Prosthetists and Orthotists (P&O) are exposed to physical hazards within the workshop environment. Concern regarding these exposures has been expressed by P&Os; however, little research has been undertaken. Exposures to noise and volatile organic compounds in amounts larger than statutorily allowed can have adverse short and long term consequences on people's health. To identify and quantify ha...

Introduction Development in computer technology and its application is very fast. Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) have now been introduced in prosthetics. What are these new technologies? What can we expect from them for the future? There is no doubt that we can expect dramatic progress in fitting technology, including quality, speed, capacity and low costs. I...

Journal of Foot and Ankle Research (JFAR) is a new, open access, peer-reviewed online journal that encompasses all aspects of policy, organisation, delivery and clinical practice related to the assessment, diagnosis, prevention and management of foot and ankle disorders. JFAR will cover a wide range of clinical subject areas, including diabetology, paediatrics, sports medicine, gerontology and ...

Evidence-based practice combines a practitioner's training and experience with evidence established through scientific research. Fundamental to the evidence-based process for prosthetics and orthotics is the ongoing availability of clinically applicable research on relevant conditions, components, and patient populations. In the past, research has been successfully applied to practice, sometime...

Robot locomotion has been a major research issue in the last decades. In particular, humanoid robotics has had a major breakthrough. The motivation for this study is that bipedal locomotion is superior to wheeled approaches on real terrain and situations where robots accompany or replace humans. Some examples are, on the development of human assisting device, such as prosthetics, orthotics, and...

At present there is a profusion of agencies and governments which send missions of prosthetics and orthotics experts into developing countries. Included are the U N , the World Rehabil i tat ion Fund , the Wor ld Heal th Organization, the Social and Rehabili tat ion Service of H E W , Public Hea l th Service, certain religious organ­ izations, H O P E ship, and perhaps others. These agencies se...

Background and highlights are presented concerning the development of a new orthotic system judged to be "the most outstanding innovation in prosthetics and/or orthotics practice" during the 1986-1989 period. The first Brian Blatchford Prize was awarded at the Sixth World Congress of ISPO held in Kobe, Japan. November 12-17, 1989. The new development selected as most deserving of this award con...

There is an increasing need for outcome measures in the orthotic and prosthetic field and specifically a lack of outcome measures in Swedish. The Orthotics and Prosthetics Users' Survey (OPUS) was developed in the USA for assessment of the outcome of orthotic and prosthetic interventions, and could potentially also be used for shoe insoles and orthopaedic shoes. The aims of this study were to t...

Opening remarks Frequently one starts a presentation with the expression, "It is a great honour to be here," and thinks of it as little more than a polite form of words. This is not the case for me today. I am very conscious of the honour of giving this lecture and the honour we do to our founding President Knud Jansen. I am grateful to the Executive Board for their support and to the President...