Case Studies

The course is broken down into four sections over 5 days, which is normally face to face but was done over Zoom during the pandemic. There is one multiple choice exam, one submission and one mock cross examination which all need to be passed to gain the certificate.

Four sections are as follows:

1. Report Writing – this day was very informative for any starting out in report writing as it provides you with all the necessary information to make your report legal and satisfactory to the legal team and the court. I found this day very helpful as I have never written a report and it can be daunting if you are unprepared.
2. Witness Familiarisation – very helpful for understanding the court and courtroom setting should you ever be required to be called to provide evidence.
3. Cross Examination – learning skills on how to prepare for cross examination in a courtroom setting. This would be a very high pressure situation and was really useful in learning the skills on how a barrister may approach this part of a trial to gain an advantage for their side.
4. Civil Law – two days on the law in civil cases (which includes medical legal work) to get an understanding of the whole trial and the legal system.

Overall I would say this course was excellent and the Report Writing section in particular is essential for anyone wishing to start providing reports that will be of a high standard to the court.

I recently completed a Masters by Research (MRes) through the University of Salford.

I undertook the MSc part time while working full time over 200 miles from the university and only attended the university in person once in the four years it took me to complete my research. Skype became my best friend!

Juggling work, study and a young family at home was tough, but one worry I didn’t have was financing my studies as the OETT kindly provided 67% of the funding for my MSc and my employer Blatchford paid the remaining 33%. This help was invaluable, and we as a profession are so incredibly privileged to have access to such financial support to help us further our knowledge clinically, which in the end serves to benefit our patients – the reason why we entered the profession in the first place.

During my MSc I learned research skills, academic writing skills, the use of gait analysis and the interpretation of data, as well as furthering my knowledge of the orthotic treatment of foot and ankle trauma. These skills are important in ensuring I am well versed in providing evidence-based practice for the patients that I treat now and in the many years to come.

I would encourage all Prosthetists/Orthotists to consider an MRes as an alternative to the more conventionally taught MSc courses. It enables you to gain research skills and explore an area of orthotics in great detail in a flexible way that allows remote working very easily. It takes a lot of discipline but it was definitely worth it.

So thank you once again to the OETT. Your support of our profession is invaluable and the process to apply for assistance is simple, seamless and very swiftly managed.

In 2016, I decided to embark on my MSc journey. I enrolled on the MSc Orthotics rehabilitation studies course at the University of Strathclyde. It is a distance learning course so was convenient for me at the time. I must say, going into it, I did not know what to expect. My experience with it was a very positive one with in-depth online notes; assignments that made me think out of the box and also use my theoretical and practical knowledge of orthotics.

In the first year, we undertook introductory biomechanics, research methodology and data analysis modules. The second year built on the first year modules, second year modules included lower limb orthotic biomechanics, advanced orthotic science and clinical gait analysis. In the third year, we had to do a big project drawing from all the information we had gained in the previous two years.

I always had an interest in research, completing this MSc has given me the necessary tools needed to take my research forward. It has opened a new world of research for me. It has made me realise that there is a great need for further research in orthotics. I will encourage any orthotist interested in research to get necessary tools needed.

I will like to thank OETT for their help in part-funding this course. The lecturers were knowledgeable and were always on hand to answer any questions we had. The assessments ran smoothly and were mostly well organised. I will also like to thank my project supervisor – Dr Christine McNogle for her support while I was undertaking my project. My employer – T&S Orthotics – was very supportive and allowed me time off to study when required.

To my wife and children for their support during my sleepless nights while studying, working on assignments and my project, Thank you.

Joshua Oguntade

BSc Hons, MSc Orthotic Rehabilitation Studies

I have recently completed my MSC in Prosthetics and Orthotics at the University of Strathclyde which would not have been possible without the support and generosity of OETT, who provided 67% of the tuition fees, enabling me to carry out this period of study.

My thesis focused on KAFOs as well as patient interaction, where I considered issues surrounding communication strategies.  This gave me the opportunity to research patient information leaflets with particular reference to KAFO’s which has been extremely beneficial to both my clinical and professional practice.   I would like to take this opportunity to thank OETT for their very generous assistance, for which I am very grateful.

Stephanie Caisley – MSc Prosthetics and Orthotics

In April this year, I was fortunate enough to travel to San Francisco for the 15^th annual SOSORT (Society on Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment) conference through support from the OETT. I have worked as an orthotist for the past 5 years and throughout my career, as well as during training, I have been lucky to garner significant and varied experience in an area I am passionate about: idiopathic scoliosis bracing.

Idiopathic scoliosis has been treated with external bracing for centuries, using principles that are familiar to this day, such as 3-point-pressure, derotation and distraction. Thankfully, methods of treatment and brace design have become more sophisticated during this time. This has happened because of dedicated practitioners and researchers gathering clinical data over months, years and sometimes decades in order to augment global knowledge of the aetiology of idiopathic scoliosis (IS) and therefore develop protocols for bracing (as well as other conservative treatment and surgery) in order to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients. There is plenty of diversity in clinical evidence and practice however. This can make things a little confusing when trying to decide which is the best treatment for our patients.

This is what led me to the conference in San Francisco. SOSORT have developed globally recognised bracing guidelines which are reviewed every year. The conference has been held annually all over the world since 2004 and is an opportunity for delegates to present papers on the research they have undertaken, as well as educational lectures. The committee boasts names familiar to anyone who has researched IS and/or IS bracing – Weinstein, Negrini, Zaina. Et al.

The conference this year took place at the Parc 55 Hilton hotel, in the middle of Embarcadero, the bustling financial district of the city. Day 1 was a pre-conference education day to kick off proceedings; the next 3 days the conference itself. The main event room was accessed through a concourse area populated with posters of various studies submitted by SOSORT members. Once inside the conference room one could easily find a seat amongst the rows of desks and chairs adorned with information packs, paper and pens. The room was fronted with 2 projector screens, a podium for the speakers and seating for the moderators and presenters.

The first day was no gentle introduction, as from 8am to 5.30pm were rigorously timetabled lectures on the natural history of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), a background on normal 3D vertebral growth and the patho-biomechanics of growth and development in IS to name but a few. Meticulously scheduled coffee and lunch breaks allowed the participants to review the posters and mingle, networking with professionals from all over the globe. The main aim of the pre-conference day was to focus on growth and development in scoliosis and the biomechanical, physiological and psychological intricacies thereof. The lectures on this first day were delivered mainly by members of the committee. Following each lecture was a question and answer session and audience members  were able to express ideas and discuss the lectures with each presenter.

The first day of the conference started with a welcome from the local host (an orthotist practising in the area, a Salford alumnus in fact) and then further presentations, only this time of clinical and technical research papers. Over 30 papers were presented by a mix of doctors, orthotists and physiotherapists on the first day alone. Subjects included psychological complexities associated with bracing, development of an AIS patient decision aid, quality of life questionnaires, physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercises (PSSE), brace design analysis for upper thoracic curves, biomechanical spinal simulation/models for curve and correction prediction and many more. Again there was opportunity to question and discuss the topics presented. In the midst of the papers being presented was a lecture on PSSE by Dr Manuel Rigo (of Rigo-Cheneau fame!) a lecture by Dr Stuart Weinstein (renowned researcher and practitioner in the field of IS) and further opportunity to review the posters. Alongside these posters were 5-6 stalls set up and manned by various commercial sponsors of the event. These included brace suppliers such as Boston and Aspen, and more technical companies such as EOS Imaging and ScolioScan. This allowed introduction to new or alternative methods of curve detection and analysis, as well as a range of brace types.

The second conference day continued with the presentation of papers interspersed with discussion, the theme of the papers covering lung function, long term bracing results, de novo scoliosis and surface topography. In addition there was an address by the SOSORT president, a choice of two symposia over lunch and a guest lecture by Dr Scott Haldeman on the Global Spine Care Initiative, a charity providing management of spinal disorders in developing countries.

The last day (which was just a morning session) started with a guest lecture from Rachel Mulvaney, VP of Curvy Girls Scoliosis Foundation, a US support group. Papers presented on this day were relating to bracing and treatment adherence and further analyses of PSSE effectiveness.

The conference was closed with the announcement of award winners for papers and posters.

Overall the three and a half days were jam-packed and very intensely timetabled. The information presented in the papers was from evidence gathered in the last few years, or if over a long time, then the evidence was analysed and conclusions drawn in the last year ensuring the data was up to date. I have been able to take comfort in the papers reinforcing the evidence behind rigid bracing, ensuring I am committing fully to evidence-based practice. Auxiliary areas such as long-term effects of scoliosis after bracing, bone development, aerobic capacity and pulmonary function will augment the breadth and depth of my knowledge in the subject and help me hone my skills in assessment and individual case management.

On the whole, attending SOSORT was a very worthwhile endeavour from which I learned a great deal. This will be implemented in my own practice and the information has been presented to and disseminated amongst my colleagues. It is experiences like this which not only expose one to new clinical data and innovation, but to different cultures, processes and practitioners who all have a common goal: to improve clinical outcomes and the patient experience.