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Market Mechanics

AOPA names Thranhardt recipients

The American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association in April named Maria Gerschutz, PhD, and Andreas Kannenberg, MD, PhD, as recipients of the 2010 Thranhardt Awards honoring advances in orthotic and prosthetic education and research.

The two recipients will present the research for which they are being honored in September at the AOPA National Assembly in Orlando. Each will also receive a $500 cash award.

Gerschutz, a researcher for Mt. Sterling, OH-based Ohio Willow Wood, will present a paper titled “Quantitative evaluation of elevated vacuum suspension system effectiveness under dynamic conditions.” The first OWW employee to receive the award, Gerschutz is responsible for conducting and coordinating research on the applications and usage of the company’s prosthetic products within patient prostheses to gauge best use practices and impact on quality of life.

Kannenberg, director of medical affairs at Otto Bock HealthCare in Duderstadt, Germany, was honored for his paper titled “A new shoulder orthosis to treat painful shoulder and facilitate gait rehabilitation of stroke patients.”

Autodesk certifies Delcam software

Birmingham, UK-based Delcam announced in April that its FeatureCAM range of feature-based CAM (computer aided manufacturing) software products has been certified by the Autodesk Inventor Certified Application Program for Autodesk Inventor 2011 mechanical design and engineering software.

This program certifies that FeatureCAM software applications have been tested by Autodesk engineers to ensure that they meet the highest standards set for robustness, quality and interoperability with the latest version of Inventor, digital prototyping software that enables engineers to design, visualize and simulate products before they are built. FeatureCAM software includes programs for milling, turning, wire EDM (electrical discharge machining) and mill-turn.

“Our relationship with Autodesk is very strong and offers a huge benefit to our customers, who can open Inventor parts seamlessly in FeatureCAM, with no loss of data or concerns about translation errors,” said Tom McCollough, vice president of development for FeatureCAM. “The certification program gives our customers the confidence of knowing that FeatureCAM has been rigorously tested by Autodesk and found to perform to the highest standards.”

APTA endorses latex-free Thera-Band

The American Physical Therapy Association announced in April its endorsement of the new Thera-Band Latex-Free Professional Resistance Bands from Akron, OH-based Performance Health/Hygenic Corporation.

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The endorsement is in response to requests by practitioners and patients for a product that is as effective as the Thera-Band latex band system, but is appropriate for people who experience allergic reactions to latex. The latex-free bands, introduced in December, use the same recognized colors and offer the same resistance levels as Thera-Band Professional Latex Resistance Bands that have been endorsed by the APTA since 1995.

The APTA Endorsement Committee voted unanimously to endorse the latex-free product, according to association president R. Scott Ward, PT, PhD.

Poron partners with sports academy

The Dan Duquette Sports Academy in Hinsdale, MA and Rogers, CT-based Rogers Corporation, manufacturer of Poron Performance Cushioning, have partnered for the second consecutive year.

Poron Performance Cushioning will be the presenting sponsor of the Academy’s Spring Fling – Memorial Day Tournament and supporting partner for the entire 2010 season. As part of the sponsorship, the Poron Cushioning team will educate attendees and guests on the safety advantages of their products, provide awards to the camp’s Most Valuable Players, provide on-site demonstrations, and offer “test products” for campers to try for themselves.

“This partnership gives us the ability to educate future all-stars and their families about the advantages and safety aspects associated with using Poron Performance Cushioning and Poron XRD Extreme Impact Protection products,” said Dave Sherman, new business development manager for Rogers’ high performance foams division.

DFCon taps Mills for Olmos award

DFCon Global Diabetic Foot Conference officials announced in April that Joseph L.R. Mills, Sr, MD, will receive the 2011 Edward James Olmos Award for Advocacy in Amputation Prevention.

Mills is professor and chief of vascular and endovascular surgery at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson and co-director of Southern Arizona Limb Salvage Alliance (SALSA). He will receive the award in March 2011 at the next DFCon meeting in Los Angeles. Previous Olmos award honorees include Karel Bakker, MD, of Heemstede, The Netherlands (2003); Andrew J. M. Boulton, MD, of Manchester, U.K. (2005); Gary W. Gibbons, MD, of Boston (2006); Christopher E. Attinger, MD, of Washington, DC (2007); Benjamin A. Lipsky, MD, of Seattle (2008); Peter R. Cavanagh, PhD, DSc, of Seattle (2009); and Warren S. Joseph, DPM, of Philadelphia (2010).

Scandex launches podiatry division

Newton, MA-based Scandex, a provider of Swedish ergonomic chairs and stools in the U.S. and Canada, has recently launched a new podiatry division to cater to the seating requirements of podiatrists and their office staff.

The most popular seating options for podiatrists are the Bruno Ergonomic Office Chair, Series 300 and the Björn Ergonomic Saddle Stool, Series 400/600. The Bjorn Saddle Stool positions a podiatrist nearer to the patient, which reduces strain on the back, shoulders and neck muscles, and is recommended if space is tight. More information is available at www.scandex.us.

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