Thanks for the opportunity to wax verbose on the issue of terminology. = What is happening to the words we use in our field is just one more last exhalation from the dying English language!! Here is one man’s opinion, backed up by Webster.
If you will look in the dictionary, you will see that an artificial limb = is a prosthesis and an orthopedic brace is an orthosis. The words = prosthetic and orthotic are adjectives. You should no more say, “I wear a = prosthetic”
than you would say, “I wear an artificial”. We speak of medical devices = but
we don’t call them “medicals”. It is impossible for a person to wear =
an
orthotic. That would be similar to saying, “I wear orthopedics” (shoes, = as in). If we are going to be known as professionals we should at very = least
know our own language, and the specific language of our field. The
educated fools who started calling arch supports “orthotics” should be = known for what they are, simpletons with degrees.
———————————=
———
With all respect to the members over the water.
Prosthetics is the field of work but the device is a prosthesis or a prosthetic device.
Likewise Orthotics is the field, but the device is an orthosis or an orthotic device.
we show our ignorance of our own profession if we refer to a prosthetic….its like refering to my car as a blue……..without finishing the sentence. A prosthetic limb a prosthetic implant a prosthetic breast not a prosthetic………
Hoping this clarifies the situation……..PT’s also misuse these terms and we should but the record straight.=20 ———————————=
————-
I would consider both prosthetics and Orthotics to refer to our fields = of study and practices, not just to the devices we are fabricating.
———————————————————–
“Orthotics” and “Prosthetics” generaly refer to the practice of the discipline, while an orthosis and are a prosthesis are the products of = the discipline. There is a disturbing trend, particularly amongst the uneducated, or l;azy, to call a foot orthosis an ‘orthotic’ but = strangely, few call an artificial replacement limb a ‘prosthetic’.
——————————————————–
I vote for global reference to our respective disciplines. The = profession of prosthetics & orthotics.=20
They do not refer actual devices as in “I hope I get an orthotic to fit = my shoe.” In that instance, orthotic is an adjective and it should refer = to a noun. “I hope I get an orthotic device to fit my shoe.” Or they should really use the term orthosis/orthoses. These are nouns.
———————————=
—————-
The terms refer to the professions. The adjective forms are “orthotic” = and “prosthetic”. I know of few instances where the adjective form of a = word has supplanted the noun. The only one in fact I can think of at the = moment is “schematic” but that is still not technically correct. I do = not know where, though I assume in either podiatry or physical therapy, = the practice of referring to “an orthotic” and “a prosthetic” began. I = once felt that it was prima facie evidence that the speaker was not = knowledgeable of his or her subject. I am, however, hearing it used by = more and more practitioners who, in my estimation, are well qualified = and should know better.=20 I wrote a letter to this list several years ago regarding the common = practice of referring to a prosthesis as a”prosthesis” when speaking = with a patient-and then referring to an orthosis in the same situation = as a “brace”. I wondered if this meant that in some way we judged = orthotic patients to be less bright than prosthetic patients. While a = few agreed, mostly I got flack for that. Thus, I have found that the = only way I can insure that correct terminology is used, is to use it = myself. I have no control over any one else. Which will win the day? I = don’t know. I’m sure that some would say that “an orthotic” is an = improvement over “brace”. Maybe this linguistic dialectic is just a = symptom of our profession’s growing pains.
I’ve been in the field for over 30 years. If you are new to the field, = and concerned enough to ask this sort of question, I say there’s hope.
———————————=
——————
