Dr. Rosen, DPM endorses Insightful Product’s Blaze MI brace for PTD (post tib) and the custom Step-Smart brace for drop foot. Both AFO’s have helped his podiatry practice and he is very satisfied with Insightful’s customer service.
http://www.insightful-products.com
In this episode of Foot of the Week, Insightful demonstrates how our drop foot technology can provide better treatment by providing more accurate traction on the calf. If the portion of the AFO (called the calf section) is moving either medially or laterally off the leg, the drop foot AFO brace can be adjusted using a longer tensor that comes with the ankle brace. By simply installing the longer tensor on the side of the brace that is opposite the direction the brace needs to be tilted, you can shift the portion of the AFO in the direction needed. For example, if a left foot AFO is coming off medially (or coming off towards the middle), then swap the long tensor on the medial side to shift it towards the lateral side. If the left foot brace is coming off the calf laterally (or towards the outside of the leg), then install the longer tensor on the lateral side to push the calf section medially. The opposite if true for a Right foot AFO.
Dr. Marc Feder, DPM, talks about the new Blaze MI AFO for post tib (Posterior Tibial Tendonitis or PTD). The Blaze MI ankle brace is a custom ankle foot orthosis that helps people with medial ankle instability. It is an articulated design that works well for those with early stage PTTD.
See http://www.insightful-products for more info.
In this video blog, we discuss the importance of casting the post tib patient’s foot and ankle in a neutral position. If the cast is taken in a full weight bearing position, it can be difficult to provide the needed correction to the AFO or custom ankle brace for posterior tibial tendonitis.
In this week’s vblog, we take you to an indoor tennis facility where one of our drop foot patients happily wears, what she calls, the best drop foot brace on the market. With the Step-Smart brace for drop foot, she is able to play tennis and live an active life. See her play tennis in this video.
In this “Foot of the Week” episode, we talk about the evolution of the medial malleolar window in our custom brace design for post tib or posterior tibial tendonitis (PTTD or PTD). The Blaze MI brace includes a relief for the medial malleolus called a window, and since its orgination, the shapes have changed. Now the brace even includes a relief or window for the navicular or any other prominent bone of the foot. This provide the required support while also providing the needed space and “give” when pressures and pain are high.
http://www.insightful-products.com/buy-afo.html
In this week’s vblog, we speak to a drop foot patient who uses the Step-Smart brace to go hiking.
In this week’s video blog, we have a guest appearance by Diana Bean, granddaughter of LL Bean, who happens to wear Insightful’s Blaze MI brace for post tib (posterior tibial tendonitis). She had some pain in her toe caused by a condition called hammertoes. This condition is not addressed by the Blaze brace, but provided us an opportunity to show how shoes often need adjustment in order to relieve pain and discomfort. In this particular situation, the shoe needed to be marked in the area creating the pressure so that the orthotist could remove some material from the shoe thereby creating more space for the problematic toe. Often times when pressure or irritation is a problem, people incorrectly think that adding padding is the answer. The solution is actually the reverse of what most people might think. Rather than adding more padding or cushioning to the area of the foot and ankle, the answer is to remove material from the shoe or ankle brace, creating the required space. This is called a “relief” for the prominent area of the foot and ankle. This is a practice commonly used in AFO’s or ankle foot orthoses but also is commonly needed in shoe fitting.
In this week’s episode, we visit a local foot and ankle doctor to help fit a bilateral pair of AFO’s or ankle braces. This particular case involves a patient with foot drop or drop foot in one leg and lateral ankle instability in the other. The solution for the inversion problem was the Cuboid Lock design used for the lateral ankle problem and the Step-Smart for the Foot drop problem. The Step-Smart also provides lateral support to control inversion and will help prevent the ankle from rolling over.
http://www.insightful-products.com/buy-afo.html
In this video episode of “Foot of the Week”, we talk to a drop foot patient who has been using the dorsi-strap or x-strap (similar to the freedom walk, Foot up, or steady strider). We compare this drop foot treatment to the Step-Smart brace and demonstrate how the Step-Smart provides superior shock absorption at heel strike and also provides lateral support for better drop foot gait. Foot drop often causes falls resulting from an ankle rollover. Our drop foot gait analysis shows that without the ability to dorsiflex, the ankle is more susceptible to lateral instability. The lateral side of the foot or the outside of the foot can catch on an edge and rollover. Also, if the dropped foot lands on uneven ground, a rollover is difficult to prevent without ankle support. The drop foot patient also provides a testimonial in his owns words describing his experience and fear of falling. The Step-Smart is the best drop foot brace and dropfoot braces on the market.
AFO Blog 