 |
The Greek philosopher Socrates once said, "When our feet hurt, we hurt all over." Italian painter Leonardo da Vinci described the foot as "a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art." Clearly, these men understood the solid foundation that the feet provide for the rest of the human body. Not surprisingly, when one of the 26 bones in the human foot is out of alignment, the ankle, knee, pelvis, and back follow suit.
And while only a small percentage of people are born with foot problems, nearly 75 percent of North Americans will suffer some sort of foot problem during their lifetime, and many of them will require some sort of orthotic or pedorthic intervention.
This issue of The O&P EDGE explores just a few of the myriad conditions that require such intervention. When children require orthotic or pedorthic solutions, the question of whether to use a custom or an off-the-shelf device may come into play. Morgan Stanfield spoke with several experts and presents their perspectives on "Orthoses for the Pediatric Foot and Ankle."
According to the Neuropathy Association, an estimated 20 million Americans suffer from peripheral neuropathy. Miki Fairley provides an overview of peripheral neuropathy and discusses the orthotist's and pedorthist's role on the patient care team in the article, "Getting a Grip on Peripheral Neuropathy."
Unfortunately, those with significant neuropathy may develop Charcot foot. Gordon Zernich, et al. discuss a hybrid orthosis that members of the Bruce W. Carter Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Miami, Florida, used to treat an individual with bilateral Charcot deformities.
The O&P EDGE Welcomes a New Columnist
I am pleased to announce that Stephanie LeGare has joined The O&P EDGE as our new Residency Report columnist. Stephanie is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) master of science in prosthetics and orthotics (MSPO) program and is completing her orthotic residency at National Orthotics and Prosthetics Company (NOPCO), Boston, Massachusetts.
Congratulations! Jennifer Silva entered The O&P EDGE drawing at the AOPA National Assembly and won a Flip video camera.