356- The Future of Foot Orthotics

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Hello, and welcome to the Evidence Based Chiropractor. I AM your host, Dr. Jeff Langmaid. On today's episode, we're talking Power Step orthotics. If you hear me talk about these, they are what I personally use and where I've seen so much success with my father, who has issues with the neuropathy and his feet. These have worked for him and I hope they can work for you as well. This is an interview with Dr. Anthony over at Power Step and they support this podcast. I'm going to ask you to support them. They're willing to hook you up with a free stick. Samplepairpro.powerstep.com sample use the code EBC evidence based chiropractor EBC and pick up a free sample pair. I use these products. I love these products. Pro.powerstep.com sample pick yourself up a free sample pair and enjoy this conversation that I had with Dr. Anthony over at Power Step about these orthotics, what makes them different, and how you can think about it relative to the care of your patients in your practice. Hey, what's going on, Doc? Dr. Jeff Langmaid here with Dr. Anthony from Power Step. I spoke with Anthony before about PowerStep products. We wanted to come back, touch on it again. And if you have not been listening to this podcast each and every week, I want you to know powerstep are what I personally utilize. They're what my dad has found an incredible amount of relief with using for himself. If you're a chiropractor listening or watching this, powerstep is willing to hook you up with a free sample player. So if you want to kind of scale skip the line of what we're going to talk about, pick up a free sample pair. You can do so at Powerstep. Pro.powerstep.com sample that's pro.powerstep.com sample code. EBC will drop that below. But Anthony, you and I spoke before. It's great to reconnect with you. And for anybody out there that's listening and this is a new conversation to them. What is Power Step and what products do you guys have in your line?

Yes, Dr. Lane made. Thank you for having me again here. It's always a pleasure to be on. Yes. So let's go over. I know we've talked before, but just in a nutshell, kind of what Power Step is, what type of products Power Steps offer. So essentially Power Step is, is a prefabricated orthotic. Prefabricated mean that it is a from box to shoe ready to go thing. You slip it in, you are done. So the Cliff Notes version is essentially there's three different styles that Power Steps offers that again, this is a, this is a prefab style style you can also based on. So you can purchase three different styles and I'll go over those in a second. And then you can also purchase based on condition, whether that's flat foot, plantar, fasciitis, hammertoe, etc. Etc. Then you can also have purchase based on shoe style and then daily wearable shoe style meaning casual versus dressy. Daily wearables, something like sandals. So there's three different lines that we offer at Power Step. The first one is the pro tech. For all the docs listening, this is going to be the line that you would be purchasing. So this is for medical professionals only. This is the highest quality that we offer. The second one, the second and third are more for lay people. The second one is more for an athlete though. This is called the Pulse. So this is designed for athletes. This is really for rigorous activity. This is like your high level, you know, shoe wearable. And then the third one is called the Pinnacle. And this is for everyday use, just, just walking around, going to work on the beach wherever, going to get groceries, et cetera, et cetera. Some of the major points of Power Step though one is there's no trimming involved with this. So these orthotics come ready to go again, you slip them in your shoe, you're done. It only costs the provider $20 to purchase these products. So as a doc, you're only going to pay $20 and the patient pays roughly about 50, $50 or so MSRP for this high quality orthotic that again is straight to from box to shoe and it's clinically effective. Another point is that powerstep really offers not only adult lines, but we also offer children's lines of orthotics. This is a really big deal because as we know, especially if you have a wellness type of practice, a family type of practice, you're gonna have the families come in with the mom and the dad and the three to five to 10 kids that are all needing orthotics or can benefit from them as well. So that's a really big factor that we offer. And then the Last thing that powerstep is this is not designed to be a custom orthotic. So there's a lot of different custom orthotics on the market. This is just a much simpler and cost effective affordable option that works for, again, about 80% of people, give or take. So that's kind of the Cliff notes of what we are Power Step and what we offer.

I like it. And talking about the clinical aspects, I know my father used it because he had neuropathy in his feet due to back pain, but docs out there listening and watching, sometimes this can be utilized for foot, knee and or back pain. Some other things as well. In terms of clinical effectiveness or the different types of conditions that you see docs mostly using powerstep orthotics for. What are some of those conditions they should keep an eye out for?

Yeah, definitely. There's so much literature, obviously, on orthotics and different types of conditions, whether that's in the actual feet or farther up the spine. And so a lot of different benefits, especially as related to, say, even the foot, knee and back pain areas. So again, because this is. We are one big link, as we know, and one chain goes out and you have a problem with the link. So PowerSteps is very effective in treating a lot of different conditions. But in fact, about 90% of users that have Power Supp products see foot, knee and back pain relief in just as little as two weeks. And that's been proven. So that's an amazing statistic that our patients and clients and doctors always obviously like to know about. And this is really due to the fact that the variety of different pairs and styles are available to meet each person's needs. So there's not just one style and it's trimmed and it's custom and boom, there's multiple different styles. So that if you have a pair of sandals, you have a pair of daily wearables, maybe it's, maybe it's casual shoes that you can slip these in and out and you're really able to modify as needed. There's also three main different types of orthotics that someone use that we also offer that we talked about in our last meeting a little bit, but I'll go over those here briefly. Those are rigid orthotics, semi rigid orthotics, and then you have soft orthotics. So rigid orthotics, these are really designed more to control things like joint function, obviously rigid, meaning your body is going to be pretty stuck in that orthotic. So in that Sense, it's going to be really focused on changing the harder structures. So bones and joints inside of the foot. And this is really best for arch support. So this is really good for patients that have things like plantar fasciitis, flat feet, or even Achilles tendonitis. So that type of thing, even, even over pronation type of thing, anywhere where the bones and the joints are starting to shift a little bit and they're really starting to structurally change. Rigid orthotic would be the best bet in that. In that instance. That, again, is very effective for that. The second one, be that, that semi rigid orthotic. This is generally used to provide more of a dynamic balance of the foot. Again, kind of more in that midline where you're. You're working on the soft tissues, the hard tissues altogether. And this is really best for someone who participates in, again, more rigorous activity like sports or just as maybe a bit more active. Maybe they run, maybe they go to the gym, et cetera. And then the last one is our soft orthotics. So as you can imagine, we go from rigid to soft. Soft is not going to be changing a lot of that. Any sort of anatomical parts of the foot. This is really used to absorb shock, increase balance, and really take pressure off any sore spots potentially on the feet, feet, or maybe, you know, an uncomfortable area of the foot. And these are designed also to treat different conditions because everybody has different thresholds of pain and different hard and soft spots in their foot. So this can also be beneficial in treating things like arthritis in the foot, even deformed feet, or diabetic foot problems with diabetic sores, stuff like that. So really comes down to the different types of conditions and varieties that the power step orthotics can help.

That makes a lot of sense to me. I know I've seen quite a few orthotic companies out there throughout time. Again, personally, my experience with powerstep has been awesome, but I'd love to an insider's point of view here. How does powerstep differ from some of those other orthotic companies that are out on the market?

Yeah, so again, powerstep we are. There's a few different ways, but we live in this very short attention span era. Nowadays people want these pretty quickly, as I think the average attempt span is now shorter than a goldfish. I think three to five seconds, something like that. So patients want relief fast is the bottom line. And as a result, powerstep does not require a fit system. It's as easy as knowing someone's Shoe size and literally, as we mentioned, going from box to shoe in seconds. I mean, it's a very quick, seamless process. Patients appreciate this, and this is what they are looking for nowadays. In addition, the power step orthotics provide that immediate relief. And patients don't have to wait again weeks to receive their product and then possibly return or never wear them ever again, which is, you know, just absolutely terrible. So they can also get multiple different pairs, everything, again from dress shoes, running shoes, casual shoes, et cetera. It's really designed to be a clinically effective, yet affordable solution for the everyday person. And it's allowing the practitioner to help their patients with different types to fit their individual needs. We're really catering to the everyday person. So we understand that our customers, you know, everybody doesn't have the same needs or can afford a custom orthotic because they can be quite costly sometimes. And studies have shown that these prefabricated orthotics and devices can deliver the same results as a custom orthotic and device in a majority of patients. So, you know, we really focus on being that quick, easy to utilize, yet affordable option for people.

Cool. And let's talk about that because I know there are items on store shelves that could be a couple bucks. I know there are custom orthotics that can be thousands and thousands of dollars and there's such a wide range out there. And a lot of times this goes to what's the quality of the product and can I. Am I getting the most bang for my buck now? Again, I'll speak to m that I think powerstep orthotics are unbelievably high quality and at the prices that you brought up earlier are absolute no brainer. But how do you think about that balance between quality for value and what do docs out there need to know about that equation?

Yes, absolutely. So, you know, when it comes down to quality, that's really, really important as well as, you know, there's a big factor of making sure that the patients are getting what they need from an ease of use and accessibility. So as far as it goes, Power step one is not available in stores or on Amazon. So as a practitioner, as a doctor, you can feel confident in dispensing that product and also getting repeat sales six, nine months down the road. Because these products are wearables, obviously they wear over time, and so they do need to be replaced over time. This isn't once a month, but if they're wearing them every day, of course there is that implied understanding that, yes, things can wear down. They are called wearables. So we have a lot of practitioners though, that they benefit so much and their patients benefit so much from the orthotics that they actually end up getting the tabletop spinning and floor displays in their office. And patients love this because one, they are very interested in what you're selling in your office because you are the authority on the these different types of conditions. And then two, they want the best for themselves. They want the best for their family, their kids and all of that. So it's very helpful to have that. And from that aspect, though, the quality is just as good, again, if not better than many different companies on the market. Again, these are designed for everyday use and an affordable option, but with high quality ingredients, high quality material. So the Power Step Pro tech line, as we've discussed a little bit, it uses a medical grade foam called Poron. And Poron is really the best in class when it comes to shock absorption and memory. And when we say memory, we mean your foot is stepping on it. And it remembers basically, just as your car seat, if you have an electric car seat, you don't have to change it. Again, it remembers what type of setting you place it at. So this porn is really a good material inside of the orthotic and outside of that, we are just really good at supporting our customers. From a clinical perspective and a customer relationship and support perspective, not only is it important to get good customer support, but that clinical aspect of knowing which type of orthotic might be best for your customer, your client, your patient, is also really beneficial. So we really don't try to compete with our, our other, you know, competitors and all that stuff. It's really, this is a very affordable, easy to use and implement option for your practice. And in addition, that protect line, in addition to all of the lines at Power Step, are really designed, again, using the highest quality ingredients. And that includes the cushioning, the shock absorption, all the materials as a whole, just to allow this product to last as long as possible. And again, this is only offered through medical professionals, not on Amazon. So you can be sure that you're not, you know, losing, you know, losing clients here and there. So it' sit's very good.

Cool. One of the things that stood out to me, I know very early on when I started to learn about powerstep products was that it was actually developed by a podiatrist over 30 years ago. And I wanted to tie this into the clinical aspects because docs listening out there might be saying, sounds great but practical implementation in the practice. What are some of those top conditions that you found really can benefit from orthotics? So docs listening can start to piece this together with who in their practice might orthotics be a great idea for?

Definitely, as these orthotics can help with lots of different conditions. As we chatted about a little bit, the most common types of problems that you know, foot problems, especially that a chiropractor might see or diagnose, are things like bunions, hammer toes, heel pain, different types of arthritis, you know, tendinitis, the bursitis, all of the itises, especially just because it's all related to the musculoskeletal system. Even things like diabetic foot problems are common. You're going to see them as a chiropractor and orthotics again can help with this type of condition. But orthotics can also help with all different types of back, knee, ankle, foot problems. Just because when you change that, that, that arch and you change that different type of structure in the foot, of course it's going to have repercussions as you go up the spine. So there's a lot of different types of conditions that you might not associate with, oh, this orthotic can, can improve that, but in fact the patient can benefit from that. So orthotics really can help with a variety of different types of patients, whether they're active athletes or someone, someone with flat feet or just someone who has basic arthritis. It can help with a lot of different stuff.

That is cool. I have seen a ton of patients that have really benefited from using orthotics. And as I said at the top of this, you know, I've personally seen the benefit in the Power Step line as well as my dad, which I think is awesome. As we wrap up here, what docs out there need to know, is there anything that we didn't touch on that you'd like, like docs to know?

I think the most important thing here today to take away is that the Power Step is really a low risk solution for your practice and to your patient. You know, for your practice. There's a not a large investment here in scanning technology or there's not even a minimum purchase requirement that we have at Power Step. So you as a doctor can feel really comfortable in purchasing what's needed for your practice at literally just $20 a pair. If you purchase larger quantities and to get a discount, your and your product doesn't move. Product will take Power Step. I'm sorry will take the product back for a full refund. I mean, that's about as low risk as it gets. So we're here to support you, not to not support you. For the patient, Power Step also offers a 30 day guarantee, which means if the patient is not happy or they're not experiencing the desired pain relief or the desired outcome that they originally expected, they can return the product for a full refund as well. So no longer does the patient or the practice, really, the practice and the doctor have to worry about dispensing a, you know, 300,000. 300,000. $300 product, man. 300,000. That'd be a $300 product or solution that just can't be returned and at risk of also losing the patient. Because if you're providing your patient something that they are at risk of financially and also from an outcome perspective, obviously they're going to have less than you as a doctor. So we are just real low risk option that also is clinically effective, proven to work.

You've made it super easy and I'm going to recommend everybody listening and watching pick up a sample pear. Get your hands on it, utilize it yourself and reach out to Anthony if you want to pick up that sample pair. I'm going to drop that link down in the show notes, but it is pro.powerstep.com sample pro.powerstep.com sample use the code EBC for evidence based Chiropractor and as a chiropractor they support us here at the Evidence Based Chiropractor. We hope you will support them and they are willing to do you a super solid. Anthony, thanks for coming on, chatting, talking it down. I think everybody out there, including myself, has learned a little bit more about how to apply this in practice, which to me is one of the most important things out there. So thanks for taking some time and chatting with me today.

Jeff, as always, thank you. Thank you for joining us on this episode of the Evidence Based Chiropractor.

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