Orthopedic products

There are a number of products designed with orthopedics in mind.

Some of the obvious ones are for rehabilitation from injury or surgery, but others are daily use products that “should” help to keep us fit and healthy.

The medically based orthopedic aids cover a wide range of items and include braces, supports and different mobility devices. These can be use to support limbs or their muscle groups, or to control and direct correct and desirable joint movements.

The more common and less medically relevant orthopedic products include anything from mattresses and chairs to shoes and computer mouse mats. The aim of these products is to promote good health by doing things like keeping the actions and movements of the body healthy.

Obvious examples would be lying on an orthopedic mattress that holds the spine in a good alignment, or having the wrist adequately supported whilst manipulating a mouse. These may seem like small or unimportant things, but over time they can prevent ailments like chronic back problems or repetitive strain injuries.

There are of course many products that are given the “orthopedic” tag for a mix of marketing and politically correct reasons, so common sense needs to be employed in determining which items really are designed with ergonomics and body-aware design as a primary goal.

Recently some unusual designs have come to light as a result of manufacturers, designers and “end users” putting their heads together to improve how something is made. A current example of this would be the five finger shoes that have recently appeared in shops and stores. This footwear solution took a radical look at how our feet “should” function and then took a completely different approach to designing a shoe. The result looks strange, but so far all of the research and testing seems to back up the health advantages of these unusual shoes.

Memory foam or visco elastic foam is a material that has seen much use in the “orthopedic” product sector. A major usage area is in mattress design and construction, but shoe insoles and other “body supporting” products have seen the application of this unique material.