In search of a mechanism for foot orthoses' effects
Lower Extremity Review    Share   
Many people who are prescribed foot orthoses conclude that they reduce pain, and that's good enough for them. Researchers and clinicians are rarely content to leave it at that: if the pain goes away, they want to know why. They'd like not just understanding, for that matter, but repeatability. And lately, the researchers have been saying to the clinicians: Good luck with that. More

Why orthotics are not the answer for plantar fasciitis
Podiatry Today    Share   
There are approximately two million documented cases of plantar fasciitis per year in the United States. For most podiatrists, this is the most common foot pathology we see in our practices. The "sacred cow" in the podiatric community for plantar fasciitis has always been custom orthoses. More

Derma Sciences foot-wound drug shows promise
Reuters    Share   
Derma Sciences Inc said foot ulcers in 85 percent of diabetic patients healed completely after being treated with its experimental drug at the end of a 24-week trial, improving its chances of licensing the drug to potential partners. Michael Higgins, a Rodman & Renshaw analyst, who has a "market outperform" rating on the stock, said he was most impressed by the drug's ability to heal wounds 13.5 week sooner than the placebo. More

Meet Dr. Mike King - today at 9 p.m. ET
ACFAOM    Share   
Mike King, DPM, will be the guest on today's Meet the Masters audio-conference (at 9 p.m. ET) with host, and former ACFAOM president, Dr. Bret Ribotsky. Dr. King is the current president of the APMA. So this will be an opportunity for you to hear a frank and open discussion about the goals and programs of our national association. To register for this FREE weekly, and unique, learning experience that will give you additional insights into the profession's past and future click here. More

Out on a limb: Image is everything
Lower Extremity Review    Share   
Patients have multiple reasons for not complying with a practitioner's recommendations. Most of them are familiar by now: inconvenience, discomfort, aesthetics, forgetfulness, failure to understand the consequences of not complying. But there's another factor that many practitioners are only just starting to consider: Sometimes compliance simply makes patients feel lousy about themselves. More

Pretty shoes can create ugly feet for women
BioScholar News    Share   
You think high heels enhance your appeal? But they can actually spoil the beauty of your feet. Thirty-nine percent of women say they wear high heels every day, and 75 percent of them admit experiencing regular foot pain and bunions, arthritic big toes, calluses, hammer toes and warts. "Many women wear shoes to work every day that look great but they are simply too small," said Pedro Cosculluela, orthopaedic surgeon with The Methodist Hospital, Houston. More

Study: Hips take walking in stride, ankles aid fast running
The Hindu    Share   
Hips take walking in stride while ankles help put best foot forward when humans run, says a new study which scientists claim could pave the way for the construction of next-generation prosthetics or robotics. In the first-of-its-kind study comparing human walking and running motions, a team at North Carolina State University has shown the hips generate more of the power when people walk but the ankles generate more of the power when humans run. More

Why some runners go barefoot
KMGH-TV    Share   
Barefoot running, a trend sweeping the globe, has caught on in Colorado. Michael Sandler, an author and co-founder of RunBare, a barefoot running organization in Boulder, said he's living proof it works. He suffered a near-death accident five years ago. "I have a titanium femur, titanium hip, I've had 10 knee operations, almost no meniscus, an inch leg-length discrepancy and no ACL," said Sandler. "I was told that, combined with a lifetime struggling with plantar fasciitis, my running days, perhaps my walking days, were done." More



A comparison of ankle foot orthoses with foot abduction orthoses to prevent recurrence following correction of idiopathic clubfoot by the Ponseti method
The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery (subscriber only)    Share   
The Ponseti method of clubfoot management requires a period of bracing in order to maintain correction. This study compared the effectiveness of ankle foot orthoses and Denis Browne boots and bar in the prevention of recurrence following successful initial management. Between 2001 and 2003, 45 children (69 feet) with idiopathic clubfeet achieved full correction following Ponseti casting with or without a tenotomy, of whom 17 (30 clubfeet) were braced with an ankle foot orthosis while 28 (39 clubfeet) were prescribed with Denis Browne boots and bar. The groups were similar in age, gender, number of casts and tenotomy rates. More