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10/04/2022 Paul Kesselman, DPM
Why is Podiatry Turning Away from Biomechanics?
For the past decade or so I have been fortunate enough to be invited by the American Orthotics and Prosthetics Association (AOPA) to attend their annual meeting. It is a treasure trove of both scientific and trade information. A few of the same vendors you see at podiatry meetings are here. Unfortunately, there are only a few as many who are here tell me the attention they get at podiatry meetings is appalling. This is because of a lack of interest, due the very reasons Dr. Phillips mentions in his article and what many others have seen happen with the younger generation of DPMs. That is a loss in interest in biomechanics.
What stands out with AOPA meetings over the last decade, however is the variety of innumerable in depth research-based lectures and posters on biomechanics. These are rare at podiatric meetings and as Dr. Phillips noted sparsely attended. The digital and computerized era of biomechanics is very much on display. At AOPA these meetings are very well attended and the technology is well embraced. The lectures seen in a few days eclipse the few provided at any State or Podiatric institutional meetings, as has been often cited in rebuttals to many of my previous letters.
There are also outcomes and predictability studies and models reviewed. We as podiatrists are fortunate enough to be able to both prescribe and dispense. But if we don’t heed Dr. Phillips' warnings and those of Dr. Shapiro and many previous letters I and others have written, our ability to dispense may be very much limited by third party and government payers.
So the inevitable question is, where has podiatry lost its way? Perhaps on our quest to become “real doctors” we actually lost a very important part of our identity. Can we get back where we should be or is it too late? If we don’t take action now perhaps it will be taken for us! I’m hoping it is not!
Paul Kesselman, DPM, Oceanside, NY
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