The Brachman Skate was developed by Philip Brachman in the 1940’s initially for the treatment of clubfoot as a modifcation or extension of the Dennis-Browne bar. He was granted patents for it in 1949 (filed in 1946) and 1963 (filed in 1961). The skate consists of one or two bars that are sandwiched between two layers in the sole of the shoe, so that the bars can be swiveled to allow some movement.
The 1949 patent:
Brachman Skate from the 1949 patent
The 1963 patent:
Brachman Skate from the 1963 patent
Brachman first published on this in the July 1948 NAC Journal, titled “A New and Original Development in the Treatment of Talipes Equinovarus” reporting on the use of the skate on 46 cases. While Brachman originally developed the brace for clubfoot he also later suggested its use for metatarsus adductus, torsional problems of the lower limb and gait problems in cerebral palsy with Brachman mentioning in his book that he treated more than 300 cases between 1948 and 1954 of these types of cases. It was suggested that the skate could be used as young as 6 months of age up until around 8 years of age.
The Brachman Skate from Foot Therapy for Children
The brace was made to be worn 24 hours a day and allow for normal movement while at the same time restricting movement in the direction of the abnormal deformity. It can only be used for ambulation on smooth and flat surfaces.
Brachman believed that the skates are able to correct for two basic reasons:
1. “The skates provide a broad base of support that have almost ten times the square inch area of the average single sole of a young child. That alone enables some of these children to stand and walk who have not been able to do so before.”
2. “The skates provide for movements approaching the normal under physiological conditions that simulate the normal gait; in other words, the treatment is ambulatory and fits in perfectly with the entire basis for the existence of podiatry as a profession”
Herman Tax in his 1980 edition of Podopediatrics opined that “In the great majority of cases seen in office practice, I do not feel that this bar is necessary. We are convinced that the simple Dennis Browne bar used as a sleeping time corrective device is best for the kind of in-toe and out-toe problems we commonly treat.”
Photos of the Brachman Skate from Podiatric Orthopedics: Principles and Practices (1984)
The use of these types of braces or splints has fallen out of favor and they are not used much, if at all, today.
Related Topics:
Philip R. Brachman, DPM | Splints and Braces | Clubfoot | Physical Therapy Treatment of Clubfoot Guide for Physios | Torsional Problems of the Lower Limb
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