The “Castaway System” is a novel “Semi-Custom” orthotic solution which sits in between an “Off the Shelf” insole and a Custom Made Orthotic. For clinicians who aren’t confident at taking casts, or simply don’t have the time, the Castaway system is a great way to offer a professional-looking, partially custom made orthotic.

 

Key Features

  • 63 different shell variations for the most popular foot shapes and sizes

 

  • Prescription form

 

  • Diagnostic Kit Box - includes
    • A shell in every shoe size
    • A selection of forefoot inclination wedges
    • Caliper to measure arch or navicular height
    • Shell availability chart

 

How it works

The idea is to select one of the 63 different shell variations which best fits your patient's foot. This can be achieved in the vast majority of cases but excludes patients with a particularly abnormal foot shape (like a Charcot foot).

The actual kit box doesn’t include all 63 shells but it does include a few of each foot size and you can work out exactly which shell to order by trying it in the patient's shoe and performing some simple tests. For example, the caliper will help you to decide which arch height would be best for your patient. In addition, you can ask your patient to try different shells in their shoes to see if they feel too wide or too narrow.

Once you’ve selected the best fitting shell, you can then choose between different shell stiffnesses depending on what you want to achieve. For example, you may want a semi-flexible shell for an elderly patient or a rigid shell for a heavier patient or someone who needs more biomechanical control.

You then need to fill in the degrees of rearfoot correction which you require on the Castaway prescription form. This can either be based on your assessment or you can simply fit one of the posted shells into the shoe and then ask your patient to try it for comfort; you don’t have to do this, but the option is there if this is how you prefer to work. Essentially, it’s a bit like requesting the degrees of posting that you would require on a device which you have cast but you don’t need to worry about actually casting the patient or asking the lab to make cast modifications.

On the second page of the prescription form are options for different types of device. All of these are listed from page 34 in our catalogue, but for most patients, you will probably choose the Functional Plus.

Functional Plus

The other types simply make it easier for you if you are treating a certain condition; for example, the “Heel Pain” has a hole cut in the heel of the shell with a 6mm PPT heel plug and additional 1.6mm PPT heel cushion. Then there’s the “Dress” or the “Slimline” which might be better if accommodation in footwear is an issue.

Slimline

Well, that’s pretty much it! Just send your prescription into our Lab and we will aim to send your orthoses back to you within 10 working days. You may also wish to use our tracking app which allows you to track the progress of your orthoses every step of the way without having to ring the office for updates.

 

Ideal For

  • Simple prescriptions for a wide variety of conditions

 

  • Clinicians who want more confidence at prescribing before actually taking casts

 

  • Patients who can’t afford a fully custom made orthotic

 

  • Clinics with no budget for fully custom made orthoses

 

Treatment Tips

 

  1. From personal experience in my own private practice, I have found the Castaway System to be an excellent intermediate offering to patients. Every private practitioner has a different approach to the way in which they market their practice, but here’s how I did it –
    1. Full Biomechanics Assessment
    2. Basic Package – Full BMX Assessment + Off the Shelf Orthotic
    3. Intermediate Package – Full BMX Assessment + Castaway Orthotic
    4. Premium Package – Full BMX Assessment + Casted Custom Made Orthotic

 

I set my price brackets to ascend accordingly and, for me and the area in which I practised, this worked very well because it offered something for everyone. I also found that the intermediate package was the most popular and the easiest to do!

 

  1. If you’re just starting with the Castaway system, or indeed biomechanics in general, play safe and use the semi-flexible shells to start with. You can always go for a rigid shell next time if you think your patient will require it.

 

  1. Castaways can be used to treat a wide variety of conditions very effectively. However, bear in mind that because you are using a library shell, it is not possible for the lab to make cast modifications such as a medial heel skive. For more complex prescriptions a casted bespoke orthotic is still the best choice.