Featured Articles

Technology: Pressure Measurement

Shoe stiffness and pressure patterns

The technology holds potential for identifying effects of different shoe construction features on lower extremity mechanics. Read More

Technology: CAD/CAM

Orthotic CAD-CAM workflow management

Creating a more efficient workflow improves profitability for a practice. Read More

Sports Medicine: Plantar Fasciitis

Stretching out plantar fasciitis

Treatment of plantar fasciitis should address hamstring tightness along with equinus and obesity. Read More

Sports Medicine: Patellofemoral Pain

PET/CT for PFP: Not ready for prime time

Bone metabolic activity may correlate with mechanical stress and could be the source of patellofemoral pain. Read More

Sports Medicine: Functional Foot Orthoses

Foot orthoses and landing mechanics

Devices can change hip motion during landing, potentially reducing injury risk. Read More

Sports Medicine: Ankle Sprains

The wear and tear of ankle sprains

Ankle bracing can help treat ankle OA and possibly prevent its development Read More

Prosthetics: Prosthetics

Maximizing postamputation joint health

A proper prosthetic fit is paramount for mitigating OA to the intact limb. Read More

Pediatric: Cerebral Palsy (CP)

Finding a footwear-AFO fit in kids

Taking a few minutes to evaluate gait in new shoes ensures AFOs are enhanced for independent mobility. Read More

Pain Management: PTTD

Assessing PTTD: Linking the kinetic chain

Assess hip strength in women with PTTD and provide appropriate intervention if deficits are found. Read More

Pain Management: Osteoarthritis (OA)

OA knee bracing in family practice

Braces can be used more effectively and more universally than ever, yet bracing is likely underused. Read More

Neuromuscular: Stroke/Drop Foot

When diabetes complicates drop foot

AFOs can facilitate exercise, improve balance, and reduce the risk of falls. Read More

Fabrication: Central Fabrication

How to "speak" central fab

The success of any conversation depends on two parties speaking the same language. Read More

Diabetes: Off-Loading Devices

Custom care: Offloading for foot ulcers

In-shoe pressure measurement devices can confirm offloading in the targeted area and also document areas where load is increasing as a result of the redistribution. Read More

Diabetes: Hosiery

Debunking myths: Compression hosiery

Almost all individuals can benefit from compression, especially patients with diabetes. Read More

Diabetes: Footwear

Diabetic shoes: Fashion and function

Aesthetic needs must be weighed against patients' pathology and lifestyle. Discuss the clinical objectives of diabetic footwear first, then move on to lifestyle issues. Read More

Diabetes: Foot Orthoses

Striking a balance: Foot orthoses in DPN

Neuropathy can impair postural stability, but some studies suggest orthoses may help. Read More

Sports Medicine: Patellofemoral Pain

Likely link in patellofemoral conditions

Chronic patellofemoral pain syndrome may be a predictor for the development of patellofemoral OA. Read More

Sports Medicine: Functional Foot Orthoses

Stress fracture factors guide orthotic choices

"Once overtraining... and other risk factors have been ruled out, we've got to look closely at gait." Read More

Sports Medicine: Ankle Sprains

New twists on ankle sprain prevention

Research is quantifying how fatigue affects biomechanics and what those changes can mean for injury risk and prevention. Read More

Pediatric: Footwear

The right fit matters, shoe studies suggest

An incorrect shoe size can prove detrimental to a growing child's soft bones. Read More

Pain Management: PTTD

AFO choices for PTTD grow clearer

Consensus about which AFO design is most suited to patient types is beginning to emerge. Read More

Pain Management: Plantar Fasciitis

No final stretch in plantar fasciitis debate

Whether exercise can address plantar fasciitis continues to divide practitioners. Some advocate strengthening through walking. Read More

Pain Management: Osteoarthritis (OA)

Jury is out on proprioception-OA link

Despite the awareness among researchers that patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) have impaired proprioception, the clinical implications of these deficits remain unresolved. Read More

Neuromuscular: Stroke/Drop Foot

Gait speed in AFOs: Results may vary

Is gait speed the best measure of function in post-stroke patients? Scientists and clinicians alike are asking. Read More

Fabrication: Materials

New materials drive fabrication techniques

Orthotic materials are constantly changing and so are the techniques required to fabricate devices. Read More

Diabetes: Hosiery

Diabetic socks: More than meets the toe

Patients with diabetes may not realize that the size, fit, fiber, and construction of socks matter. Read More

Diabetes: Footwear

Therapeutic shoe benefit: It's complicated

An increasing number of patients with diabetes are taking advantage of a Medicare benefit for therapeutic shoes. Posing an obstacle, however, are increased paperwork demands and looming fee cuts. Read More

Diabetes: Foot Orthoses

Breakdown ahead? time to replace insoles

A number of clinical reasons explain why a patient with diabetes might need new insoles more than once a year. Read More

Technology: CAD/CAM

Lower extremity O&P warms to CAD-CAM

The transition has been slow, but even clinicians who are wedded to old-school plaster techniques say the technological advances in their field are hard to ignore. Read More

Sports Medicine: Patellofemoral Pain

PFPS gender gap inspires researchers

Researchers have been examining the effect of gender on anatomical and biomechanical variables that are thought to contribute to patellofemoral pain. Read More

Sports Medicine: Functional Foot Orthoses

Heel pain relief: Expanding the playbook

"We see the same basic issues in athletes as in other patients. The athletes are typically more vigorous, however, so ground-reaction forces may be greater." Read More

Sports Medicine: Ankle Sprains

Ankle sprain research focuses on teens

Studies suggest balance training can reduce the risk of ankle sprain recurrence in high school athletes. Read More

Pediatric: Cerebral Palsy (CP)

CP Gait studies document AFO efficacy

Selecting the most appropriate brace for a specific gait abnormality or abnormalities can be a clinical challenge. Gait analysis can help. Read More

Pain Management: PTTD

Underuse, overuse both can lead to PTTD

Although typically associated with older, inactive patients, posterior tibial tendon dysfunction is also seen more rarely in young athletes. Read More

Pain Management: Plantar Fasciitis

The home stretch: Paths to pain relief

New plantar fasciitis research and ongoing clinical experience are calling into question older stretching methodologies and providing evidence for some new approaches. Read More

Pain Management: Osteoarthritis (OA)

Finding--and breaking--the ACL-OA link

Researchers are only now beginning to piece together what kind of clinical interventions might help decrease the risk of osteoarthritis after ACL injury. Read More

Fabrication: Central Fabrication

CPO seeks central fab: Finding a match

Many smaller practices choose central fabrication to save time and money. But if the details aren't scrutinized, profit margins can wither and relationships can quickly sour. Read More

Diabetes: Footwear

For those about to rock, we caution you

Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of rocker bottom soles for reducing pressures, but they may also increase the risk of falls in patients with peripheral neuropathy. Read More

Diabetes: Foot Orthoses

Shear madness: Beyond plantar pressure

A better understanding of shear forces may lead to improved prevention and treatment of diabetic foot ulcers and their grim sequelae. Read More

Neuromuscular: Stroke/Drop Foot

Drop foot mechanics outweigh etiology

"There's too much heterogeneity in each diagnostic population to say that everyone in that group would benefit from a certain type of device." Read More