-----Original Message-----
From: John Migo <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 28 October 1998 20:00
Subject: Footmax


>
>
>[log in to unmask] wrote:
>
>> On   Tue, 27 Oct 1998 23:43:12 EST,
>>
>> Kevin wrote,
>>
>> <It is my belief that if podiatric biomechanics education is
>> not improved in the next ten years in the podiatric medical colleges here
in
>> the U.S., then the other medical specialties will start taking over this
area
>> which podiatry had been the recognized leaders of for the past quarter
>> century.>
>>
>> Unfortunately Kevin, I believe that your prophesy is already
>> beginning to happen.  As you know I practice in Ireland and within
>> the last 2 months I have had to compete with ads from US and Canadian
>> Chiropractors, (...you need computers to make orthotics this good!!
>> the general jist of their ads), who have recently begun to practice in
this
>> country.  I've had several reports of this type of advertising throughout
>> the country.  They are using computer tecnology to assess patients and
>> to send info via a modem to a parent lab in Canada which fabricates
>> the orthoses in 2 days.  The system is called Footmax.
>>
>> I've not mentioned the physio's, GP's and sports therapists who are
>> also out there in the market place, all claiming to provide the
>> ultimate in orthotic care.  The gauntlet has been well and truly
>> thrown down.
>>
>> Regards
>>
>> John Weir BSc.MChS.SRCh.
>> Podiatrist
>> 4a Barrack Close
>> Ennis
>> Co. Clare
>> Ireland.
>
>John
>
>Around Four years ago one of the Orthopaedic Surgeons that I work with
Bought a
>Footmax system and eventually asked me to operate it for him in providing
>Orthotics for his patients.
>
>It involves the patient walking over a pressure sensitive pad which gives a
>printout showing where weight bearing pressures are greater i.e. under the
>metatarsal  heads, Heel etc. This printout was then sent to Canada and an
>orthotic duly arrived.
>
>My impression of all this, from what I saw and the orthotic received, an
>inaccurate biomechanical evaluation system that did not require or take
into
>account patient history or any other details except the printout. The
orthotic
>was made of 2mm polypropylene from the heel (no posting or heel cup)
extending to
>under the MPJ's with a soft full length cover. So basically it was purely
an arch
>support. All the orthotics that I saw looked the same no matter what the
basic
>foot type or what the pressure readings showed in the printout. Eventually
>because the outcome from using these "insoles" was so disappointing the
system is
>now collecting dust.
>
>I feel this shows that sometimes the Technical "whiz bang" computer
treatments
>are not necessarily better and results are what matters to our patients.
>
>Its up to us to provide them.
>
>John Migo,
>Hamilton, New Zealand.
>The reason the footmax system produces such poor orthoses is that it does
not take a  3D image of the foot. It therefore must use prefabricated shapes
for it's orthoses. Any of the devices I've seen from the company have been
of very poor quality.  I think it's worth saying that perhaps we need to
teach students how to ask the right questions when buying a computor
orthotic system so that they will not be taken in by the glamour of
computorisation. Here in Northern Ireland many of the students have the idea
that because it is computorised it must be better which as anyone knows who
has been involved with CAD CAM systems is symply not always the case.

 Regards David   (Footcare (N.I.) Ltd.)



%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%