When patients experience musculoskeletal problems, you can often trace the cause to unbalanced feet. By offering orthotics to patients, chiropractors can relieve the symptoms of their patients, and at the same time, can increase their profits.

CP interviewed nine orthotics manufacturers to find out the latest news in orthotic products.

Allied OSI Labs
(317) 293-4858
www.aolabs.com

Allied OSI Labs offers custom-made, over-the-counter, and ankle foot orthosis (AFO). Allied OSI Labs provides literature for chiropractic offices to use in addition to samples for exam rooms. According to Cheryl L. Meyer, director of sales and marketing at the company, most patients find that having a sample in the office will help them understand what is being prescribed to them and will help in their overall care. For patients with limited incomes or are on fixed incomes, Allied OSI?Labs also has an economic line of custom orthotics and a full line of OTC orthotics that have different degrees of wedging. The company has also recently launched a line of custom orthotics using various pads in addition to custom cast corrections used on other products.

Amfit Inc
(800) 356-3668
www.amfit.com

Amfit Inc offers custom and over-the-counter orthotics. Amfit recently introduced the Impress Foam Scanner, which can scan a foam impression in less than 1 minute. Amfit's Central Fabrication service provides fast turnaround time. Amfit also offers point-of-purchase materials, photography, and immediate access to a salesperson for help. According to Melanie Shelton, C.Ped, sales and marketing coordinator at the company, a great marketing tool for a chiropractor is his or her understanding of the product he or she is trying to sell to patients, so Amfit's goal is to make sure that the chiropractor understands its products and how they benefit patients.

DCArchFitters
(866) 548-5590
www.dcarchfitters.com

DCArchFitters offers custom-made orthotics. The company uses a scanner that is designed to take a weight-bearing and a nonweight-bearing scan of the foot that is immediately uploaded from the provider's office to the headquarters. A 3D software uses the scans to create a 3D alignment image of the foot with 900 control points used to plot 2400 x-y-z 3D coordinates, which are then computer-cut for precision. Chiropractors at DCArchFitters provide online interviews on how to incorporate orthotics into their practice, which is available to all providers. According to Kim D. Christensen DC, DACRB, CCSP, CSCS, president of the company, when a patient has subluxations that do not correct rapidly and completely, a search for contributing factors must include an examination of the feet.

Fastech Labs
(800) 351-FOOT
www.fastechlabs.net

Fastech Labs offers custom-made and pre-molded over-the-counter orthotics. The company also provides in-office patient information materials. According to Glenn Cumberland, president of Fastech Labs, in the future, infrared pressure-plate technology for accurate foot impressions will be incorporated into orthotics.

Foot Levelers
(800) 553-4860
www.footlevelers.com

Foot Levelers creates custom-made orthotics called Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers. Foot Levelers continuously updates its scanning technology to make the scanning process easy for chiropractors to use, and to help them communicate better with their patients. The company recently released versions of the report of findings in Spanish, French, and Japanese. The reports are generated by the Associate™ Platinum digital scanner. Foot Levelers provides the PracticeXcelerator™ multimedia marketing tool, which is designed to help chiropractors get the most out of their Associate Platinum digital scanners. According to Kent S. Greenawalt, president and CEO of Foot Levelers, stabilizers help chiropractic adjustments hold longer and help the correction of spinal subluxations.

OOLab Inc
(888) 873-3316
www.oolab.com

OOLab Inc manufactures custom-made orthotic devices. OOLab provides in-office display stands with shoe samples, brochures for in-office promotions, and educational seminars on biomechanics, gait analysis, plaster casting, orthotic prescription writing, shoe fitting, and marketing. According to Shannon Frizzell, BSc,DCh, chiropodist and medical director at the company, orthotics provide relief of many biomechanically related issues such as plantar fasciitis, lower-back problems, and patellofemoral syndrome.

Superfeet Worldwide Inc
(800) 634-6618
www.superfeet.com

Superfeet Worldwide offers custom-made and over-the-counter insoles. The company's over-the-counter Trim-to-Fit® line is the most popular and comprises the majority of Superfeet's business. The custom insoles are fit to the patient's foot using a medically based, nonweight-bearing fabrication process that captures the shape of the foot in its ideal functioning position. According to Amanda Norenberg, public relations and communications editor at Superfeet, today's scanning techniques do not provide the high level of quality and detail in capturing the exact shape of the foot; therefore, the company does not currently endorse orthotics scanning.In 2008, Superfeet will introduce a new insole with a three-layer memory foam system featuring the Dynamic Molding Process™ that distributes plantar pressure and improves fit.

Stable Step Inc
(888) 237-3668
www.powersteps.com

Stable Step offers Powerstep prefabricated orthotics, which feature polypropylene shells with rearfoot and forefoot posts that are flexible enough to be comfortable but firm enough to provide good control. Fitting is by shoe size, and the orthotics are available in 11 sizes. The Powerstep line is not available on the Internet, in catalogs, or in retail stores. According to Les Appel, DPM, president and founder of Stable Step, scanning is not necessary to dispense its products. The shapes are developed from computer-generated scans of thousands of feet. The company offers patient brochures and packaging that explain the features and benefits of its products. The company also offers a DVD that explains the various foot conditions that are caused by overpronation that Powerstep orthotics address.

The Orthotic Group
(800) 551-3008
www.theorthoticgroup.com

The Orthotic Group offers custom-made orthotics from a variety of sources of foot data. The company accepts nonweight-bearing foam casts, weight-bearing foam casts, plaster of paris casts, slipper casts, GaitScan™ Pressure Data, and laser casting. According to Bruce Marrison, BSc, MBA, senior vice president at The Orthotic Group, there are two innovations in scanning. The first innovation is to find an alternative way to get foot data to the lab instead of mailing in foam. The second innovation is computerized gait analysis or scanning the feet dynamically. The Orthotic Group provides posters, patient brochures, sample orthotics, footwear samples, footwear display stands, models of the foot, an educational DVD for waiting rooms, and Power Point presentations for patients and industries. The company also, for no additional fee, prints the chiropractor's name, logo, and phone number on all its orthotics.