“The local Tampa Bay Area Foot Orthotic Lab that shows you how to consistently PREDICT how your patients will do BEFORE you cast them. Your Ability to Predict Results Before You Cast Is The Key”

Why do you claim to offer an Orthotic System?

The answer to that is simple. We have developed an “orthotic system” that includes a very basic clinical evaluation, an order form that correlates to the clinical evaluation, a quick and easy casting technique which places the entire foot in the correct position for that particular patient and a total contact product which correctly supports the entire foot but yet provides just enough flexion to allow the normal or functional amount of pronation necessary to ensure efficient and injury free joint and muscle function throughout the entire kinetic chain.

Very simply put, unlike other labs who assume that you are thoroughly comfortable and confident with foot orthotics and everything that goes with making them a successful and profitable part of your practice, we stack the deck for your success by honing your ability to predict how your patients will do with our orthotics before you even offer it to them as a modality.

After you get a good history, establish what their chief complaint is, find out what their goals are and take a look at their x-rays (there are specific things we look for on a standard DP and Lateral Foot X-ray), in literally less than 5 minutes our clinical evaluative methodology will give you all you need to know about the patient’s biomechanics to tell them with great assuredness that they are a great candidate for orthotics or that they are not. You will also be able to explain to them why in a very clear and concise manor to that they will completely understand and become excited about getting their new custom orthotic arch supports.

How do you predict how they will do with your Orthotics?

In short, we have a classification system which is based largely on Flexibility and Symmetry. We have three classes of patients:

1. Class I (very flexible and symmetrical)
2. Class II (decent to good flexibility and some degree of asymmetry)
3. Class III (rigid, arthritic, permanently subluxed bones etc…)

This is a very brief over view and there is more detail involved but all of this is taught one on one in your clinic. If you are local to the Tampa Bay area we will come to your office and in service you until you are completely confident with our methodologies and casting technique.

Additionally, gait analysis is reviewed and laid out in a very easy, stepwise approach of what to look for and how to adjust and compensate your patient’s orthotics for what you see before and after they receive their orthotics. In short, you will receive all the data needed to successfully evaluate, choose, cast and dispense our orthotics to your patients and get each and every one of these patients to a full and great end result.

Another thing that we offer you is an increased scope of indications for foot orthotics that will most likely triple or quadruple your current list of foot orthotic indications. We are able to do this because we really do manipulate and affect the entire kinetic chain so, besides the obvious questions about their feet we ask our patients specifically if they have any knee, hip or back pain or problems. And once you ask they are usually more than happy to let you know all about it. The point here being that these are all just clues and pieces to the puzzle which will ultimately help you determine if they are indeed good candidates or not.

Remember, it is you’re to correctly choose or not choose your patients that ensures great and consistent results with our product.

Here is a brief section that most labs will not offer you; a contra indications section. The specifics and the whys will be fully covered when we see you in person, but I can tell you with great assuredness that if you stay away from these patients, great success and profitability await you and your practice.

Contra Indications:

1. *Hallux Rigidus (Not Limitus)
2. Permanently subluxed Navicular
3. Permanently subluxed Medial Cunieform
4. Severe DJD, primarily in the mid tarsal joint due to:
   a) Direct Trauma
   b) A life time of bone on bone grinding secondary to hyper pronation
   c) Other arthritic disease
   d) Any other reason for degenerative arthritic changes not mentioned here
5. Severe HAV (Hallux abducto valgus / bunions), particularly unilateral
6. Severe Tailors Bunion (“bunionette”)
7. Varusly Rotated Fifth Digit as a primary goal or diagnosis.

* Hallux Rigidus is not a Contra Indication it and of itself, but unless you utilize a concomitant shoe modification, specifically incorporating a rocker bottom sole into your protocol, you will have problems with this diagnosis.

** Severe: Please note the word SEVERE. This is to say that mild to moderate Bunions, Tailors Bunions and some DJD or spurring or liping etc… is NOT a contraindication. Furthermore, all of the joint spaces don’t have to be absolutely perfect. It is just that when we attempt to manipulate the foot into a better position and the patient does not have the available range of motion because of the arthritic changes in the foot, then we are in essence trying to range something that either: 1. does not have the range or 2. it does have the range but hurts to range it. In either case it usually causes more problems than good so we simply use Severe DJD initially as a CI to avoid these potential problems. I say initially because we do treat these patients in our practice but we modify our orthotics and we usually see them back at least six to eight times to get them to the point that they can tolerate them. Additionally, they NEVER receive the one hundred percent guaranty. If you become proficient in the class one and class two patients and would like to try some more difficult and involved class three patients, we can help you do that as well. But initially, until you have a firm grip on our technology and you have many successes under your belt, we ask you to stay away from these patients.

Cavus Feet:
Most practitioners have questions about addressing high arched or cavus feet. Cavus feet, although typically more rigid in nature are NOT a contra indication or an exclusion criteria, but they do behave and respond differently and therefore a slight modification in the casting and fabrication technique is required. This also will be discussed in person in your clinic during your free in house training and clinical technical support.