Current Pedorthics | May-June 2016 | Vol.48, Issue 3 | Page 8

F R O M T H E PRESIDENT Rob Sobel, C. Ped., PFA President [email protected] ABOUT PFA The Pedorthic Footcare Association (PFA), founded in 1958, is the not-forprofit professional association which represents the interests of the certified and/or licensed pedorthist and supports the pedorthic profession at large. Through PFA’s efforts, pedorthics – the management and treatment of conditions of the foot, ankle, and lower extremities requiring fitting, fabricating, and adjusting of pedorthic devices – is a well-established allied health profession which makes an invaluable contribution to public health. MISSION PFA’s mission is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of credentialed providers of lower extremity pedorthic modalities through education; increase the demand for services through marketing; and promote the right to practice through No parent should have favorites, but amongst Current Pedorthics offspring, the Sports Issue is my favorite. Not that the CP editorial staff doesn’t do a great job on all of the issues; it is just that in my opinion sports holds great promise for pedorthists. Naysayers would tell you that athletes can be narcissistic and difficult to deal with. That could be said of members of just about any group. My experiences with athletes (both amateur and professional) in a pedorthics setting has been that they are performance−oriented, dedicated to being the best they can be in their given sport, and loyal when they find a practitioner who can help them. Athletes, for the pedorthist, are a terrific group to work with. Since the pedorthist in a clinical setting usually fabricates the foot orthoses (FOs) in-house, the ability to make FOs that will assist the athlete in achieving his/her goals is greatly enhanced—if the pedorthist is skilled and knowledgeable. Orthoses fabricated in-house give the athlete the best chance at devices that will enhance their performance. By biomechanically optimizing foot 6 Pedorthic Footcare Association www.pedorthics.org government affairs activities. Pedorthic Footcare Association PO Box 72184 Albany, GA 31708-2184 phone (229) 389-3440 fax (888) 563-0945 email [email protected] website www.pedorthics.org facebook Pedorthic Footcare Association twitter @pfapedorthics linkedIn Pedorthic Footcare Association google+ Pedorthic Footcare Association o & p social Pedorthic Footcare Association