The London Orthotic Consultancy runs a monthly clinic at Kingston's gait laboratory, in conjunction with the world-renowned physiotherapist Elaine Owen MBE MSc SRP MCSP.
As well as 40 years' experience and a broad range of postgraduate training, Elaine has postgraduate qualifications in clinical gait analysis and lower limb orthotic biomechanics. She regularly presents her work at international conferences, including the Annual Meeting of the European Society for Movement Analysis in Adults and Children (ESMAC), the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM), the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) UK Annual Meeting and World Congress, and the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists (AAOP) Annual Scientific Meeting.
Elaine Owen leading a talk about OSKAR at LOC's Gait Laboratory
Elaine Owen, world-renowned physiotherapist at the London Orthotic Consultancy speaking at LOC for her Advanced Course in Paediatric Gait Analysis with Great Ormond Street Hospital.
In 2012 she was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List, for services to children with disabilities, in 2011 she received a Welsh Government Recognising Achievement Award and in 2008 she was awarded the ISPO UK George Murdoch Prize for her submission ‘The importance of being earnest about shank and thigh kinematics especially when using AFOs’.
She has a number of published peer-reviewed papers and has recently contributed chapters to two new books, one on the evidence base for physical therapy for children with cerebral palsy and the other on orthoses for children with spina bifida.
Elaine has spent her career in the NHS working with children with movement disorders, and for the last 20 years, she has used a gait laboratory to analyse children’s walking, optimise orthosis designs and set physiotherapy programmes. One of her many achievements has been to develop a comprehensive method of assessment, prescription and fine-tuning of lower limb orthoses. She, along with her team, have challenged conventional wisdom with evidence-based science and rewritten the textbooks. Her methods are now the gold standard for designing, aligning and tuning lower limb orthoses and at LOC we are delighted to have the opportunity to work with her.
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.
