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What is Orthotics?

Custom-made orthotics

Orthotics is a specialist medical discipline that focuses on the prescription, design and fitting of orthoses. The definition of orthosis is “an externally applied device used to influence the structural and functional characteristics of the neuromuscular and skeletal system” (ISO September 2020). Orthotics are braces or splints which are designed to help patients with a variety of different medical conditions to better manage day-to-day living and reduce pain. You may be familiar with foot orthotics or custom-made insoles, but orthotics can also cover different areas of the body. These orthotics are simply named after the joints of the body that they are treating, thus a device that covers the foot and ankle is called an Ankle Foot Orthosis (AFO) and one that also includes the knee is called a Knee Ankle Foot Orthosis (KAFO). LOC specialises in providing bespoke orthotics for its adult and paediatric patients, this means that they are custom made for each individual. And this is very important as ill-fitting orthotics will cause more problems than they will solve. We spend a lot of time ensuring our patients are comfortable in their orthotics, after all, they will be wearing them almost all the time. See our bespoke orthotics page for the full range of orthotics LOC offers. Alternatively, continue below for an overview of our orthotic treatment. 

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CONDITIONS TREATED

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Adult Treatment Paediatric Treatment Cerebral Palsy SDR Adult Cerebral Palsy Stroke | Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA) Polio & Post-Polio Syndrome   Cerebral Palsy is the term used to describe a group of conditions that affect the movement of muscles and the posture of the body. Hypermobility is the term used to describe the ability to move joints beyond the normal range of movement. Pes Planovalgus (flat feet) is the loss of the medial longitudinal arch of the foot. Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR): LOC has developed a reputation in the SDR community for its treatment and management of patients who have undergone this ground-breaking surgery. Sever's Disease is a condition that affects adolescents during their growth spurt in puberty. It is a painful inflammation of the growth plate in the heel bone. Spina Bifida is a birth defect of the neural tube, which is what eventually develops to form the spine and nervous system. Transverse Myelitis is a rare neurological disorder, with around 300 new cases of the disease recorded in the UK every year.  

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Robotic Technology at LOC

Victor the Robot, our new Computer Numerical Control milling machine, in action! Victor is noisy, but he’s transforming our ability to design and manufacture orthotic devices at our Kingston-upon-Thames clinic.  Manufactured by Rodin4D, Victor is capable of milling complex ergonomic shapes, meaning that we can now potentially assess a spinal orthotic patient, manufacture the orthosis and have it fitted, all in the space of a day. Victor can do everything we need to do for our patients, in-house and in the shortest time possible with no compromise on quality. Learn more about Victor

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