Reasons To Have A Backbrace Prescribed

Back braces are often prescribed for the treatment of spinal injury and for back deformities in children; that is, a curvature of the spine. Back braces can be worn on any section of the spine and are often named for the area they are applied. Braces can be prescribed for soft tissue injuries, post surgical treatment or spinal fractures. Their purpose is to immobilise the spine while it is healing. Braces can be flexible or rigid. A flexible brace is typically made from elastic or nylon material and is normally used as a back support for improving posture and relieving back pain. Rigid braces are usually made from plastic with front and back pieces that are fastened together. These are used to immobilize the spine and are necessary in the case of spinal fracture, after spinal surgery or in the treatment of scoliosis in children. In the case of spinal deformities in children, a rigid plastic brace is custom moulded and fitted for the patient.

In the case of children, they are used to prevent a deformity in the curvature of the spine from becoming more pronounced. While the back braces cannot correct a spine deformation, it prevents the condition from worsening. In some cases, there is an initial apparent straightening of the spine when the brace is applied, however when it is removed, the spine curvature will return to its original shape. There are two common types of braces in children: CTLSO (cervical thoracic lumbar sacral orthosis), which is used to treat conditions in the upper back such as kyphosis (resulting in a hunchback) and TLSO (thoracic lumbar sacral orthosis), which treats curves in the mid and lower back (referred to as scoliosis). The success of treating scoliosis in treatment depends on how early a diagnosis is made, whether the spinal curve is moderate rather than severe, how well the brace is fitted and whether the child wears the brace for the prescribed period. In the case of the latter, if a child wears a brace for less than the prescribed period, it may cause their condition to get worse rather than better. When a child is fitted for a brace for scoliosis or kyphasia deformities, a plaster cast is made of the body to ensure that the brace is created with the best fit possible. In addition, x-rays are taken under the guidance of an orthotist before and after the brace has been applied to ensure that the appropriate improvement has been made in the curvature of the back. It is important to wear back braces at all times (except when sleeping) as prescribed by an orthotist until the spine has been healed or until the appropriate condition is helped.

How Insoles Can Improve Your Performance

It is well known that one of the biggest problems for those who undergo lower limb amputations is learning to walk with a prosthetic leg or foot. Difficulties in using prostheses can often cause an amputee to develop a limp or other walking irregularities. However, in recent years there has been significant progress in providing orthotic insoles to correct these problems.

There are several reasons why difficulties can develop with lower-limb prostheses. Although we are not normally aware of it, as we walk, our brain is constantly receiving feedback from our muscles about our leg positions, the contact of each foot with the ground, and the force with which our feet push off. Without this information, movement co-ordination can be difficult, so people with prosthetic limbs often develop walking abnormalities such as shorter steps, or swinging the prosthetic leg from a tiptoe position. In addition, amputees often lack sufficient confidence to put their full weight on a prosthetic leg, and this causes asymmetry in walking. In the case of partial foot amputations resulting from diabetes, there are often pressure problems caused by the reduction in the load-bearing plantar surface of the foot, and this can cause instability in the push-off phase of walking.

Do You Take The Insoles Out Of Your Shoes To Put In Orthotics

Maintaining the health of the remaining limb is always important when you have an amputation and use a prosthetic limb to get around. Quite often the 'healthy' leg tries to overcompensate for the prosthetic limb and this can lead to pain in the hips and knees (for transtibial amputations) as well as  problems with gait and overall balance. To correct this, many amputees begin to use insoles in their shoes to support the remaining foot. While this is a good practice, it makes much more sense to have orthotics inner soles that are designed specifically for your needs, rather than relying on a generic insole. Since it has been created around your own foot and designed to give extra support to your prosthetic limb, it is not advisable to wear orthotics inner soles with any other insoles since these will counteract the benefits of having an insole designed in the first place.

What Is A Prosthetic Leg

From wooden toes and iron arms in ancient Egypt through to the high-tech blades we are used to seeing on running tracks today, prosthetic limbs have been around as long as humans, it would seem. As with all prostheses, a prosthetic leg replaces part or all of a leg. If the prosthesis is to be used above the knee it is known as an "AK" (Above Knee) or  transfemoral prosthesis, while one that is used below the knee is known as a "BK" (Below Knee) transtibial prosthesis. The type of prosthesis used depends on the amputation level of the leg itself.

A transtibial, or BK, prosthetic leg allows the user to regain their normal limb movement much faster than someone with a transfemoral or AK prosthesis. This is all to do with the knee, which is still present in a transtibial prosthesis. The human knee is a very complex joint and having the original in situ is a great help to medical practitioners. If the knee is missing, all of its functions need to be replicated by machinery. With the advent of technologies such as microprocessors, hydraulics and carbon fiber, this has become a much simpler process, but it will still take the wearer of a transfemoral prosthesis longer to regain a normal walking pace than someone with a transtibial prosthesis.