University of Utah Foot Tech Case Study
The University of Utah Sports Medicine program’s number one goal is to “help prevent athletic injuries from occurring.” One way in which the athletic training staff accomplishes this goal is by offering student-athletes Foot Tech, an orthotic foot bed and brace fabrication.Athletes in high-impact sports such as basketball, track and football often experience lower extremity pain. These conditions include shin splints, metatarsalgia (which affects the ball of the foot) and issues with the patella and Achilles tendon. If left untreated, those conditions often lead to further injury down the road.
Foot Tech helps relieve the pain those injuries incur by realigning the lower extremities and reducing the pressure that causes the discomfort. Bill Bean, Director of Sports Medicine in the University of Utah athletics department, has been providing Foot Tech to student-athletes and orthopedic patients for 16 years. About 10 percent of the university’s student-athletes currently use Foot Tech.
“The beauty of Foot Tech is that we can make adjustments in house,” said Bean. “We strongly encourage our patients to come back and adjust the orthotics as needed. They have responded favorably in part because it is so convenient and customizable.”
Foot Tech varies from other orthotics because of its accommodative design. “It helps a lot in people who are active in multi-directional activities like basketball,” said Bean. “Other orthotics can limit direction.”
Bean explained that Foot Tech should not be limited to athletes. He has also found it to be a successful treatment for people of all ages and activity levels in the school’s orthopedic center.
“Wrymark has been fantastic,” said Bean. “They are great for tech support if we run into difficulties with specific patients and they keep us informed with samples if they’ve got a new product coming out that will help our patients.”
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Denny Wedemeyer Diabetes Treatment Case Study
Denny Wedemeyer, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, has been using Wrymark orthotics for about five years. He uses an insert in each foot and said the impact has been exceptional.Wedemeyer has diabetes, which has led to neuropathy in his feet. Diabetics are subject to getting ulcers on their feet. When they get infected, gangrene sets in and that is when amputation is necessary. Wedemeyer has lost 2 toes and has the prospect of losing the rest of them.
Wedemeyer’s orthopedist, Dr. Andy Rouse, told him that everything about the foot is a matter of pressure. He designs very specific orthotics to relieve painful pressure points, which vary with each individual.
“Wrymark is good at carrying out Rouse’s specifications and they are right on,” said Wedemeyer. “I can use the same orthotic for any kind of shoe. My doctor even wants me to put them in my bedroom slippers.”
Wedemeyer was with a competitor for a while, but said he is much happier now with Wrymark. The orthotic inserts have relieved his pain entirely, including an ulcer he has had under his heel for four years. He describes it as being similar to a bad stone bruise, and said that without the Wrymark orthotics, it would cause him constant pain.
“The service is exceptional,” said Wedemeyer. “They have taken care of my problems with my feet entirely because they know how to follow my doctor’s specifications. If they didn’t I would realize it right away.”
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Florida State University First Step Case Study
Florida State University prescribes over 200 First Step insoles per season and Associate Director of Sports Medicine Sam Lunt is having a hard time keeping up with the demand.The university’s athletic department discovered First Step at the National Athletic Trainers Convention and has been loyal to the brand ever since. Since Lunt introduced the product to their athletic program, First Step shoe inserts have consistently remained among the most popular.
Catering to athletes of all sports, First Step insoles help relieve sports-related lower extremity pains by realigning the lower extremities and reducing the pressure that causes discomfort. More than injury relief, Lunt recommends First Step products as preventive measures against shin splints, plantarfascitis and other over-use injuries.
“Some athletes have arch issues, and we’ll use the off-the-shelf insoles in conjunction with our usual protocol as a first round of defense before opting for prescription,” said Lunt.
The department is pleased to have less injury complaints since it began using First Step insoles. The product has become a department favorite, even among swimmers who use them while running during the preseason.
“We have a lot of athletes who prefer to use the First Step over other brands,” said Lunt. “I really like it. It’s not super rigid, so it gives them some support without limiting lower extremity movement.”
In addition to Lunt’s overall satisfactory experience with First Step, he is more than pleased with Wrymark’s service. “It’s very good. I’ve never had an issue with a botched order. If I need to rush an order or request a special order, they are always very accommodating,” said Lunt. “They’ve been a pleasure to work with all these years. We know we’re going to get a quality product and we’re not going to have to worry about it.”
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