Industry Insider is a continuing department in which leading manufacturers are asked to comment on industry trends. This month, Bill Burns, sales and marketing representative for Tekscan, Inc, answers a few questions and tries to clear up some of the confusion regarding pressure mapping systems.

PTP: What are some common misconceptions  about medical pressure mapping systems?

BURNS: That all pressure mapping systems are the same. Most systems, in fact, do not measure pressure in the medical or scientific sense; they simply look at color gradations “red” to “blue,” which does not tell the physician or insurance company what the peak pressure really was.

PTP: Do you feel that physical  therapists have been slow to embrace pressure mapping systems? If so, why?

BURNS: In the past, pressure mapping systems were for the universities and researchers. Now, with more emphasis on education and training on pressure mapping at the medical schools, many more lecturers on pressure mapping, and a host of clinical workshops available, it is easy to bring pressure mapping into the clinical practice.

PTP: What are some of the advantages a pressure mapping system gives a physical therapist?

BURNS: PTs want to make more educated decisions and be more profitable; that is why pressure mapping systems are becoming popular. Also, if you are seeing diabetics, athletes, or people with a host of foot and ankle problems that require functional orthotics, an in-shoe pressure mapping system is a must. In-shoe pressure mapping systems allow the clinician to take a very quantifiable scientific approach to orthotics and get paid well for their expertise. The therapist can now “see” what is happening to foot function inside the shoe, and “measure quantify” gait perturbations.

PTP: What are some of the more exciting recent additions to pressure mapping technology?

BURNS: Today’s pressure mapping sensors are more accurate and repeatable than ever before, giving the data excellent credibility in the medical and insurance communities. There are portable in-shoe pressure mapping systems available that allow for nontethered data collection on athletes and portability between offices.

PTP: Is there any new technology that has not yet hit the market, but will be introduced in the near future?

BURNS: There are always projects on the horizon. USB compatibility has made the systems much more friendly and portable.