Practical Biomechanics for the Podiatrist

"Practical Biomechanics for the Podiatrist", from Dr. Richard Blake, is broken up into four sections on podiatry. The first section reviews the types of functional foot orthotic devices in the industry, what are they used for, and how Dr. Blake would order them. The emphasis of this chapter is on the function of "functional foot orthotic devices". Using a classification of orthoses, Dr. Blake encourages readers to examine two key questions: What function do we want the orthosis to have? What functional change to the patient's biomechanics do we want to accomplish? The second chapter takes a look into the field of CAGA, or computer assisted gait analysis, by the esteemed Dr. Joseph D'Amico. Dr. D'Amico works with the Department of Orthopedics/Pediatrics at the New York College of Podiatric Medicine, where he was previously a chairman. He eloquently describes the history and clinical application of computer assisted gait analysis from the perspective of treating patients biomechanically this way for over 40 years. In his experience, CAGA is priceless for his biomechanical treatment. He reviews the findings in three ways: pressure analysis, temporal data, and waverform analysis. The reader gets a deep understanding of what is currently available on the market. The third chapter reviews various shoe modifications and styles that help make patients more stable with less pain. The fourth chapter presents 23 case histories of real patients in Dr. Blake's practice and how to approach these patients with a biomechanical mindset. This chapter calls upon information from the series' first three books and is meant to bring this teaching series around to its closure.