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I had the opportunity this year to attend the annual Society of Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT) conference in San Francisco, USA. I was able to attend the conference due to the generous contributions of Opcare and the Orthotic Education Training Trust
(OETT). SOSORT is an international society that focuses on the conservative treatment options for spinal deformity; its aim is to be a platform for researching and presenting on the best non-surgical treatments for scoliosis but also to encourage a multidisciplinary approach to the questions that need answering. Previously I have attended the annual meeting in Dubrovnik, Croatia and the preconference education day in Lyon, France both of which were invaluable in my knowledge and care of patient with spinal deformity so I was greatly looking forward to another informative and enlightening experience.

The pre-conference education day this year was themed on the growth and development of scoliosis and was kicked off with a fantastic talk from Dr Stuart Weinstein who has been instrumental in changing the landscape of conservative treatment for scoliosis since his paper in 2013 proving the
efficacy of bracing. He spoke about the natural history of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and how important it is to keep the natural history in mind as clinicians, specifically the risk of progression and how this should influence the decision to treat and what treatment options should be offered. Dr Weinstein outlined some work he has done on the likelihood of progression based on long term follow up to study the natural history of non-surgically treated scoliosis patients and determined that coronal curves under 30° that reached maturity did not get worse into adulthood. This long term follow up also showed that adults with a 30° scoliosis did show any increased chance of functional disability – this conclusion is a bold one, and certainly one that until further evidence is gathered should be treated with caution as his BrAIST paper was.

The rest of the Pre conference education day went on to talk about the less commonly discussed sagittal and transverse plane deformities, and how we should be looking at these in more detail both in research as well as clinical practice, how the anatomy of growth can predict the progression of scoliosis, and also the evidence supporting the reintroduction of screening for scoliosis.

The first day of the conference kicked off with a session on patient centred care and pulmonary issues. The theme of the talks was generally related to quality of life and adherence to treatment and how this can affect the outcomes of treatments. Ideas were presented on how to improve these two areas including patient decision tools and community education. Later in the day a session on physiotherapy scoliosis specific exercise (PSSE) and scoliosis screening brought talks on starting conservative treatment earlier on in the natural history of scoliosis and how this might affect need for treatment later. There were also talks on the evidence behind PSSE which is brilliant to see as historically PSSE has been very low in evidence and is hopefully going to be the next big push in research now bracing has been successfully identified as a conservative treatment for scoliosis. The rest of day one was made up of talks on flexibility of the trunk and how bracing can affect this as well as the accuracy of current measuring tools for axial trunk rotation and the development of new tools.

Day two started with the papers that had been nominated for the best SOSORT paper. There was a good range of topics, specifically of interest to me as an orthotist were the talks on long term follow up after brace treatment which confirmed Dr Weinsteins results that curves under 30° at end of growth did not progress in adulthood. There was also a recommendation that late risser patients of 3-5 should still be treated despite them being outside guidelines for brace treatment based on the results of long term follow up for cobb angles over 30°. Later in the day was a session on adult deformity, despite not seeing patients in this cohort myself it was and interesting insight into a different aspect of scoliosis care. I learnt the effectiveness of the same treatments I am confident with in the paediatric population and how treatment must change for the adult one.

Day two finished with the consensus report from the brace classification working group. Of the whole conference, this topic was one of the ones I was most looking forward to. The working group failed to come to a consensus last year and so was reformed this year to attempt the same
challenge. That challenge was to bring together the definitions of as many braces used worldwide and try and classify them with a system that will be universally recognised. If successful, this will improve the reliability of future studies into brace treatment as braces with the same classification can be directly compared on a cross centre basis. The consensus report was the early stages of this process and has narrowed down the technical factors of bracing into 5 key principles; Overall action e.g. elongation, Rigidity, Anatomy e.g. TLSO, Planes (the primary corrective plane) and Construction. This consensus will hopefully lead the way for better quality research and therefore lead to better treatment recommendations from official establishments, for us in the UK this will hopefully lead to NICE guidelines specifically related to treatment on scoliosis – at the moment the only mention of scoliosis under NICE is that of one specific surgical technique.

The last day of the conference focussed on the bracing and treatment adherence which had been briefly covered earlier on day one, some centres have developed information booklets and others are looking at validating online questionnaires to get more information on why patients are not
compliant with treatment. One particularly interesting talk was on the development of clinical practice guidelines based on the 2006/2008 SOSORT guidelines on brace biomechanics and clinical management and the mandatory training of clinicians on these guidelines.

Compared to the previous years conference in Dubrovnik, there was less quantity of talks on bracing however the talks that were present were of incredible quality and have a large impact on clinical practice in the next few years. I look forward to the continued work into the Consensus project and look forward to hearing updates on this at SOSORT 2020. It is also fantastic to hear the increased support for research into PSSE which is the next stage in cementing the importance of conservative treatment in scoliosis, specifically the essential part the MDT needs to play in getting successful outcomes. It was also important to remember the benefit of looking back at the natural history of scoliosis, how this informs us on the evolution of treatment and how losing sight of this can be detrimental to our long-term goals of scoliosis research and our short terms aims of individuals treatment.

Addenbrookes Hospital Cambridge

I am currently involved in the diabetic foot clinic where I work and see many diabetic patients in my prosthetic clinics. I wanted to further develop my knowledge in this area so that I could improve the service I provide. I decided to undertake a MSc Diabetes as a distance learning course. My Company allow me study leave to attend the week blocks and the OETT contribute to the funding of my modules. I have now completed the first of my three years and already I have broadened my knowledge of diabetes. Studying with people involved in various aspects of diabetes care from all over the world allows me to gain from their experience but also pass on information about our profession. I have found myself reflecting on my own practice and been able to get involved in the development of the clinic using the information I have gained. I am also able to pass on my knowledge to the students and colleagues in my department by presenting some of my papers written throughout the year. I look forward to next year when I will be looking into management of the diabetic clinics and preparing to do my own research.

Trulife

I have spent the last few years undertaking an Msc in Clinical Gait Analysis at the University of Stafford. With the help of OETT funding, it has eased the financial worry and helped me concentrate on the studies in hand. Whilst working in a challenging and demanding role within a busy Orthotic team here in South Wales.

So far I have completed several modules in sports biomechanics, origins and principles of injury, tissue stress, musculoskeletal diagnosis and applied diagnostic imaging to name a few. This has helped me grow in my clinical and professional practice and helped me think outside the box when presented with complex patients. Deepening my understanding of certain mechanisms of injury has made problem solving easier within clinic. It has also helped me grow in confidence as a clinician and to question practices and theories in a healthy and inquisitive way to establish whether evidence is sound or not.

I will now endeavour to complete the final dissertation year of my Msc, although not an easy undertaking, it has been extremely worthwhile expanding my clinical understanding and development.

Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust, Oxford

I have benefited considerably from the OETT throughout my career as an orthotist. Firstly the Trust helped to establish the diploma course from which I graduated from in 1988. Since then my postgraduate training and development has also been supported by the Trust.
The costs of attending BAPO and other short courses over the years have been generously reimbursed retrospectively for tuition fees, travel and where necessary accommodation. When I wished to study part time for a Masters degree I made an application to the OETT several months in advance. My application was approved and the funding enabled me to achieve an MSc in Evidence-based Health Care in 2000.

Having decided to study for a DPhil, I was in the process of applying to the OETT again when I was awarded a scholarship as part of a studentship from the University of Oxford. Although I was not in need of help for tuition fees in Oxford the Trust has enabled me to participate in health research methodology courses at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and at McMaster University in Canada.

Whilst I was the BAPO short course co-ordinator, I made contact with the Trustees to look for ways of integrating the aims of the Association and OETT to develop postgraduate training of orthotists. I was invited to become a Trustee in 2001 and with the other Trustees have looked for new ways to progress professional development now advertised on this website. I encourage any orthotists with an interest in formal postgraduate study to apply for help from the OETT and to realise your educational ambitions.

My tips for making a successful application are to be well organised and particularly:

1. Apply well in advance of when you want to start, and to demonstrate initiative and enthusiasm in your application.
2. Provide as much information about what you wish to do as you can, include any relevant course promotional material and website addresses.
3. Make a coherent case for why this educational opportunity will help you to further your career in orthotics.
4. Think through and detail clearly all the costs involved.
5. Think of alternative sources of funding, such as your employer, and mention in your application what contribution they are willing to provide.
6. If you need more than the 50% of funding that the OETT usually provides then make a persuasive case.

Remember: the Trustees want to help you but they are duty-bound to only authorise funding for appropriate cases; therefore make your application as clear as possible and you will have more chance of success.

Peacocks Medical Group, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne

The two challenges to learning and professional development of an individual are time and resources. I have been most fortunate in that the time offered by my employer has been complimented by financial support from OETT.

This has developed my orthotic knowledge and understanding by allowing me to attend short courses in several areas including functional foot orthoses and diabetes.

My special interest in adult neurology has been enhanced by learning the associated skill of application of functional electrical stimulation at the approved course at Salisbury. My breadth of knowledge and understanding was further broadened by attending a physiotherapy “Bobath” course on posture and balance.

My interest in gait anomalies and links with ORLAU and our local gait laboratory in Newcastle where enhanced by completing the Strathclyde University Postgraduate certificate in clinical gait analysis.

More recently I have been involved in both my London orthotic interest group and the ISPO consensus conference on orthotic management of stroke. Both of these involvements made me aware of the importance of supporting our work with good quality research and evidence. To this end I was fortunate to be funded to extend my Post Graduate certificate to a Master of Science degree. This both gave me an understanding of research quality and how to perform it well and to carry out a piece of in depth research.

My research embodied my learning of clinical gait analysis and stroke as I investigated the effect of rigid AFOs on knee alignment and muscle recruitment in the early recovery of stroke. This was considered to large a project for a MSc and consequently I co-opted a fellow student to carry out the muscle recruitment study. We hope to publish our findings in a peer reviewed journal later in 2006.

I am delighted to have this opportunity to thank the OETT for the support in my career development and would encourage all orthotists and their employers to take advantage of this superb support and opportunities offered.