Pedorthist

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A Certified Pedorthist, or C. Ped. is a specialist in using footwear - which includes shoes, shoe modifications, foot orthoses and other pedorthic devises - to solve problems in, or related to, the foot and lower limb.

[edit] Description

Primarily, C. Peds select and/or modify footwear to help people maintain or regain as much mobility as possible. When your ability to walk is affected, everything that surrounds or touches your foot - whether it's foot orthoses, shoes, boots, slippers, sandals, socks, hosiery, night splints, bandages, braces, partial-foot prosthetics, or other devices - interacts with your foot. That makes footwear a crucial part of your recommended treatment plan.

Most often, it is Certified Pedorthists, not Podiatrists (or D.P.M) who create orthotics, whether custom-molded, or pre-molded. A Podiatrist will often take an image of the foot by means of a plaster cast, foam mold, or computer scanned image. He will then make recommendations for changes to that image, and send the mold to a lab where the Pedorthist produces the final product.

Becoming a C. Ped requires completing coursework approved by the Board for Certification in Pedorthics and passing a final examwww.cpeds.org. Efforts are currently underway to establish an A.A. degree in Pedorthics, and are expected to be set by 2010.

[edit] External links

www.pedorthics.org Pedorthic Footwear Association (PFA), a non-profit membership association of people and companies.
cpeds - the Board for Certification in Pedorthics.