The Pedorthist Repairman
They then began to collaborate with doctors,
and my love of orthopedics, I attended Ball
shared information on how best to help the
Orthopedic Shoe Technician (O.S.T.) and a
orthotists, prosthetists and the like, and
patient with a particular foot problem. This
led to the formation of Prescription Footwear
Association (PFA), which lead to the creation
and certification in Pedorthics.
As a third-generation shoe repairman, I’ve
been fixing shoes all my life. I started
working in my father’s shop at a young age,
and always remember doing orthopedic work.
Pediatricians couldn’t write prescriptions for
sole and heel wedges on children’s shoes
fast enough back then. I took an interest in
orthopedic shoe repairing. One of my father’s
good friends happened to be an orthopedic
shoe maker and a pedorthist/orthotist in a
neighboring town. To me, this man was a
genius and my mentor. His name was Steve
Neirhous and he was a true craftsman in
every way. Because of Steve’s inspiration
State University and in 1991, became an
C. Ped. For me, pedorthics was a perfect fit.
In my shop, today, pedorthics and shoe
repairing goes hand to hand. We do many
elevations on shoes that I probably wouldn’t or
couldn’t do if I was only a pedorthist and had
no background in shoe repairing (i.e., modern
day golf shoes, and shoes with polyurethane
soles). As a pedorthist, I have the anatomical
and biomechanical background to design a
shoe modification, either internal or external,
and the shoe repairing knowledge that will
insure a positive outcome, both functionally
and aesthetically for my customer. These
two aspects are very important. If the
modification is functional, but not appealing,
the customer probably won’t want to wear it.
This is true for the pediatric and adolescent
customers who are very self-conscious about
"As a pedorthist, I have the anatomical and biomechanical
background to design a shoe modification, either internal or
external, and the shoe repairing knowledge that will insure a
positive outcome, both functionally and aesthetically for my
customer."
18
Pedorthic Footcare Association www.pedorthics.org