In this segment of The Clinical Minute, Liz Hillen, M.Ed., CPO, LPO, and SPS Clinical Consultant introduces the Townsend Thuasne Action Reliever knee brace.

Welcome to the New Year! January can feel like a blur as we reflect on our past and try to reconfigure our lives to align with our goals. We’re throwing out the old and welcoming new processes, good habits, and resolutions.

In previous blog posts, we explored the unique history of 3D printing in the orthotic and prosthetic industry and the challenges associated with this evolving technology. In our final installment, we will examine the benefits this technology brings to the limb loss community and clinicians.

In the medical field, 3D printing is expected to be worth $3.5bn by 2025. Despite this technology’s wide variety of medical applications, 3D printing is mainly popular in dentistry and biomedical engineering. With the 3D printer’s accessibility and relatively inexpensive costs, why isn’t 3D printing more widely used in O&P? In part one, we explored the history of 3D printing in O&P. In part two, we will explore the barriers clinicians face to adopting this technology.

Achilles Prosthetics and Orthotics began in 1978 in Bakersfield, California, and has grown to add offices in Santa Maria, Templeton, and Santa Barbara. For the past decade the company has been an SPS customer.

3D printing—also known as stereolithography (SLA) or rapid prototyping (RP)—is the process of making three dimensional objects from digital files. In this blog series, we will explore how 3D printing has changed the orthotic and prosthetic industry. But first—let’s start from the beginning.

Working with a distributor has advantages that helps your clinic save time and reduce costs. Distributors handle a multitude of product sourcing from manufacturers so you can focus attention on improving patient outcomes. According to a Tugsten Network study, businesses have estimated spending 55 hours weekly bogged down with supplier handling processes. By shopping with a distributor, you’re free from having to process invoices, negotiate contracts, and host back-and-forth communications with an army of suppliers.

A recent Pubmed search for the keyword “burnout” retrieved 14,244 results. However, a search for “burnout and prosthetist” or “burnout and orthotist,” fetched 0 results. Clearly we need more research on the effects of burnout on the prosthetic and orthotic clinician. For now, let’s uncover what we know about burnout and how O&P professionals can work to prevent it.  

With parcel carriers like FedEx and UPS raising rates by 5.9 percent annually, saving on shipping is top-of-mind for many clinicians. The Covid-19 pandemic placed a strain on many aspects of the supply chain, from accelerating ecommerce orders to creating labor shortages. With global parcel volumes expected to double by 2026, parcel delivery companies are searching for ways to scale their services quickly and are transferring costs to customers to do so. 

If you’re looking for ways to reduce shipping fees—you’ve come to the right place. To help clinicians like you, we have compiled four minor changes that can make a big difference in recouping shipping costs.

Elevated vacuum systems provide outstanding reliability and security, and SPS offers two types of systems from WillowWood: LimbLogic®, an electronic system, and the new LimbLogic M, a mechanical system.

Here’s how to help decide which system is right for your patients.