TECHNOLOGY
Products for Podiatrists and Foot Specialists
Our range of prefabricated Foot Orthoses are designed and manufactured to meet the needs of Foot Specialists and their Patients. We will always do our best to provide products that are Cost-Effective, Versatile and Easy to Customize to your Patients’ requirements.
Honest Products for Valued Customers
Frankly, when we read the marketing claims of competing products we cringe. Do these people really think that Health Professionals are so dumb and gullible that they will believe some “magic” product feature will solve every patient’s problem? As much as we would like to provide these “magic bullets” we know that it is not possible.
What we do promise is that we will do our best to provide you with tools and materials that you can use with confidence.
Most Prefabs are Not Re-mouldable.
Most competing brands of prefabricated foot orthotics are manufactured by heating sheets of EVA foam to a high temperature (180 to 250 degrees Centigrade) and then moulding the material to form an insole using high pressure of around 50 Kg per square centimeter. This is the same method that is used to mass produce cheap shoe innersoles.
These heat compressed foam products cannot be re-moulded to a new shape unless the same high temperatures and pressures are used again. It is not possible or safe to re-moulding these insoles to the foot in the shoe!
OrthoGait Medical Foot Orthoses ARE Re-Mouldable!
OrthoGait Medical Foot Orthoses ARE Re-Mouldable!
In order to achieve this we use a special formulation of Polyethylene foam that can be thermoformed at temperatures that will not burn the skin or damage the footwear. Precise computer controlled milling technology is used to contour the material and each piece is then individually heated and thermoformed to a shape that suits the matches the contours of an average foot.
In-Shoe Remoulding
The benefit of this manufacturing method is that you can heat and re-mould the device to your patient’s own foot, in the shoes at appropriate, safe temperatures and pressures to make a customized orthotic device in the clinic. This in-shoe re-moulding procedure can be repeated as often as required to achieve an accurate and effective neutral shell.
Quarter and Vamp Dependent
Foot Orthoses are generally either Shank dependent (supported by the inner sole of the footwear) or Shank independent (made of rigid materials). OrthoGait products utilize a unique design feature called the Arch Flare that integrates the device with the quarter and vamp of the shoe upper. As the foot pronates during contact the Arch Flare presses against the medial sidewall of the shoe and tension in the shoe upper gradually increases the resistance to subtalar pronation. This is as close as one can come to duplicating what happens when feet function on soft resilient natural surfaces like sand or earth. The result is a gradual deceleration of pronation and initiation of Re-Supination in early midstance rather than the harsh and abrupt resistance to pronation that occurs with shank dependent or rigid devices.
This unique feature utilizes the principles underlying the use of air bags in motor vehicles.
Variable Intrinsic Posting
A effective but safe amount of Variable Intrinsic Posting is designed into the device and this adjusts to the characteristics of the patients foot and gait mechanics during the fitting and adaption process. This is valuable Intellectual Property and we do not wish to reveal the details for competitors to copy.
OrthoGait devices are easily adjusted by either adding wedges or grinding the material to appropriately post the rearfoot and forefoot as required. The closed-cell material is of high quality and consistency so grinding will not reveal cavities and other defects.
Custom Fitting and Adjustment
We do not presume to tell our customers how to treat their patients!
OrthoGait devices are designed and moulded to suit patients with an “average” type of foot and so you can achieve excellent results by using them as supplied in many cases.
We design and manufacture the devices to be as easy to modify (by re-moulding, grinding and posting) as possible. This enables the therapist to customize them to suit the individual patient and his/her condition.
Three Product Ranges
OrthoGait Medical Foot Orthoses have three different ranges of products designed and manufactured specifically to meet the needs of different types of patients and problems. There are different design features in each range.
All of our products are made for use by trained health professionals and are not “de-tuned” for sale in retail as some other brands.
The Control Range utilizes higher densities of foam material and more aggressive Variable Intrinsic Posting. These devices are more appropriate for patients that require control of foot and leg Kinematics.
We call these The Enforcers.
If even more control is required then the patient probably requires a rigid custom device instead of a prefabricated product.
The Support Range incorporates firm supportive materials and moderate Variable Intrinsic Posting. These devices provide a very effective balance of control and comfort.
They can be fitted and modified give the foot the right amount of contact, support and stimulation to achieve excellent results for the majority of patients.
These are The All-Rounders.
The Comfort Range incorporates softer densities of materials and gentle Variable Intrinsic Posting. These Accommodative Devices can be very effective when comfort is the primary consideration in therapy. They are also surprisingly effective in relieving symptoms and encouraging more efficient lower extremity comfort.
We like to call these products The Gentle Persuaders.
Sizes, Shapes and Combinations of Densities
Each Product Range includes both single and mult-density products in various sizes and shapes. We have tried to make a good number of models available to those that will provide for our customers needs and therefore they have more choices.
Size Does Matter
The relative proportions (rearfoot, midfoot, forefoot) of the devices are different for each size. It is essential to use the correct size for each patients foot and shoe.
Always Improving
It is out goal at OrthoGait to provide medical products that our customers can trust and rely on. We will appreciate your comments and suggestions and try to utilize them in improving our current products and manufacturing or sourcing new products that are useful to you.
