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Foot Levelers Latest Gimmic

Discussion in 'Biomechanics, Sports and Foot orthoses' started by David Wedemeyer, Oct 10, 2012.

  1. David Wedemeyer

    David Wedemeyer Well-Known Member


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    I saw this and am curious if anyone can tell me about the software and scanner. There is a trademark but I cannot find a patent, which leads me to believe it is existing technology (I really hate using that word when discussing their gimmicks)?

    http://www.youtube.com/user/footlevelers?feature=results_main
     
  2. David Smith

    David Smith Well-Known Member

    Re: Foot Levelers Latest Gimmicl

    David

    My immediate comment is " what a load of crap"
    Nothing wrong with the laser foot scanner but there appears to be an assumption that scanning the plantar foot gives information that can be extrapolated to the posture of the foot and upper chain and that the static scan can give useful information about the design of an orthotic or intervention in terms of dynamic stress and strain related to pathology.:confused: Twaddle!
    Amazingly you can also see lifelike colour and profile reproduction from any angle - Oh just like looking at the actual foot then Doh!

    They are just trying to pull wool over eyes of gullible customers don't you think?

    Dave Smith
     
  3. Griff

    Griff Moderator

    Re: Foot Levelers Latest Gimmicl

    Looks to me just like a sharp shape scanner that you can stand on. Can't quite be sure though - difficult to see with all the wool in the way...

    +1 for Dave's comments.
     
  4. BEN-HUR

    BEN-HUR Well-Known Member

    Re: Foot Levelers Latest Gimmicl

    Glad to see you are still on this companies case David. A patient of mine gave me results of her consult with a practitioner who was using a "Foot Levelers" system (I presume similar to that of the above video based on the scan results). The information sheets (edited to remove identity of patient & company names) can be seen at figures 1 & 2 in the following page of my website (the page this company wanted taken down after getting in contact with a large legal firm in Sydney). Going by the video, this system looks to be a more updated/fancier/'techno' hyped version of the above print outs which are at least 2 - 3 years old now.

    However, their premise of static "arch height mapping" (arch height assessment :bang: ) is still as ridiculous as it was before - except now they can be a bit more accurate with their ridiculousness (within 300 microns - that's... "the width of two hairs" :wacko:).

    But wait... this new level of accuracy (to..."the width of two hairs" that is) will allow the practitioner to I suppose be more accurate in dishing out the same generic arch cookie based insole... oh, I nearly forgot... that's with the three arches of the foot in mind. An insole not doubt looking like the following...

    [​IMG]


    But hey, if the patient can get their... "pronation stability index number" (which apparently is & I quote... "this is the only index that quantifies the severity of body imbalances caused by the feet & can only be found with the V7 + software")... then that must add something towards the placebo effect.

    Then I suppose when you combine all this with a "crisp true colour image" of the sole of the foot, you can then justify finishing with their closing statement... "Assessing global postural imbalances of the feet has never been so... clear" :pigs:.

    You've done it again Fool Leveler.
     
  5. Really?! Where can I buy this system??? I must have it at once!! Then I can sync it with my iphone

    I'LL PAY ANYTHING!!! I NEED A LIFELIKE COLOUR AND PROFILE REPRESENTATION OF THE FOOT!!!!
     
  6. ...Anyway, lets look at it and say what it is. It's a 3D scanner. Judging by the depth of scan that it is capable of capturing it's probably using a single laser with one, maybe two camera's at most. What can the software be calculating? Well, one possibility might be an arch height index such as this: http://www.scielo.br/pdf/aob/v15n2/en_v15n2a01.pdf Can you build a foot orthosis based on this information in isolation? No. Next....

    And for no better reason than the fact that "as far as i know this true" and whenever I see Ian Linane's name on-line I think of "Tom Verlaine", here's the Family Cat. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc7dqZ1vccw&feature=relmfu

    That's a sketchy pub recording, this shows their talent better:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7okLO-cFWRk Tuowne

    "Is it the truth or something harder, so much harder to bear" - it's a weak 3D scanner, get over yourselves.
     
  7. Ian Linane

    Ian Linane Well-Known Member

    "....whenever I see Ian Linane's name on-line I think of "Tom Verlaine""

    I confess to the alter ego Simon. Importantly, when I'm in my disguise of Ian Linane, I manage to look nothing like him and be devoid of any of the said talent.
     
  8. davidh

    davidh Podiatry Arena Veteran

    C'mon guys - three arches - that's on each foot!
    What's not to like?
     
  9. David Wedemeyer

    David Wedemeyer Well-Known Member

    No argument here David, marketing pure and simple.

    Nah looks perfectly scientific to me Dave...;)


    SharpeShape as you know is a whole different animal and truly 3D. I've watched orthotists use them for entire limbs, amazing! The problem is a true laser scanner is prohibitively expensive for most practices, so what we appear to have here if ShareShape is a prime rib, this gem is ground chuck.

    Nifty huh Robert? I don't think I've ever encountered a podiatrist, orthotist or pedorthist who uses Foot Levelers, what does that tell you? I’m also not aware of many who advocate casting in such a compensated fashion as full weight bearing across the board.

    My read as well Simon, thank you for your appraisal. It's still just a flatbed scanner and I question its ability to render in 3D. If there are cameras then what is the laser for? Makes you giggle huh? Their reliance on arch height index is flawed and the navicular drop test does not adjust for age and gender differences but no matter the scan does this for you right?

    It's going to get much more interesting very soon Matthew, stay tuned ;)




    The allusion to a functional transverse metatarsal arch may prove to be a huge problem for Foot Levelers going forward but only if someone from within the chiropractic profession calls them on it. If they have based one of their main marketing slogans on this falsehood then at some point their knowledge of the functional anatomy of the foot and ankle (and entire lower extremity) must be questioned.

    This follows my last comment in that if you have a very limited understanding of the above and pedal biomechanics, it all really just comes down to “overpronation”, right? I’d like to see them define this and if they reference medial arch height as the sole criteria upon which to dispense foot orthoses then your page gives a very good explanation of why this is flawed.

    Matthew my brother in reality, I always enjoy your posts. Your information page is very well thought out and concise. I may be contacting you soon to request using some of the mages on your page as an example for my upcoming project.

    Thank you all for your input. Lastly I want to comment that FL really only makes one, non custom, non functional, proprietary insole. If it were only that easy. Perhaps this is why an optometrists cannot simply provide the same correction for presbyopia to every patient; what about astigmatism, myopia etc? In the end although I believe the cast matters it is what the lab does with the device and the final product that really matters and they do not make pathology specific devices. Insurers know this, some who will pay for properly conceived foot orthoses have a caveat excluding Fl from reimbursement and list them as “experimental’. That says it all and this scanner does nothing to improve that.

    Fail.
     
  10. That's how all laser scanners work- you have a laser line and one or more cameras looking at the line to record the distortion within in it at each unit in time.
     
  11. BEN-HUR

    BEN-HUR Well-Known Member

    All the best with it David. As you say, being one from within the chiropractic profession you are in a unique position to address these issues.
     
  12. David Wedemeyer

    David Wedemeyer Well-Known Member

    Truly David vs. Goliath Matthew :drinks
     
  13. Dr. DSW

    Dr. DSW Active Member

    Pronation index?? I guess that's one they forgot to teach me in school. The public loves these gimmicks and unfortunately are not smart enough to know better. Why else would those Dr Scholl kiosks with a scanner and different "modules" sell like hotcakes, despite being a useless pieces of garbage costing $50?
     
  14. David Wedemeyer

    David Wedemeyer Well-Known Member

    Sadly David, with Foot Levelers we are talking about a good number of the chiropractic profession not the lay public. I expect much less from the public and a lot more from my own colleagues.
     
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