Braces fitted by the podiatrist
A brace is a device that a podiatrist can use to support or relieve pressure on joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments. Our practitioners have access to a wide range of foot, ankle and knee braces. There are specialised sports braces as well as braces for everyday use.
In addition, podiatrists can fit braces to provide extra support for lifting the foot. For example, for people with a drop foot or those with reduced muscle strength in the foot-lifting muscles. Night socks and splints are also often recommended for people with pain in the plantar fascia or Achilles tendon, as well as for those with shortened calf muscles. These night socks and splints can also be easily fitted. All podiatrists can supply braces from the following brands Push, Orthoservice en BioSkin.
Do the muscles around the joint weaken as a result of wearing a brace?
No, this is outdated. This is mainly based on the fact that most people do not wear the brace for 24 hours a day, but only during periods of high (sporting) exertion. Wearing a brace for a few hours a day or a week does not outweigh all the times when someone is not wearing a brace. Wearing a brace (on one side only) will only provide extra stability whilst it is being worn, but the affected joint and the surrounding muscles and tendons still have to work to maintain function, so an imbalance will not simply occur. Research also shows that proprioception is positively influenced.
When is a brace used?
Teen braces:
- Correction of flexible hammer or claw toes of the middle toes, or HAV
- Preventive
- Post-operative
- For pressure points in footwear
Footnote:
- A drop foot
- Reduced muscle strength of the foot lifters
Night-time sock splint:
- Plantar fascia complaints
- Achilles tendinopathy
- Shortened calf muscles
Ankle braces:
- Ankle instability
- (Acute) ankle injury: an alternative to taping
- Pain symptoms
- Osteoarthritis
- Preventing ankle sprains
- Treatment of stable ankle fractures, Weber type A
- Follow-up treatment for ankle fractures
- Post-operative
- Anterior ankle impingement
Reimbursement for braces
Types of braces
- EXO-L ankle braces
- Orthoservice BioSkin (Lomed is the exclusive supplier of this brand and therefore it is not available in sports shops)
- Push (Push has four profiles: Care, Med, Ortho and Sports)
Not all podiatrists are able to fit special EXO-L braces
All podiatrists can fit braces, but only for a specific EXO-L braces No. Fitting of an EXO-L ankle brace can ONLY be carried out by the following podiatrists, although this can be done at any of the locations where these colleagues work:
