Experience in practice

Digital footcare tools for presentation of pressure distribution on the foot

medi is dedicated to helping patients with foot deformities and postural defects. Imaging the foot, gait and posture forms the basis for fitting patients with orthopaedic shoe insoles.

Movement imaging as a basis for treating foot deformities

Pain in the knees, hips or back can be caused, among other things, by a foot deformity such as skewed feet, fallen arches (pes transversovalgus), splayed or highly arched feet. With orthopaedic shoe insoles tailored to the individual patient, doctors and orthopaedic technicians can compensate for such misalignments.

The doctor or orthopaedic specialist can prescribe orthopaedic insoles for both acute and chronic discomfort and pain.

Movement imaging as a basis for treating foot deformities

The Institut für Demoskopie Allensbach was commissioned by eurocom to carry out a representative survey in Germany that targeted more than 1,200 users of medical aids – including people who used orthopaedic insoles. According to this survey

71 percent of users consulted their doctor about foot ailments,
26 percent had back problems,
20 percent had knee pain, and
19 percent had hip pain.¹

This is what makes a holistic approach to the musculoskeletal system essential. Digital tools shed light on foot deformities and postural defects.

Podomedic

_{Static imaging procedure}

The Podomedic podoscope with its camera shows and archives the static footprint. It is used to image and save projections of the bottom of the feet.

Gomedic

_{Static imaging procedure}

The Gomedic 2D foot scanner is a high-quality scan.

Pedomedic

_{Static & dynamic imaging procedure}

The Pedomedic are plates suitable for visualizing the load surface areas on the foot when standing or walking.

Insolemedic

_{Dynamic imaging procedure}

The Insolemedic is a tool for imaging the foot distribution in the shoe. Postural instability can also be imaged.

Innovative digital tools to display foot deformities, gait and postural defects

Partnering with the company Yellow & Blue, medi offers digital footcare systems for static and dynamic footdata visualization (Yellow & Blue powered by medi).

Like medi, Yellow & Blue is based in Bayreuth and provides orthopaedic digital tools and milling technology. All Yellow & Blue products and digital tools have been distributed by medi since March 2017 and marketed under the “Yellow & Blue powered by medi” co-branding label. The digital systems patient-customised manufacture of insoles are the company’s central point of focus.

Innovative digital systems for sportspersons

Steve Wachalski, a former basketball player for the Bundesliga team medi bayreuth, puts his trust in his custom-made orthopaedic insoles by medi.

The route he took from footdata acquisition to individual insole was a very special experience for him.

Innovative digital systems that carry you forward

With the digital systems from Yellow & Blue, medi is providing innovative medical aids to assist specialists in their diagnosis. The digital data from the digital systems lets medical professionals determine the individual treatment method.

The digital systems are based on a modular principle: They can be extended as desired – such as with a video function. Within its range of digital technology, Yellow & Blue powered by medi offers tools for static* and dynamic** regestration.

Other body areas can be imaged via the dynamic foot regestration, for example by the combination of pressure regestration plate and video camera. Because: The root cause of discomfort, pain, or postural defects is not always the feet.

Note: Imaging via these tools does not replace medical diagnosis.

_{* The patient / customer is measured while standing still.}

Information about foot deformities and postural defects

The more dimensions used to image the foot, the more exact the interpretation: Doctors and orthopaedic shoe technicians can use the different digital system to view the foot from different perspectives.

Outline

Shape of the foot

Static and dynamic images can give information about the contours of the pressure distribution on the foot.

Pressure distribution

Visualisation using different colours

Particularly with pressure regestration (static or dynamic), different colour gradients can show the different loads of different areas of the foot.

Gait cycle

Description of the rolling behaviour

The dynamic regestration gives information about the gait cycle. It enables conclusions to be drawn about other body regions which cause the patient discomfort.

Added value thanks to the use of measuring systems:

Interview with Anika Riedel, managing director of Yellow & Blue

‘We have found that customers are happy to pay more for their insoles if they are specially tailored to fit them.’

Discover the potential of the innovative analytical tools of Yellow & Blue for your health care store. Reach new target groups and expand your clientele base. Establish a new area of expertise and set yourself apart from the competition: Word gets around when a retailer conducts comprehensive measurements for incorrect foot positioning, postural defects and gait analysis. This strengthens their area of expertise and local reputation, and also helps to consolidate and expand their customer base.

And: Benefit from professional marketing for this new offer.

Find out more in the interview

Contact

Please contact export@medi.de if you have any general questions about the measuring systems.

Information for patients

Information about digital tools

More information about medi insoles

Sources and remarks:

¹ Repräsentative Umfrage des Instituts für Demoskopie Allensbach im Auftrag von eurocom e.V. Mehr Lebensqualität, weniger Schmerzen: Nutzung und Wirksamkeit orthopädischer Hilfsmittel; 2014. Online veröffentlicht unter: https://eurocom-info.de/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/eurocom_Studie.pdf (last accessed on 02.05.2019).

Purpose of use / digital footcare tools:

Digital footcare tools for multi-dimensional representation of static or dynamic states of different body regions regarding the pressure situations and / or posture for optimized treatments or for data-transfers.