Different words for the same thing

I have noticed over the last few years that using the word or a derivative of the word “ortho” has become far less used in the world of product promotion and marketing. Shoes, beds and all manner of high end products would prefix the item with “orthopedic” to indicate a superior performance or a greater degree of design and support for their top end models. Now that term seems to be out of fashion and instead we are seeing other creations intended to mean the same thing but, I guess, in a more marketable way.
When it comes to shoes, “easy fit” and “comfort fit” now seem to mean the same thing and only a special diabetic shoe, or one for a person with serious foot problems, is termed orthopedic!

With beds too the same change seems to have occurred. “Wellbeing” seems to be the new buzzword, even though the implications of this double term seem even more medical and even more concerned with health than the old one.

With chairs the same it true yet again. This time the word is “ergonomic” which is intended to mean a machine (or appliance) working in harmony with the body that sits on it. i.e. The chair is designed to work with both the person using it and any activity that they use that item of furniture for. This means that you can of course have an ergonomic TV seat.

Perhaps ergonomic shoes are the next step, or a comfort fit chair. There may even be room for a wellbeing shoe at some point in the future.

From now on....

Unfortunately after editing a number of my posts on this blog it would seem that the ones that I amended have been reassigned the date on which I made the changes. In some cases this means that posts made 3 years ago appear as the most recent. This is down to blogger and not me!


In any event, my posts have been absent for some time and I now intend to rectify that. I will start off by restating what this blog was originally about and a couple of changes that have been made.


Firstly, the purpose of the blog was two fold. The main reason was to write about orthopedic products that can assist, ease or aid injury, disability or discomfort and the secondary reason was to promote some websites that I own. Regrettably, it would seem that doing the latter is now considered some kind of infringement by google and for that reason I will no longer be showing links to my or any other related information sources. It all seems quite ridiculous, but these days google seem to be inventing new ways to make their search engine less like a human reader and more like a former eastern European police force.


What I will still be doing is writing posts about a number of different orthopedic products that exist, are in development or are simply of interest to me. Not surprisingly the likes of beds and mattresses will be near the top of the list, but I will also try to write about some of the more obscure and interesting devices and products that people can use.

Moving home - why not buy a new bed

Buying a house for the first time, or even looking at moving home, is often a good time to change or replace furniture and one item worth considering is a bed – or beds if you have multiple bedrooms.
A good quality mattress can last for many years, but cheaper ones can start to show signs of wear quickly and if this is the case, getting a new one can be done during the move. You simply ditch the old one when you move out and have a new one delivered to your new home. You will even save on the time and expense of carriage.

If you do decide to make a change, then you need to think about what to buy. Ask yourself some questions like, were you happy with what you had before, was it comfortable, did you sleep well and so on.

Also think about how long it lasted and, if there are two of you in a double or king size bed, did you both feel the same way about it?
If it is a long time since you last bought a bed you may not be familiar with some of the more modern products like memory foam, latex foam and mattresses that have a mix of springs and foams. There is a lot of choice and it can be daunting!

So what should you look at?

Firstly, if you were happy with what you had before, go for something similar. Never change a winning formula, or change something that you like.

If on the other hand you were not happy with what you had before, take a look at something different. In other words if you had a cheap innerspring mattress why not look at a pocket spring model or a memory foam one. Foam mattresses look and feel very different to those made with springs and a lot of people think that they are a blessing. Go to a store, try one out, and then think about your decision.

Again, if you are about to move house this might all seem like the wrong time to do this. But moving home is stressful and occupying your mind with other decisions may actually make the move easier.

Mattress innovations

Staying with the theme of beds from my last post, some fairly new and almost radical mattress designs have appeared over the last few years. Many of these innovations have come about through the need to come up with better orthopedic mattress beds and the Octafoam model is a prime example.

The Octafoam mattress has a build of memory foam, but the bed is not solid. Rather it has the same composition as a pocket spring mattress, only the springs are formed out of the visco elastic or memory foam.

All told this is quite radical and it compares with the use of gel in the top layer of mattresses by companies like Kaymed. Kaymed specialise in what many would describe as therapy or orthopedic quality beds and they mix memory foam, gel and latex in some of their mattresses.

Even with the apparently straightforward memory foam bed things are not as simple as they first appear. Most beds of this type are not made from a single slab of foam, but rather a series of different foam layers that are bonded together. Each of these layers serves a different purpose and the lower layers are known as base layers or support layers. The high quality memory foam is found at the top level of one of these mattresses.

There is no doubt that bed manufacturers are constantly trying to find the next big thing. They are also more highly motivated by the fact that with the online revolution, it is now as easy for a manufacturer to sell online as it is for a traditional retailer. This means that any innovations, new inventions or industry changing research benefits them more than ever before.

What is next in the mattress world is a matter of speculation. As far as an orthopedic mattress is concerned there is no doubt that the waterbed still offers the closest thing to floating support – ultimately you are floating. Despite this, no mainstream manufacturer seems keen to pursue the waterbed principle as a primary product. No doubt one will at some point and when they do the mattress world will change again.

For now the main beds are springs, be they continuous or pocket, memory foam, be it in layers, slabs or shaped like springs, latex foam, with its cool feel, gel, with an even cooler feel, water, perfect for support, and air, used mainly in hospital applications, or for temporary inflatable put-me-up bed uses.

Then of course there are adjustable and electric beds, but that is moving away from the intrinsic mattress material and into mechanisation and personal customisation. I might write more about that next time.

Bedding, mattresses, associated products, delivery etc

One of the big changes to occur with the online sale of beds is the selling of every conceivable bed related product from the same company on the same website and in the same virtual basket.

When only high street retailers were around the problem was showroom space and storage space, however with an online store the showroom is virtual, limitless and capable of housing an infinitesimal number of items. The result is that valuable space does not need to be reserved for beds and mattresses only.

Virtual stores now sell everything, so beds and mattresses, whilst being the big sellers, are just one product line. This means that headboards and duvets are in the mix (not surprisingly), but so too are chests of drawers, wardrobes, sofa beds, pillows and many other bedroom related products.

The other good thing about this is that next day delivery is offered by many online retailers, but only if you reach a certain spend level. By being able to top up your purchases with sundries like pillows or a bedside cabinet, means that it become easy to reach the threshold of free next day delivery.

Delivery is also a big selling factor with many of the bed retailers who sell online. They tend to have large warehouse complexes that store thousands of beds and bed related items and because they deliver direct this makes the next day delivery option possible.

One downside to the online store is a general lack of up markets mattress products. These stores flourish on selling cheap and budget priced beds and this means that they do not tend to stock too many orthopedic mattresses. Equally, many bed manufacturers do not allow their “top of the range” mattress and bed items to be sold through online shops that have an association with the cheaper end of the market. This means that you can get standard memory foam beds, but finding a multi layer orthopedic memory foam mattress may be more difficult.

Shoes- fashion and healthy

Crocs are one of a number of shoe types that bridge the fashion health shoe divide. The others are the trainer or sneaker and more recently the five fingers shoe and the shoe with the curved sole.

The trainer style shoe continues to evolve and develop and there are many designs, colour and performance levels. Some of these shoes look like sports shoes, but their cost lets you know that the orthopedic design and assembly quality is missing.

With the likes of the five fingers shoe and crocs there is a very different design approach. These shoes have looks that, on the face of it, appear to blow in the face of fashion. But today fashion takes its cues from not only the catwalk, but what sportsmen and women wear and what looks outdoorish or sporty.

The result is that some of these very unusual looking shoes command not only high prices, but high customer loyalty and desirability. This is why five fingers shoes can cost well over a hundred UK pounds, US dollars, or EU euros. They look odd, but that is their appeal and that in turn seems to make them fashionable.

The other side to this fashion element is that it results in a number of copy cat companies taking the look and style of these shoes and then making a cut price version that appears similar, but has none of the orthopedic features, high quality materials or durability. These copy shoes always have a market, but they damage the reputation of the real shoe’s good name and they steal sales.

To get more of an idea of what is and is not a proper orthopedic shoe you can check out a few websites out , they will give some idea of the scope of healthy shoes that are currently available.

Mattress toppers

There are many different products that can help to improve a night’s sleep and the mattress topper is definitely one of them.

Mattress toppers have become increasingly popular over recent years for a number of different reasons. One is because they can potentially improve the nature of a bed’s sleeping properties. Another is most probably because of the introduction of a number of materials like memory foam and latex foam that can be used in a foam mattress topper.

The foam mattress topper can be filled with standard foam, memory foam or latex foam. In most cases what you get is a slab of foam that is placed directly on top of the bed and attached using anything from fabric ties to hook and loop or Velcro. There are some other fixing systems. Once in position the topper provides a further stratum of cushioning on top of the original mattress and this quite naturally provides some extra comfort.

The most popular foam mattress toppers are those made of memory foam. The reason for this is that these toppers can be laid on a spring constructed mattress and they then add the sleeping advantages of memory foam. This is a simple and easy way to make a spring bed into a bed that mixes springs and foam and which would ordinarily cost much more money. The advantages is therefore a double one. Firstly that of improving the bed’s comfort and secondly doing so at far less cost than would be involved in buying a new bed or mattress.

One situation where a mattress topper is not a good idea is when an existing mattress has become problematic. Toppers cannot resurrect failing mattresses and they cannot and will not disguise hard spots, broken or damaged springs, or a dipping mattress. In these cases the only solution is to replace the damaged bed with a new one.

Instances where a topper will be a good idea include the following: When some of the features of a foam bed are desired for a mattress made of springs; Where an upgrade of a mattress is wanted, but not affordable; Where someone would like an innerspring mattress to have less lateral movement and feel like a more expensive mattress; When someone would like to be able to take their mattress with them on business trips, holiday, or stays in another home – here the topper can be rolled up and taken with them.

Naturally there are many other situations where a mattress topper may be seen as desirable and there are many different topper types and fillings to choose from. In addition to memory foam and latex there are toppers made with feathers and down and natural wool. Some will even have a scent or aroma impregnated into the topper to help create a restful atmosphere.

It is some time since I wrote about orthopedic chairs, so that will be the subject of this post.

Chairs that adopt some version of orthopedic design vary quite considerably from those that use the principals of good support, upright posture and general health to those that are more specific and help people to stand up or sit back down.

Then there are stairlift chairs which, although not really orthopedic or therapy chairs, do serve a very specific purpose for anyone with a mobility restriction. For that reason they also require a mention.

The main categories of what are often termed “orthopedic chairs” fall into the following classifications.

The healthy orthopedic chair – which is a high backed, high seated chair with good support, firm but contoured cushioning and a solid construction.

The ergonomic office chair or task chair – intended for use in a working environment by people who perform their jobs from a seated position.

The riser recliner chair – that has motors that enable it to raise the person seated on it to a “close to” standing position.

Each of these chairs does a very important job and all do have some similarities like good back support, a suitable seat height from the floor level and the ability to help in a task or activity, even if it is a sedentary one.

Each chair also tries to maintain health, improve health or prevent injury through its design and/or function.
On an aside, another interesting product, this time associated with the mattress, is the foam topper thats sits on a mattress. These toppers can also have orthopedic qualities, though in this case applied to someone who is lying down rather than in a seated position. Toppers can enhance the way in which a bed provides support to the body and memory foam toppers have become very popular.

The memory foam found in toppers and mattresses is also starting to become available in some orthopedic and task chairs. This should make these chairs more comfortable for anyone who spends a lot of time sat down.

Special pillows

Twenty years ago most people slept on either a feather and down pillow or a standard foam pillow. Things have changed in the last two decades and now materials like visco elastic memory foam and latex are common pillow filling materials and they offer what is considered to be superior orthopedic support.

Modern foams though are not the only options when it comes to selecting something a little bit different. At the extreme end of the spectrum there are pillows filled with animal hair and there are also pillows that are stuffed with dried grassed and other vegetation. These are very much niche pillows and appeal to a very limited number of people.

More common are some of the pillows that claim a therapy effect on the person sleeping on them. These can be pillows that are infused with an odour like lavender, or that have a filling that is composed of a very un-bed-like material.

One example of the above is bamboo which in both its dried and burnt form is becoming a popular bedding material (for mattress and pillow uses).

Bamboo has a number of traits that lend it to pillow applications. Firstly it has long been appreciated that it feels cool and that this makes it ideal in hot environments. With modern fabric making technologies this means that it can be processed and interlaced into a length of cloth and then stitched to make a pillow case.

When burnt, bamboo (as charcoal) has some additional properties that see it cleanse the air, produce negative ions and, according to some, make getting to sleep easier.

The other good thing about the bamboo charcoal is that it can be impregnated into other materials like memory foam and latex foam so that the advantages of the therapy can be combined with the qualities of orthopedic support. These pillows are becoming increasingly popular and they can be bought at many of the better chain stores. They come in standard designs and they do not look or feel out of place in any bedroom.

These days there are many different pillow fillers, so check out all of the options and selections. Naturally trying pillows out, in terms of feel and odour, is the best way to determine if they are right for you.