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How  to  maintain  your  device

4/2/2020

 

Cleaning Your Braces

Our cleaning video will help you care for your orthotic device.  To jump to your specific brace, please go to the following timestamps:

00:35 - Foot Orthotics:  Clean when dirty or have a pungent odour
02:06 - Knee Brace:  Clean once weekly
03:41 - Spinal Brace:  Clean once a week
05:14 - Dynamic Chest Compressor:  Every two weeks
06:20 - Ankle Foot Orthotic:  Once a month
09:38 - Boots and Bar:  Once a week

If you have questions, please give us a call at 905-527-1225 or email us.  

OUr   latest video  on  "how  it's  made"

3/5/2020

 

How Knee Braces are Made

After much anticipation and technical difficulties, our second video in "How It's Made" is here!  Take a look at how Mr. Bapty CO (c) and his team put together another one of our biggest products from beginning to end (pouring the mold is not shown).  We think you'll agree that a lot of work goes into a custom knee brace.

Warning:  Jump cuts are used.

Could a Knee Brace Help Ease Your Osteoarthritis Pain?

12/14/2019

 
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While there’s no cure for knee osteoarthritis, a combination of strategies can help relieve your pain and keep you active. 

Although the cornerstones of treatment are exercise and physical therapy — and pain medications and steroid injections are also options — you can also try knee braces, shoe inserts or simply wearing more supportive shoes. 

“Knee braces can be helpful for managing your pain,” says physical therapist Dawn Lorring, PT, MPT. “The location and severity of your symptoms will drive which brace works best for you.” 

Osteoarthritis is caused by the breakdown of cartilage (that’s the cushioning material that covers the ends of bones in joints.) This causes pain and stiffness.

In the knee joint, arthritis can occur at any of three points where the bones come in contact: 
  • Underneath the kneecap.
  • Between the thigh bone (femur) and shin bone (tibia) on the inside of the leg.
  • Between the thigh and shin bones on the outside of the leg. ​

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Types of knee braces
​
Sleeve braces. 
People who have mild pain or stiffness that limits their activities can try a sleeve-type brace. These provide compression, which can reduce swelling and warm the joint. This might relieve the stiffness. 

These braces also provide added support. “If your knee feels unsteady or wobbly, a compression-type brace can be helpful, Lorring says. Some of them have plastic stays or a hinge on the side, which provides a little more support. She recommends getting one that has an opening at the knee cap.
​

Sleeve braces usually aren’t covered by insurance, but they are relatively inexpensive.

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Unloader brace. 
​When arthritic changes are between the femur and tibia, a device called an unloader knee brace may help, especially if one side is more arthritic than the other. These have a metal band that goes around the thigh and another one around the calf, connected by a hinged bar. This creates a frame that can be adjusted to shift pressure (unload) from one side of the knee to the other.


“If the inside of your knee hurts, the brace can be adjusted to put more force on the outside of your knee, unloading weight off the inside,” Lorring explains. 
These are less beneficial if your arthritis symptoms are similar on both the inside and outside of the joint. 
​

Unloader knee braces are more expensive, but they can be covered by the Assistive Devices Program or private insurance. You’ll need a doctor’s prescription and documentation that it is medically necessary. 
​

Shoes and inserts. 
Various foot problems (like high arches or flat feet) or just the particular way you walk can affect the alignment of your body. That might be putting more pressure on your knee joints. You may get some relief by choosing better shoes or wearing shoe inserts (also called orthotics).

Because everyone is different, there’s no universal advice for shoes or inserts. Lorring recommends consulting a physical therapist or an expert in foot mechanics who can observe how you walk and help you pick out shoes or shoe inserts that match your needs. “I encourage people to look at running shoes because there are more support options,” she says. 

“The goal with orthotics is to make sure your foot is moving in the best way it can so your knee isn’t getting more force than it should,” Lorring says. There are a wide variety of shoe inserts and heel wedges that you can buy in a drug store or online. You can also get them custom made or save some money and get semi-custom ones. Like with shoes, you need to get inserts and wedges that are specific to your needs. 

“You can have an insert that doesn’t add much arch support but it adds cushion, which can be beneficial if you walk on the outside of your foot,” Lorring says. “However, if your foot rolls inward too much, you may need more arch support.”

You can get heel wedges that are sloped in one direction or the other, which is similar to the action of an unloader brace. It shifts pressure from one side of the knee to the other.
“Ultimately, you have to find what works for you,” Lorring says.

This article was based on one that originally appeared in Cleveland Clinic Arthritis Advisor.

7  Hacks  for  aFo's  and  orthotics

7/16/2019

 
The following article was written by Lainie Ishbia in The Mighty, June 30th, 2019.  
​
Please note that if you have any problems whatsoever with a device you receive from us (including squeaking!), contact us so that we can help you with it.
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I have a love/hate relationship with my leg braces. On the one hand, they help me walk and balance (not minor things) and allow me to be independent, explore the world and have an awesome life. But they can also be super annoying, stifling and controlling. So controlling, in fact, that I’m now completely dependent on and lost without them. I take an extra set of braces and straps with me on vacation in case they break (and they have) because I am unable to walk in shoes without them.  
                                
READ MORE

Tips  for  your Dynamic  Chest  Compressor

5/9/2019

 

Sleeping with Your DCC

Some of our patients have told us that sleeping with a Dynamic Chest Compressor can be a little uncomfortable at times  -  here our Certified Orthotist, Eric Bapty, shows you a few tips to make it easier for you.  Try it out and let us know what you think!

proposed  federal  accessibility  legislation

12/13/2018

 

Accessible Canada Act

Once approved by Parliament, the Act would add to the existing rights and protections for people with disabilities, including the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Human Rights Act and Canada’s approval of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The purpose of the bill is to make Canada barrier-free in areas under federal jurisdiction.
The bill outlines how to identify and remove accessibility barriers and prevent new barriers, under federal rule, including in:
  • built environments (buildings and public spaces); 
  • employment (job opportunities and employment policies and practices); 
  • information and communication technologies (digital content and technologies used to access it); 
  • procurement of goods and services; 
  • delivering programs and services; and 
  • transportation (by air as well as by rail, ferry and bus carriers that operate across a provincial or international border). 
​To read the summary, click here

Winter  Boots

10/31/2018

 

Winter Boots Tips for the Snow!

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Yes unfortunately winter is just around the corner.  It’s time to take out those boots and ensure they still fit properly – or think about buying new ones.  
 
Consider these suggestions when you’re in the stores:



  • Removable Insoles – take your foot orthotics with you and make sure that they will fit into the new boots.
  • Rubber Soles – provide you with traction and stability.  A lower heel and wider outsole provide the broadest base of support.
  • Laces – give you the most adjustability and support for walking and overall comfort. Velcro straps offer less support but would be a more desired option than pull-on. 
  • Waterproof Leather or Membrane – keeping your feet dry equates to warmth and comfort. Leather boots are fine provided they have a waterproofing treatment. 
  • Overshoes – if you’re unable to find boots, then an overshoe such as Neos maybe your solution.  
  • Socks – wear warm socks when you try on your boots – with your orthotics in the boots.  The socks should be made from a moisture wicking material like polypropylene, acrylic or wool – never cotton!  ​

If you have any questions about your boots
please bring them with you to your next appointment and Eric will be glad to help.  
​

​Keep warm and comfortable this winter!

Celebrate   Locke  Street!

8/30/2018

 

Locke Street Festival Saturday, September 8th

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We are closed for the festival so that everyone can enjoy!  There will be hundreds of vendors - definitely something for everyone.
The entertainment will start about noon, featuring local musicians, while the Family Zone will enthral  the younger ones with science experiments and magic.

For more information check out Locke Street Festival or visit them on Facebook or Google+.  

Being   outside  is  good  for  you

8/9/2018

 

Getting Grounded

by Carrie Dennett of the Washington Post
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It is not a secret that spending time in nature is good for you. For years, researchers have been detailing how people who live near green spaces — parks, greenbelts, tree-lined streets, rural landscapes — have better physical and mental health, and practices such as Japanese forest bathing and Nordic hygge, which has a strong outdoorsy component, are being embraced here in the United States. Could grounding be next?
I was intrigued when a colleague recently recommended a mutual patient — seeing her for stress management and me for nutritional advice — experiment
with walking barefoot in the grass for a short time each day. A few weeks
later, I stumbled across an article that gave a name to that practice:
grounding. The idea behind grounding, also called earthing, is that humans
evolved in direct contact with the Earth's subtle electric charge, but have lost
that sustained connection thanks to inventions such as buildings, furniture
and shoes with insulated synthetic soles.



Read More

What to Wear

7/3/2018

 

Best shirt to wear under a Scoliosis Brace

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​
Brace Buddies is a Canadian company that does custom made body socks.

EmBraced in Comfort is centred in Michigan 

Hope Embrace tees can be purchased through Curvy Spine in Edmonton

Suggestions?  Please let us know so that we can share.  


Definitely not this one!
​
Here's what we suggest you look for:
  • a stretchy material (no wrinkles)
  •  seam-free if possible
  • a durable material that is thin enough so as not to be too warm
  • anti-bacterial and anti-mircobial
  • moisture-wicking 
  • long enough that it covers the length of the brace
  • provides some protection for your armpits

Cotton or bamboo with spandex usually works very well.  Some people have tried turning the shirt inside to deal with the seams.  Athletic shirts are good too as they are moisture-wicking   You can search on-line using the above criteria, but we've given you some suggestions to give you a head start.


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Advanced Orthodynamics
235 Locke Street South, Suite 1
Hamilton, ON  L8P 4B8
905-527-1225
1-800-400-9203

[email protected]
​​

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