article archive
April 2006
Orthotics as chiropractic wellness
care
by Dr. Terry A. Rondberg
According to the most comprehensive professional surveys,
more than 80% of the profession views chiropractic as a health
care discipline that focuses on the detection and correction
of subluxations. Most of these would also no doubt agree
that chiropractic can be a vital part of a wellness maintenance
routine.
Yet, relatively few recommend orthotics to their patients,
despite the fact that there is a great deal of evidence supporting
orthotics as a prime method to correct postural alignment
problems that lead to subluxations.
While subluxations can have
many causes (many of which you can not determine with complete
accuracy or correct) you, as a doctor of chiropractic, can
help prevent those subluxations caused in part or in whole,
by an unbalanced gait.
According to Mark Charrette, DC, a recognized
expert in spinal and extremity adjusting, "There is a
fine interplay between the movements of the lower extremities
and the balancing of the spine. Normal gait causes repetitive
motions to occur from the feet up to the head. Alignment and
function of the pelvis, spine, shoulders, and head are strongly
influenced by pedal balance or imbalance... Because a smooth
and symmetrical gait is tied so closely to proper vertebral
function, biomechanical problems in one or both feet can interfere
with postural alignment patterns."
In 1994, Terry Yocum,
DC, reported in Practical Research Studies, that at least 75%
of the population has some degree of leg length inequality
that can lead to excessive foot pronation. This, in turn, can
lead to gait imbalance and ultimately cause subluxations.
While
it's perfectly legal and acceptable to restrict one's practice
to the correction of vertebral subluxation by spinal adjusting,
many chiropractors choose to look at the problem of vertebral
subluxation from a more holistic point of view.
For patients
in whom the root cause of subluxation is diet, DCs may wish
to acquire additional training and expertise in nutritional
supplementation that can benefit those patients. If the subluxations
can be traced back to a lack of strength training in relationship
to certain athletic endeavors, the doctors may want to add
exercise rehab equipment to their practice. And, if the subluxations
are being caused by postural alignment problems, they may opt
to work with a company like Foot Levelers to offer solutions
to those problems.
Chiropractors need to determine the necessity
of orthotic support, particularly among those patients who
seem less successful at holding their adjustments, and they
need to help patients obtain high‑quality orthotics that
can help correct postural problems.
There are several excellent
tools to help a DC make that determination quickly and easily,
without expensive or complicated adjuncts to his or her practice.
The Foot Levelers system, for instance, provides complete instruction
in gait analysis. If the DC decides orthotics are needed, the
system involves merely having the patient step into a casting
kit containing soft foam that captures an exact impression
of his or her feet, in the standing position.
Using Foot Levelers
guidelines, you determine which style of orthotics is appropriate,
and send the casting kit to the laboratory where the orthotics
are created.
The lab sends the custom‑made orthotics to your office,
and ‑‑ during a follow‑up appointment ‑‑ you
show the patient how to wear them properly and how to take
care of them, again using the Foot Levelers guidelines and
materials.
For doctors, Foot Levelers has meant not only being
able to provide better care to patients, but an increase
in practice size and income, thanks to referrals from satisfied
patients. Regardless of the type of practice or the techniques
used, the ability to offer the unique Foot Levelers orthotics
can give DCs a valuable edge on the competition.
For more information
on orthotics as a way to reinforce subluxation corrective care,
call 800‑553‑4860
or visit the Foot Levelers website, www.footlevelers.com.
(Dr.
Terry Rondberg is president of the World Chiropractic Alliance
and publisher of The Chiropractic Journal and the Journal of
Vertebral Subluxation Research. A popular speaker at chiropractic
conferences and seminars, Dr. Rondberg is also a frequent guest
on TV and radio shows. He has written numerous articles on
chiropractic for the profession and the public, as well as
several best‑selling books,
including "Chiropractic First," "Under the
Influence of Modern Medicine," and, with Timothy J.
Feuling, the "CBS Malpractice Prevention Program," and "Chiropractic:
Compassion and Expectation.")