Go Further with phits+: The Exciting Next Step For 3D-Printed Orthotics

Since we first launched our custom-made phits orthotic insoles in 2014, we’ve done things differently. Designs are made using research-backed software and based on dynamic gait analysis — pressure and movement data gathered in realistic situations while patients are on the move. It’s what makes them truly unique and sets them apart from those made with traditional methods.

Now, it’s time for the next step. Just like the original phits orthotics, phits+ will have a lasting impact on how foot and ankle experts provide corrective solutions for their patients. Coupled with the new features coming to the footscan design wizard, they’ll find more freedom to offer a personalized experience through every stage of the process, from scan to analysis and design.

That additional freedom applies to patients and practitioners alike. For starters, you’ll enjoy much greater design flexibility through the addition of new correction options — we’ll dive into those in a moment — while general customization has also been enhanced. This includes designing a custom center of pressure line for each orthotic and small touches like adding your patient’s name to the heel*.

Meanwhile, a slimmer profile provides your patients with even more choice than before. They’ll be able to use them in a broader range of footwear, helping them move comfortably in style, while you can also alter the stiffness of specific zones within the orthotics’ printed base. This allows you to better guide your patient’s foot during roll-off, while other features throughout the orthotic can make a world of difference elsewhere.

At the rear of the orthotic, we’ve enhanced several features to offer additional heel support.

• Option to add a medial heel skive
• Heel cup height is now adjustable. Change it from low to high, or remove it altogether.
• Increase heel raise, up to 12 mm
• Increase heel wedges from -15° lateral to +15° medial

Why these changes?

These changes give practitioners much greater freedom to adjust the pronation or supination of their patients' feet. This is particularly important for complex cases where patients require more extreme treatment and even those with frequently seen issues such as flat feet.

Further along the orthotics, changes can be made to the structure of both arches and edges.

• Change the height of the medial and lateral edge
• Work with greater flexibility of the medial arch by, for example, changing the location of its highest point.

Why these changes?

These changes offer practitioners more tools to control their patients' feet beyond adjusting local stiffness. Likewise, adjusting the height of arches in the orthotic is now simpler. The software begins with a suggestion, which can be moved higher or lower with an easy-to-use slider.

Adjustments further forward, toward the forefoot, mean phits+ offer foot and ankle experts the ability to provide further corrections around the metatarsals than they can with our current model.

• Add a first meta, first ray, fifth meta, or fifth ray cut-out
• Increase metatarsal support up to 6 mm
• Change the location of the metatarsal supports based on the footscan pressure image

Why these changes?

These changes truly display the importance of the footscan software. Practitioners can see the issues in front of them based on the scan and make the necessary changes to adjust the biomechanics of their patients' feet in real-time. Cut-outs and additional support will be built-in and printed, ensuring a perfect match between design and result, saving time spent on manual grinding and removing any chance of human error.

Alongside updates to the orthotics, foot and ankle experts will find that the analysis and design process has also changed for the better. This is all thanks to improvements in the footscan design wizard, intended to make life easier for all involved.

This first change will be fairly noticeable for those who regularly use this element of footscan and is designed to help you keep track of your progress as you work. Not only is the design wizard itself now full-screen, with a flowing, easy-to-use menu, but you’ll also be able to see all your corrections in a single interface and make further changes in real-time whenever you order phits+.

Once you’ve gathered and analyzed your patient’s data, you’ll have more freedom over where you begin to alter the design generated automatically by our system based on scientifically validated parameters. Start with the type of orthotic, how and where it's used, the type of shoe your patient wears, or how you’d like it to be assembled. Further options come later; you can choose the location of the metatarsal pad and bar using pressure measurements or use 3D scans to alter the height of the navicular support and width of the orthotics.

Depending on the type of orthotics you’d like to design or receive, you can make it through the entire ordering process in as few as three clicks. Ordering and reordering are no longer limited to a single pair of orthotics either; you can select either left or right alone, if necessary, or order multiple pairs of new or existing designs.

As always, these changes are just the beginning. We will continue to work and improve on all aspects of Materialise Phits Suite and phits orthotics, and we’re excited to see you dive into all these exciting features and more still to come.