Dr. Barry Butler’s 28 years of comprehensive foot and ankle patient care covers the spectrum from non-surgical treatment to complex surgical reconstruction for conditions ranging from acute injuries and diabetic wounds to chronic overuse and advanced arthritis. Foot and ankle surgeons routinely recommend orthotics, braces and shoes to help keep bones, joints and soft tissues in a semi-fixed position. Uniquely, Dr. Butler’s practice historically has made their orthotics and bracing in-house, so Dr. Butler understands how to make these devices as comfortable and effective as possible. He also understands their shortcomings.
A Technology Platform:
Suspension Biomechanics
The foot and ankle absorbs shock and physicians universally agree musculoskeletal wear and tear is directly related to the beast we commonly refer to as Ground Reaction Force (GRF). With an aging population more prone to obesity and diabetes, foot and ankle problems are accelerating at an alarming rate.
To reduce pain, physicians still rely on the age-old approach of prescribing inserts, braces, and surgery to limit or even stop motion. But the human body is made to move. Limiting motion has its downsides. Dr. Butler’s quest to tame this beast landed him major innovative utility patents. His designs evolve around decelerating the foot, reducing impact force at heel strike, then harnessing the captured kinetic energy so it can be used to provide propulsive assist. For patients needing motion control, his patents deliver that control during motion. Innovative? You bet.
Dr. Butler’s passion is to get Suspension Biomechanics under the feet of as many people as possible. Our first series of products are targeted at patients with existing foot and ankle conditions and will be in the form of orthotic inserts and braces. For consumers who haven’t developed foot and ankle problems (most eventually will), we’ll deliver our technology in common, everyday footwear and other over-the-counter (OTC) products. As a surgeon who has spent his life fixing complex problems, his vision is
to keep people healthy through prevention. We know “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.