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Orthotic Care Services | Lowers Program

 
 

Successful orthotic intervention is more about the process than the device. Our process begins with a thorough history and factors in joint alignments, range of motion (ROM) measurements, strength testing, and gait assessment results. These clinical findings help the team establish shared goals specific to each patient. These goals define the motion control strategies and brace design that enhance mobility and encourage rehabilitative change for the patient.

Decades of experience and applied learning, combined with research, have allowed us to design comfortable and functional orthoses that address the patient’s biomechanical needs. These proprietary solutions normalize gait mechanics, maintain neutral joint alignments, restore range and prevent muscle contractures, and encourage strengthening that improves quality of life.


Initial Evaluation (60-90 minutes)

  • We start with an evaluation or consultation appointment. There is no cost for this appointment.

  • Our clinicians will start the appointment by listening to your concerns.

  • We will assess your child's foot/knee alignment, ankle/knee range of motion (ROM), muscle stiffness, and gait pattern and discuss these clinical findings with you.

  • We connect our observations with your concerns to establish goals for your child and use these goals to determine the best orthotic intervention.

  • After we agree on the orthotic design, we will take a mold of your child's feet. These will be used to make custom brace(s). We will also measure your child for shoes and discuss shoe recommendations with you.

  • We never like to work unilaterally. After the appointment, we will contact your child's physical therapist, occupational therapist, and physician to share our assessment, goals, and orthotic recommendation.

  • Additionally, our billing department will contact your insurance regarding coverage and contact you about out-of-pocket expenses.

Fitting Appointment (90 Minutes)

  • Your child will try on the brace(s) for the first time.

  • Our clinicians will finalize the fit of your child's brace(s).

  • We will tune the brace(s) by adding lifts and posting in the shoes for optimal function.

  • We will review the following Use & Care information with you:

    • Recommended break-in schedule

    • Wear schedule

    • Common skin concerns

    • Cleaning instructions

  • We will teach you how to put on and take off the brace(s).

Follow-Up Appointments (60 Minutes)

  • Regularly scheduled follow-ups ensure everything is fitting and functioning properly. We are committed to seeing you at 2-weeks, 6-weeks, 3-months, 6-months, and 9-months to track your child’s outcome.

  • During each of these appointments, our clinicians will discuss any concerns you may have about the fit or function of the brace(s).

  • We will discuss how things are going with the wear schedule.

  • We will check your child's skin and reassess the fit of the brace(s). If necessary, we will make any changes required to address areas of pressure or skin irritation.

  • We will check the brace(s) for structural integrity. Every brace(s) experiences wear and tear over time. Most commonly, the straps will need to be replaced at some point, approximately every 6 months.

  • We will reassess how your child is walking. As your child weans into the brace(s), their gait pattern will begin normalizing. Additional tuning may be needed to maximize function.


Our Outcomes