Over the last year, LOC has developed links with local Consultants to assist with the bracing of clients with multiple myeloma. We treat and accept referrals from NHS Trusts as well as consultant-led, private referrals.
Your treating Consultant will advise if a brace is a suitable part of your myeloma therapy. A brace helps to stabilise the spine (which can help to control pain) and reduce the mechanical load on the vertebrae (which can aid healing). Your spinal brace will also help to prevent any further collapse/fractures of your vertebrae.
Spinal braces must be very well-fitting in order to achieve the above goals. The best way to achieve a well-fitting spinal brace is for the brace to be custom made to fit you exactly.
At LOC, we take a 3D scan of your surface topography and base your brace on this. We apply some light modelling via CADCAM software, and we then use our onsite Robot (Victor) to mill out a life size version of you (post-modelling). Our experienced technicians then make your brace from hand.
As we have all the above resources on-site, we are able to turn our Myeloma Spinal Braces around within 48 hours. That means your brace would be ready for fitting/supply 2 days following our initial consultation.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us in order to discuss this process, either for yourself or for your patients.
We have the following facilities and amenities at our Kingston Upon Thames location:
We also have the Gait Laboratory for orthotics patients and Onsite Manufacturing for speedy turnarounds and adjustments whilst you wait.
An insole is a contoured orthotic device which alters the characteristics and biomechanics of the foot and ankle area. Biomechanics are concerned with mechanical laws and how they affect the living body, especially the musculoskeletal system.
They are removable devices, often made from plastic, that are designed to fit inside a shoe to provide additional support for your feet. As well as offering shock absorption, an insole can help distribute the weight of your body more effectively across the foot and can be made bespoke to cover a range of biomechanical conditions.
If you have symptoms in your feet, ankles, hips or your lower back that are intermittent or were not there to start with in early life, and have started to cause you pain over a period of time, bespoke orthotic insoles could be an excellent option.
If you have already tried rest, icing, compression and elevation and your feet have not recovered, we recommend a biomechanical assessment to consider the possibility of insoles. They are a non-invasive approach to treatment and in many cases, are a great option for symptoms that are not severe enough to warrant surgical intervention. Alternatively, they can be considered as an option prior to surgery.
We will send patients away when an insole is not appropriate, if a patient is suffering with iliotibial band syndrome for example, the problem can be helped with physiotherapy and a stretching programme. That’s what our biomechanical assessment is all about; determining whether there would be any benefit from altering the alignment of your feet.
Luca was diagnosed with moderate to severe brachycephaly, a condition where the head is unusually wide and flat. Here, Mum Lauren tells us his story.
From debilitating challenges with foot drop to conquering mountains... New carbon-fibre Ankle Foot Orthoses (AFOs) help this Charcot-Marie-Tooth patient climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
Vacuum bell therapy and custom rib bracing helped to improve Charlie's pectus excavatum chest shape, reducing his sternum indentation from 40mm to 10mm.
Among 14 to 17-year-old cricket players, there is an increased risk of pars stress fracture, or spondylolysis, which can cause lower back pain and reduced mobility. These athletes are at high risk due to their still-developing bones, which struggle to cope with the repetitive stress of fast bowling.
Apprentice orthotist Catherine Hendy’s journey into the world of prosthetics and orthotics began in an unconventional way. After completing a degree in art, she then trained as an orthotics technician, before taking up an apprenticeship to become a clinician. Now, she’s been nominated for the British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists (BAPO) Student of the Year 2024.
Amelia was diagnosed with tightness in her neck by her GP before her plagiocephaly diagnosis. Clinician Jo Drake treated her with a LOCband Lite cranial remoulding helmet, which improved her overall head shape and asymmetry.
What are lower limb orthotics, and how can they improve mobility and reduce pain? We've put together this summary of the different kinds of lower limb orthotics, from AFOs and KAFOs to more complex orthotics like RGOs, and how they can help patients with their mobility goals.
Barney's very severe flat head syndrome (plagiocephaly) and diagnosis of torticollis led to successful helmet therapy with the LOCband, significantly improving his head shape, going from 27mm asymmetry to 12mm.
