Paris Orthotics Seminar

Each year, the Paris Orthotics company assembles a conference for heather care providers that prescribe and cast for foot orthoses. We get an update as to what is new in the Paris laboratory, as well as some of the newest research concerning certain populations that benefit from custom foot orthoses.

This winter's session was conducted by Dr. Chris MacLean, Ph.D of Paris, and concentrated on new developments of the Richie Brace and custom insoles for different sports.

The Richie Brace was first realized and designed by Dr. Doug Richie, a pedorthist, in 1996. Since then, the brace has been prescribed and cast for thousands of individuals with a wide array of lower limb pathologies.

Taken from: http://comfortfitlabs.com/richiebrace.htm

The Richie brace is an AFO - an ankle-foot orthosis. The difference with this brace from most others is that it is completely custom for your foot. Using STS-sock casting technique, the clinician will take a cast from the toes, all the way to mid-shank.

Taken from: http://driveit.clickspace.com/webpage/1000367/1000107

When would I need a Richie brace rather than a standard custom insole?

The Richie is an orthotic with a deeper heel-cup, and lateral shank stability by way of upright semi-rigid supports.These AFO's are used for patients with more severe changes in the foot and ankle. The common indications are:

• Severe adult-acquired flatfoot
• Lateral ankle instability
• From continual ankle sprains or a traumatic ankle dislocation
• Degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the ankle joints
• Osteoarthritis of the subtalar or talocrural joints
• Rheumatoid arthritis of the above joints
• Previous sepsis in the ankle joints
• Chronic ankle gout

This brace allows maximal control of pronation of the rear and fore foot and maintains a pure sagittal (up-down) motion at the ankle and restricts the foot from collapsing, or the ankle from rolling.

Feel free to call us at Paragon Physiotherapy to find out more information: 204-421-9177.

If you would like to read more about the Richie brace, check out www.richiebrace.com

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Do you play any sports? Having pain the hips, knees, ankles during your sport? You may benefit from a custom sport orthosis designed for your specific sport. At the seminar, we recapped lower limb biomechanics in sport, and then applied those parameters to design orthotics to maximize support and minimize injury all while making sure that these inserts will fit into your shoes!

As you know there are orthotics that you can easily fit into your running, basketball and possibly your golf shoes, but what about your soccer cleats? Your ski boots? Your skates

Streamline and shallow orthotics can be custom made to fit in those tiny little road and mountain cycling shoes! Do you get knee pain on the way up the hill, or nearing to the end of your ride? How about pain in the ball of the foot when you are in the push phase of peddling? 

How about those skaters out there that find their feet being uncomfortable after 20-30 minutes on ice. Are you a hockey player that likes keeping the laces tied low to allow ankle movement, but get cramping foot pain? The inside of skates does not give any arch support, but with orthotics, you can gain some structural control to the foot.

This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as benefits and application of custom foot orthotics. Paragon Physiotherapy uses Paris Orthotics as its technical lab because of the quality of product, the personal care given into the construction, the costumer support, as well as being a Canadian Company. If you would like to find out more about Pairs Orthotics check out: www.parisorthotics.com

I would also like to wish Paris Orthotics a happy 25th anniversary! Congratulations!