Foot Levelers recently announced a $500,000 endowment to create an eponymous Chair in Biomechanics and Human Performance at Northwestern Health Sciences University. In conjunction with the endowment, the company also announced an annual $25,000 matching gift to NWHSU, which will be utilized to advance clinical research on functional orthotics and their influence on whole-body biomechanics.
"Research is the backbone of high quality spine care, human performance and biomechanics and we are extremely gratified to play a role in supporting health care teams worldwide," said Foot Levelers President and CEO Kent Greenawalt in a press release detailing the company's substantial financial support. "We're honored, excited and immensely proud of these efforts to enhance well-coordinated patient care among different providers and institutions that brings together care for the whole person. Our level of commitment to research resonates with providers, patients and payers."
According to the release, the new chair established courtesy of the $500,000 endowment "supports research and education to advance a deeper understanding of biomechanics, the science of movement of a living body, including how muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments work together to produce movement and will provide the opportunity to find more efficient, effective care that leads to improved patient outcomes and better quality of life, especially pertaining to spine care, throughout the world."
The proposed merger of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners and Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards was approved by NBCE delegates and FCLB members at their respective annual meetings, held jointly in Atlanta, Ga., this year. Per the new bylaws, the new entity takes the NBCE name, with FCLB continuing as a department within NBCE. The federation will continue to enjoy Board of Directors representation on what will be a single, expanded board.
Before introducing subscapularis syndrome as an upper extremity analog, it is essential to revisit piriformis syndrome as a well-established example of myogenic pseudo-radiculopathy. Piriformis syndrome has long served as a clinical exception to disc-centric models of lower extremity pain and provides an important framework for understanding how deep muscular dysfunction can mimic radiculopathy in the absence of nerve root compression.
Pain has become the dominant language of musculoskeletal healthcare. Numeric pain-rating scales and symptom reports are routinely used as primary indicators of clinical success. But while pain reduction is meaningful, it is an incomplete and often misleading representation of recovery. This has real consequences for patient adherence, long-term outcomes, and how conservative care is perceived within the broader healthcare system.
