CONFERENCE COVERAGE: 2015 ISPO World Congress

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Coverage of the 2015 ISPO World Congress

In orthotics and prosthetics, practitioners increasingly are learning that making personal connections with patients is as important as connecting patients with the right devices. At the June meeting of the International Society for Prosthetics & Orthotics, clinicians and researchers from around the world met in Lyon, France, to discuss the most effective ways of accomplishing both objectives.

By Jordana Bieze Foster


DIABETIC FOOTWEAR: Cinematic symposium explores person-centric communication

Cannes is the French city most often associated with cinema. But several hundred kilometers to the north, in Lyon, a pair of short films debuted in June that sent a clear message about the most effective ways for lower extremity practitioners to interact with their patients.

AMPUTATION: Patients cite lack of education about partial foot procedures

Patients who have had a partial foot amputation followed by a transtibial amputation on the same limb feel that they were inadequately educated about what the first procedure would involve, according to detailed interviews conducted by researchers at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia.

PEDIATRICS: CP studies assess potential advantages of flexible AFOs

The flexibility of an ankle foot orthosis (AFO) does not necessarily affect walking economy in children with cerebral palsy (CP), but more flexible AFOs may be particularly beneficial for sports activities in higher-performing children with…

DROP FOOT: Benefits of FES after stroke are maintained at 42 weeks

Gait speed improvements associated with 30 weeks of functional electrical stimulation (FES) in poststroke patients are maintained at 42 weeks, according to research presented in June at the 2015 ISPO World Congress.

OSTEOARTHRITIS: Orthotic options for knee OA focus on compliance issues

New research presented in June at the 2015 ISPO Congress underscored the potential long-term benefits of valgus knee bracing for relief of medial knee osteoarthritis (OA) symptoms when patient compliance is high, while…

PROSTHETICS: Foot strike pattern can affect load in amputee runners too

Foot strike pattern during running affects loading in unilateral lower limb amputees, as it does in able-bodied runners, according to research from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.