Welcome to the Podiatry Arena forums

You are currently viewing our podiatry forum as a guest which gives you limited access to view all podiatry discussions and access our other features. By joining our free global community of Podiatrists and other interested foot health care professionals you will have access to post podiatry topics (answer and ask questions), communicate privately with other members, upload content, view attachments, receive a weekly email update of new discussions, access other special features. Registered users do not get displayed the advertisements in posted messages. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our global Podiatry community today!

  1. Have you considered the Clinical Biomechanics Boot Camp Online, for taking it to the next level? See here for more.
    Dismiss Notice
Dismiss Notice
Have you considered the Clinical Biomechanics Boot Camp Online, for taking it to the next level? See here for more.
Dismiss Notice
Have you liked us on Facebook to get our updates? Please do. Click here for our Facebook page.
Dismiss Notice
Do you get the weekly newsletter that Podiatry Arena sends out to update everybody? If not, click here to organise this.

Truth in Advertising with Orthosis Labs?

Discussion in 'Biomechanics, Sports and Foot orthoses' started by Kevin Kirby, Apr 11, 2008.


  1. Members do not see these Ads. Sign Up.
    Here is a excerpt from an orthosis lab's handout that is available on the internet. Do you agree with these ideas or disagree? What do you think of this type of information being used by an orthosis lab to make their product look better? Are they telling the whole truth or distorting the truth to make sure their product looks the best to the less knowledgeable clinician? I am interested in everyone's thoughts.

     
  2. Adrian Misseri

    Adrian Misseri Active Member

    Appealing to the ignornat idea that everyone needs to have a high arch?
    I like to believe that orthotic therary is about applying the necessary forces to specific areas of the foot to balance, redistribute and reposition the foot to make it less pathological, not necessarily give it the biggest arch.

    -Adrian
     
  3. Craig Payne

    Craig Payne Moderator

    Articles:
    8
    Nope. It only about reducing forces in the injured tissue - thats the only way they can work.
     
  4. Craig Payne

    Craig Payne Moderator

    Articles:
    8
    I have seen this and a number of similar statements in many places. What they do fail to acknowledge is that even if the outcomes between custom made and premade are similar, the subjects that had the custom made devices still got better ... ie THEY WORKED.

    These sorts of statements are also thrown around in the mistaken beleif that they prove the orthotics used by the lab/person throwing the statement around are better. How can that be the case? ....none of the studies actually showed that.

    Its marketing spin

    Here is another one from another company:
    The evidence is unequivocal ...rigid custom made foot orthoses actually work - all the outcome studies; patient satisfaction stuides and RCT's show that. I would love those who make these claims to supply the data that they base these statements on.
     
  5. Adrian Misseri

    Adrian Misseri Active Member

    Isn't that the same thing? And once the injured tissue is no longer injured, say the plantar fascia in chronic plantar fasciitis due to excessive midfoot pronation (for example), is healed, it becomes about providing pressure in corect areas to prevent teh pathology returning?

    -Adrian
     
  6. Craig Payne

    Craig Payne Moderator

    Articles:
    8
    There is NO correlation between changes in foot motion with foot orthoses and changes in symptoms. You can change motion and position with foot orthoses without reducing the forces in the tissues. You can also change the forces without changing position or motion....we been around this stump many a time.
    See
    Foot orthoses outcomes and kinematic changes
     
  7. adavies

    adavies Active Member

    Hi Guys,

    I feel that they are only picking out certain aspects of foot function and orthotic therapy to give a slanted view, to get you on their side.

    As we all know there is alot more to it than just wacking some wedging on.

    Kiwi AD
     
  8. Sammo

    Sammo Active Member

    Heres a nice one

    Shame on you Kevin, with your outdated methods;).

    You should get one of those.

    And then later on

    :wacko:

    Unfortunatly many people find it hard to sell their product because "Our product is good." They are forced to rely on selling their product by badmouthing everybody elses. Sad. But true.

    Regards
    Robert

    PS
    Now what might these be :confused:. Full dynamic arch support. Hmmm.
     
  9. Sammo

    Sammo Active Member

    Just to let everyone know... that was Robert Isaacs on my computer... not me. No way... uh-uh.

    Fool

    :bang:
     
  10. Sammo

    Sammo Active Member

    Although, here are some mildly interesting claims from Inter-pod orthotics company:

    "Can be used extrinsically for Diabetes"

    "Eliminates pronation moments about the subtalar joint created by the lateral heel cup"

    S
     
  11. Its true. :eek:
    However there was a typo in your post. You spelt it "fool". It should be spelt "please can i have loads more doms in the back of beyond and i don't need lunch time any more."

    Do try to check your spellings.

    Regards
    Robert
    ;)
     
  12. Craig Payne

    Craig Payne Moderator

    Articles:
    8
    Whats actually wrong with that claim? Many orthoses designs (DC Wedge; MOSI) do that exactly for that reason.
     
  13. admin

    admin Administrator Staff Member

    Lets continue to discuss this, but lets please keep company and product names out of it.
     
  14. Sammo

    Sammo Active Member

    I must apologise and beg forgiveness, I didn't read that sentence fully before posting it... I fear I have somewhat made a fool of myself...

    I got as far as eliminating pronatory moments... then didn't read past that i.e. the bit about the heel cup.

    I suffered from the same things in exams... although this is slightly more embarrasing :eek:

    Sam
     
  15. Statements like these made by a foot orthosis lab are an insult to all of our podiatric and orthopedic forefathers that have advanced foot orthosis therapy to the point that it is today. It irritates me that a foot orthosis lab would stoop so low that they feel the need to discredit the great minds of the last fifty years of podiatric biomechanics, just to sell a few more foot orthoses. What does this say about the character of the people running this type of foot orthosis lab?!
     
    Last edited: Apr 11, 2008
  16. Craig Payne

    Craig Payne Moderator

    Articles:
    8
    At the end of the day, the bottom line is this:

    Rigid custom made foot orthotics, based on the original concepts of Mert Root et al work; the research data on that is incredibly clear (just look at all the patient satisfaction surveys; outcome studies; and RCT's). Not one study has shown that they do not work at improving patient outcomes. Not one study has shown that any one type of orthotic design is better at improving patient outcomes (DESPITE, biomechanical studies showing differences).

    HOWEVER, a lot of research data has shown that many of the principles that these types of custom made foot orthotic are based on are somewhat flawed. The research that shows that does not prove that another theory is right and does not prove that there are better outcomes with different orthotics ---- it is this that the advertising claims of many are alluding to.
     
  17. Craig:

    I agree with you. In fact, anyone who is familiar with the considerable research literature on foot orthoses would probably also agree with us.

    My point is why would an ethical foot orthosis lab distort the research evidence that clearly shows that foot orthoses are quite effective at treating multiple pathologies? The answer is that an ethical foot orthosis lab would not do such a thing, only an unethical foot orthosis lab would make such false claims.

    It seems quite apparent that these orthosis labs are only trying to elevate their company's product by telling lies, by making up things that aren't true, and by using other advertising tactics that are more normally found in used car sales rather than being found in the ethical advertisement of products used for the treatment of medical conditions. It sure smells like snake oil to me!
     
  18. Craig Payne

    Craig Payne Moderator

    Articles:
    8
    On Brian Rothbarts site, there is a list of references that are claimed that support his "proprioceptive insoles"; the cheer squad leader, Petros Kattou, published the same reference list on TFS .... the funny thing is that I could not find a single thing in any of those references that supported the approach. The best bit was they cited Karl Landorf's RCT on plantar fasciitis in that list - Karl actually showed in that study that the rigid custom made orthotics work --- these guys use the study in their marketing to say they don't work. .... to me that is worse than having binkers on. They then wonder why they leave themselves open to riducle.
     
Loading...

Share This Page