designer
TM
ISSUE
02
SPRING 2009
this issue
Orthotics & Prosthetics Newsletter
of TamarackTM Habilitation Technologies
Call for
Case Studies
We’re looking for your help in writing
case studies, detailing a specific
Tamarack product application you've
found particularly successful and
beneficial for your clients. Whether
you’ve used Tamarack joints to aide
a unique patient diagnosis, or found
a great use for ShearBan® lowfriction material, we want to hear
from you!
Tamarack would like to pay an
honorarium and give credit to you
and your practice for submitting a
case study that we select to publish
in future issues of the Tamarack
Designer and on our website.
For more information about
Tamarack Case Studies, check out
www.tamarackhti.com/case_studies
Mark Payette, CO, R&D Manager
Tamarack Habilitation Technologies
The Tamarack Story
ShearBan Update
Quality of Life
Durability Testing
What's New at Tamarack
P.1
P.2
P.2
P.3
P.4
The Tamarack Story
What does Tamarack™ manfuacture & deliver?
The “Flexure Joint”, some may say. In 1995,
Tamarack Habilitation Technologies
(Minneapolis, MN) developed the first Tamarack
Flexure Joint™. Today the Flexure Joint™
continues to be cost-effective, durable and
distributed throughout the world. This is just
one of the many Tamarack innovations that
have been designed, tested & manufactured
over Tamarack’s 19 year history as an O&P
manufacturer.
Today, Tamarack manufactures a line of free
motion and dorsiflexion assist orthotic joints,
ranging from the Flexure Joint™,
to the Clevisphere™ and
Tamarack Variable Assist™.
Tamarack also manufactures
a line of fabrication tools,
helping to reduce the amount
of time you spend fabricating
orthotics for customers.
Our latest product line,
ShearBan®, is a low
friction material that
applies to orthotic &
prosthetic devices and
footwear, not on the skin.
We continue to improve upon
this technology through
developing other products
that help relieve painful rubbing,
blisters and other skin trauma.
Tamarack’s motto – “design is the difference”,
sums up the essence of what Tamarack
Habilitation Technologies is all about. We design,
manufacture and distribute high-quality; longlasting products that help improve and maximize
human physical performance. Our distributors
are essential in providing these products to you
and your clients. Tamarack products are made in
the USA. That’s our commitment to you, your
clients and the O&P profession.
TM
Quality of Life
Product Update
By Marty Carlson
Through continuous testing,
Last week I attended the funeral of
my most memorable client (I’ll call
him Wilson). I first saw Wilson when he
was in high school. His physical abilities
were severely impaired by an Athetoid form
of Cerebral Palsy. He was intelligent and
could communicate with family, caregivers
and friends. He taught himself how to read.
The verbal person in the communication
process would start through the alphabet
and Wilson could give a clear facial signal
when they came to the correct letter. On
the second or third letter the verbal person
may switch from letters to words and
finally to phrases, using a lot of acquired
anticipatory logic.
we’ve discovered a formula for
achieving significantly improved
application and performance
results with Tamarack’s
ShearBan® sheets.
The latest ShearBan® sheets
offer improved bond strength
and conformability, which are
especially beneficial when
forming the low-friction material
around challenging contours.
ShearBan® sheets apply directly
to any orthosis, prosthesis or
footwear, for immediate relief
from painful rubbing, blisters,
calluses and diabetic ulcers.
For more information, visit
Shearban.com.
My team and I figured out how we could
use some aspects of voluntary movements
Wilson had in his hips and one toe. We used
some variable force switches tethered to
knee cuffs and a toe switch to allow him to
control a power wheelchair and interact with
a computerized communication system. We
had heroic visions of ourselves giving Wilson
the great gifts of independent mobility and
better communications. Wilson used these
things with some enthusiasm for a little
while but lost interest before long. He lost
interest for his own very good reasons:
Tooling around town by yourself was a
valuable, novel experience but Wilson was
highly sociable. Maybe the independence
had a downside. Also, his original mode
of communication required very intense
social interaction. Whatever the reason(s),
Wilson used our ingenious system much
less than we thought he should. We were
disappointed.
However, we did soon come to our senses.
We were working for him. He was not
working for us. He, fortunately, knew that
he had no obligation to enhance our
professional images or boost our sense of
achievement. We must remind ourselves
of this from time to time.
Wilson lived 42 years. The quality of his life
was enhanced mostly by his loving circle of
family, caregivers and friends who saw him
as a humorous, stubborn, whole person who
loved them in return.
Update your Tamarack Contact Information
MAIN CONTACT INFORMATION
We’re available Monday through Friday
from 8:00 am until 4:30 pm CST to answer
any questions you may have about
Tamarack products & services.
Telephone: (763) 795-0057
Toll-Free: (866) 795-0057
Fax: (763) 795-0058
Email: info@tamarackhti.com
Website: www.tamarackhti.com
We’re on
LinkedIn!
Search “Tamarack Habilitation Technologies”
to become a member of the group, network
with colleagues and more!
The Importance of Durability Testing
Adam Erickson,
Manufacturing Manager
at Tamarack, recently
gave a presentation on
durability testing at the
2009 Meeting of the
American Academy of
Orthotics and Prosthetics.
Since Tamarack’s inception, we have spent
significant resources on durability testing.
We recognize that in order for a product to
establish itself in the market, a reputation
of durability is important. We want to make
sure that we see the product succeed in our
lab before it’s put in the customer’s hands.
Several custom built machines are used to
test Tamarack Products, each of them able
to test different aspects of our products’
performance. Some are designed to test
specific functions, while others test the
overall function. Many of these machines
run 24 hours a day, seven days a week!
Resources
To Expand Your
Knowledge
A Review of
“Fixing Your Feet”
Fixing Your Feet: Prevention
and Treatment for Athletes.
Vonhof, John. Wilderness Press.
4th Edition. July 2006.
(shown above and below) Rub testing machines
are used to evaluate Tamarack’s friction
management materials.
Excerpt from review:
“Don’t wait until foot pain
cramps your speed, strength
and style – learn the basics and
finer points of foot care now.
Tamarack also uses Computer Aided
Engineering (CAE) to help with the design
and durability testing process. We use our
Foot expert and ultrarunner
John Vonhof discredits the
conventional wisdom of ‘no pain,
(continued on back cover)
no gain’, teaching instead how
the interplay of anatomy, bio-
(not pictured) The Dorsiflexion Assist Flex
Test machine addresses specifically motion
assist joints.
(lower left) The Rotator tests overall
orthotic joint and mounting performance.
mechanics, and footwear can
lead to happy or hurting feet.”
(lower right) The Gait Simulation Testing
Machine (GSTM) tests ankle foot orthosis
in a simulated walking environment.
What’s New at Tamarack?
Tamarack Fabrication Guides…
Within the next few months, we’ll be
launching a series of “How To” guides for
Tamarack products, ranging from successful
fabrication, to frequently asked questions
and advanced techniques. Part one in the
series will be “How To Fabricate Tamarack
Flexure Joints™”. Visit our website for the
official release of the “How To” series from
Tamarack. Translated editions coming soon!
Durability Testing (continued)
testing machines and feedback from
our customers to help establish accurate
computer models. Together, these tools
significantly help our design and
development process.
There are many factors which contribute
to successful products, such as market
need, price, distribution, etc. By life cycle
testing we address one of the major
factors, product durability. Customers
should expect this from every product
manufacturer; confident that the products
they use will truly last a lifetime.
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Northern Plaines AAOP Meeting
Attn: Minnesota, Iowa, North and South
Dakota O&P Professionals! Mark your
calendars for the 2009 Northern Plaines
Chapter AAOP Meeting, September 11, 2009
in Vadnais Heights, MN. Representatives
from Tamarack will be in attendance. Be
sure to say “hello” and let us know if there’s
anything we can do to improve the quality of
our products & services.
ISO
Tamarack Passes 2009
Quality Control Standards
This spring, Tamarack renewed its certification for:
ISO 13485: Medical device manufacturing
and added a new certificate for:
ISO 9001: General quality management
Annual audits of our quality management system cover everything from purchasing raw
materials to customer service. We pride ourselves on delivering the best customer
Videos of Tamarack’s machines can be
viewed on our website at:
www.tamarackhti.com/product_assurance
experience and top quality products. We do this while remaining efficient and cost effective
so we can keep our prices affordable. As always, please contact us with any feedback.
The Tamarack Designer, Orthotics & Prosthetics Newsletter by Tamarack Habilitation Technologies • Issue 02 / Spring 2009
To continue receiving The Tamarack Designer, please
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TM
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Blaine, MN 55449-4323
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