Olsen JD, Rowan SA, Austin WM. The effectiveness of custom-made orthotics in a standing work environment. Paper presented at World Federation of Chiropractic 2005 convention.
Abstract
Objective. To address orthotics use with workers who worked continuously on concrete surfaces, and determine if the workers feel that orthotics offer positive benefits under such conditions.
Methods. Workers in shipping, receiving, or assembly departments were recruited to test flexible Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers and to complete pre- and about three-week post-initiation of Stabilizers questionnaires.
Results. Complete data sets were obtained for 66 workers. After wearing the Stabilizers for greater than 10 days, all sub-groups showed improvement in all categories after Stabilizer use. Significant inter-group differences included: more after-work comfort for females, less before-work pain in workers older than 30 years old, most improvement noted in first 15 days of wear, and more positive responses from workers with recent foot pain history.
Discussion. Using five Visual Analog Scale categories, the short-term study data presented in this paper show a positive worker response on their pain levels after using custom-made, flexible Stabilizers on concrete floors.
Conclusion. This worker self-report study shows that Foot Levelers’ custom-made, flexible Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers provided increased comfort to workers whose main job responsibilities are accomplished while standing on hard concrete floors.
This research was provided by Foot Levelers Inc., 800-553-4860, www.FootLevelers.com
