address the plagiocephaly cranial remoulding, all the way to insoles for plantar faciitis.
Orthoses’ functions
Accommodate
Sometimes, a joint is fixed in an unnatural location, for instance, when you have feet that are fixed in a way that it’s unable to be able to fit in shoes. To address this issue the best way, we’ll be able to recommend specialized footwear that can accommodate the different position of your foot and then add specific adaptions to ensure that you receive the most effective function out of your lower limbs as well as your feet.
Prevent
Certain conditions are progressive and the form and function of joints can change as time passes. Certain orthoses may be able to slow the progress of some of these ailments. For example, for children with cerebral palsy the use of orthoses for the ankle will improve the function of the foot and also reduce the development of contractures in the ankle. This could lower surgeries as well as enhance the comfort of the patient.
Right
Certain conditions can be corrected through the use of an orthosis. For instance using an orthosis like the Steeper chest brace for treatments for pectus (or carinatum) (‘pigeon chest’). The brace compresses slowly the sternum, allowing the cartilage to change shape into a better form.
Enhance biomechanical function
The way in which our bodies move is a result of a precise balance between the skeletal neurological and muscular systems. Sometimes , there’s an imbalance between these three systems and it can be corrected with orthoses that are that are designed to address the particular weakness. It could be as easy as an insole for a shoe to help support soft tissues that are straining and cause discomfort, or a complete knee-ankle foot orthosis which helps restore the strength required by the leg for standing.
