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What devices do we make?
Orthotic Devices
Orthotic device
Orthotic devices tend to be a little more complex, in that each patient who presents has a different diagnosis and hence different requirement from the device. This is distinct from prostheses: each below knee amputee receives basically the same thing, custom-made and adjusted to their way of walking. But if two people come in with weak leg muscles, they will not necessarily both receive the same kind of leg brace!
Orthoses, however are made in pretty much the same way as prostheses, by taking a cast of the affected body part, be it arm, neck, back, leg or foot and then rectifying the cast to get a good fit or correction of a deformity as required.
We can also make orthopaedic shoes, usually to accommodate deformed feet or to spread the body weight over the whole of the sole of the foot, to avoid high pressure areas.
Leprosy patient wearing special shoes.
People who have been affected by leprosy, are often left without feeling in their feet which is particularly dangerous if, for example, they get a stone in their shoe. They will not know and will keep walking until they have worn a hole in their skin, and this can lead to an infection which will take a long time to heal. If the wound is not allowed to heal - difficult when you have to plant your rice and you feel no pain in the foot - the infection can spread and end up requiring in an amputation. For this reason education is also very important for these patients.