A written referral is not necessary to see a Pedorthist. Insurance companies may require a referral including a diagnosis in order to honour your claim.

Tools you may find useful:

Pedorthic Terms

When to Refer

Contact us:

Email Us

Map to Our Location

Costs:

 

New Brunswick Medicare does not cover pedorthic costs.  Please suggest that patients look into their extended health care to determine coverage before coming to their appointment.

Claims for WorksafeNB, Social Services, FNIHB and DVA are accepted.  Approval is sought before fabrication of orthoses, night splints, or footwear modifications begins.

Procedure:

Initial Assessment:

60 minutes – Includes history, gait analysis and physical examination of lower extremities, foot and ankle. If required 3-Dimensional molds are taken of both feet.

Fitting:

30 minutes – One-to-two weeks after the initial assessment, the custom made orthotics are fitted and fine tuned to the patients footwear.

Follow-up:

Ongoing – All patients receive an initial follow up phone call and further appointments will be arranged if further attention is required.

 

Filed under: Articles for Healthcare Professionals by ABLE Orthotics

For each of our patients we provide an assessment report for the referring physician(s). This is simply a quick reference to clarify terms we use frequently while some or all of the terminology may be familiar to you we wanted to be through.  As always if you have any questions please give us a call.

Clinical Observation Terminology

Excessive Pronation – triplanar motion of abduction, eversion and dorsiflexion

Excessive Supination – triplanar motion of adduction, inversion and plantarflexion

adduction – movement or deformity in the transverse plane toward the median

abduction – movement or deformity in the transverse plane away from median

eversion – movement in the frontal plane towards the midline

inversion – movement in the frontal plane away from the midline

valgus – position of eversion, deformity in the frontal plane

Varus – position of inversion, deformity in the frontal plane

plantarflexed / plantarflexion – downward position / movement in the sagittal plane

dorsiflexed / dorsiflexion – upward position / movement in the sagittal plane

internal rotation – movement around the vertical axis so anterior aspect faces towards median

external rotation – movement around vertical axis so anterior aspect faces away from median

circumduction – movement in circular pattern combining flexion, extension, abduction and adduction

Orthotic Terminology:

Metatarsal Pad: placed proximal to the metatarsal heads to support the transverse arch and unload the central metatarsal heads

Metatarsal Bar – placed proximal to the metatarsal heads to

support the transverse arch and unload 1-5 or 2-5 metatarsal heads

Casting

Casting is the process of capturing the 3D shape of the foot in the corrected position. At ABLE, we choose the method that will allow the best results for each patient’s individual needs.  Our casting methods include:

• direct mold – the material that will become the shell of the orthotic is heated and wrapped around the foot directly; semi-weight-bearing or full weight-bearing
• foam box – patients foot is pressed into a box of compressible foam by the pedorthist; semi-weight-bearing
• plaster bandage – strips of plaster of Paris are wrapped around the foot; non-weight-bearing
• laser scanner – electronic imaging matched with AutoCAD software and milling machine

Materials

At ABLE, we have more than 40 different material combinations to choose from when we design each orthotic device and we select the appropriate materials based on the patient’s needs. Options include:

• Accommodative
• corrective
• cushion
• semi-rigid
• rigid

Filed under: Articles for Healthcare Professionals by ABLE Orthotics

At ABLE Orthotics, our focus is our patients, and we use our assessments to find the best solutions for each patient.  Our breadth of treatment extends beyond “just orthotics”, including:  education on footwear or foot care, simple stretching exercises, specialty footwear, footwear modifications, night splints, turf toe plates, custom toe spacers, compression stockings, etc.  We work hard to gain your trust,and you can be confident that our focus is to do what is best for your patients.

Here are some general guidelines on when to refer to ABLE Orthotics, including some examples:

1. Pain of the foot, ankle, or lower limb due to abnormal biomechanics

• Common conditions: plantar fasciitis, metatarsalgia, patellofemoral knee pain
• Common abnormal mechanics: flat feet, high arches, abnormal pronation, excessive supination, dropped metatarsal arch, excessive or limited ranges of motion

2.  Activity limitation or aversion secondary to mechanical issues

3. Deformity

• Bunion or hallux valgus, clawed toes, hammer toes
• Club foot

4. Post Trauma or Post Surgery

• Amputation of toes, or part of foot
• New pains due to change in foot or limb structure/function

5. Leg Length Discrepancy

• Structural limb length difference
• How much of a difference is significant to treat?  We look at it case by case.  In some cases 5 mm can be significant

6. Footwear fitting issues

• Extra depth, extra wide, extra narrow
• Seamless or stretchable uppers
• Deep toe box

7. Poor balance/unsteady gait patterns

• Elderly, stroke, cerebral palsy, neuropathic

8. High Risk Feet

• Insensitive feet – neuropathy, Raynaud’s
• Circulatory compromise

If you have questions as to when a referral is appropriate, please don’t hesitate to call and speak with us.

Filed under: Articles for Healthcare Professionals by ABLE Orthotics

Our treatment approach is to work as a part of a team of health-care professionals.  We work hard to ensure effective and timely communication, and rigorously guard our reputation.  If at any time you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Our focus is to improve the quality of our patients’ lives by eliminating or reducing pain and improving function and activity level. We know that it is challenging for you to keep up with the constant barrage of new developments in your own field, let alone someone else’s.  So we work hard to be a resource for you.  We constantly update our skills and knowledge of the different treatment options so that we can provide the best patient solutions.

Why a Pedorthist:

Pedorthists’ are specialists and one of a few medical professionals trained in the assessment of lower limb anatomy and biomechanics. A Canadian Certified Pedorthist has a minimum of 3500 hours of training in clinical evaluation, footwear (fit and modification), and fabrication of custom orthotics.

How we solve problems:

At ABLE Orthotics, all patients are assessed by a Certified Pedorthist (Canada).  The initial appointment is usually one hour long, and we assess the function of the foot and lower limb through static and dynamic assessment.  From our assessment findings, we are able to develop a treatment plan specific to the patients’ needs that will help alleviate pain or problems caused by their specific foot and lower limb function.  When appropriate, we design and manufacture custom made prescription foot orthotics, educate on proper footwear choice and fit, and fit therapeutic footwear.

Our solutions:

Not Just Orthotics – in the course of treating patients, we draw from a wide variety of treatment possibilities to find the right solution for each patient.  The treatments options include:

1. Education: including footwear, exercises or other recommended treatments
2. Orthotics: both custom made and off the shelf options may be used
3. Shoe modifications: ranging from the relatively simple to complex
4. Footwear: primarily for specialty cases
5. Specialty needs: work or sport specific footwear: boots, skates, dance shoes
6. Other foot products:

• custom toe spacers
• forefoot stiffening plates
• dorsiflexion night splints
• compression stockings

Filed under: Articles for Healthcare Professionals by ABLE Orthotics