Founded in Newtown, Connecticut, Insightful Products had it’s first product. It was an idea that originated at BioMetrics, a clinical practice owned and founded by Ian Engelman, M.S. CPO. The product, called the FootFunnel, was derived from the observation that Long Handeled Shoe horns aren’t always a great choice. The product was tested at Skilled Nursing Facilities, refined in Connecticut.
After the sale of his Clinical Practice, Ian moved his family and his new company in 2002 to Maine. At first it seemed that there were many inventions that might make it in the market, but the demand for his custom and patented orthopedic braces took off like a rocket. Consumer and practitioner interest in the Blaze Brace and Step-Smart brace was especially high. Primarily. Insightful Products, is an orthopedic brace company where “we help people walk” is the daily mission.
The goal of Insightful Products is for every practitioner and every patient who uses our braces to find comfort and stability while ambulating. The unique and patented AFO designs are recognized and preferred by clinicians from coast to coast. The custom fit Step-Smart drop foot brace is also distributed and sold internationally.
The Step-Smart design developed as the result of working with hundreds of drop foot patients in the clinical setting. Careful observations and the confidence to design outside the box of “proper orthosis features”, Ian Engelman kept pressing the design elements of the orthotic joints, calf section height, and foot module contours. The design needed one more critical element to be ready for an OTS version, a new type of brace joint. For the first time, a joint was designed for a posterior (in the back) orientation rather than a medial lateral (or side and side) joint placement.
This invention changed everything. Now the calf section didn’t need to be cuffed, and with only two sizes, the foot section could fit a large segment of the population and the best solution for foot drop was finished. The demand for this biomechanical solution continues to grow year after year as more professionals come to understand the benefits of a drop foot brace design that considers both swing and stance phase.
The “advanced shoe horn” invention started out as the FootFunnel back in 2002, and in 2017 went through a redesign and rebranding. It is now known as the Funnel. It’s a product that is quite beneficial to those with limited range of motion, and has an unusual set of advantages. The handle of a shoe horn is an obstacle. By removing it, the visual and physical obstacle is removed and shoe donning is easier than ever. That is the key feature and benefit.
There are many other products and inventions in the pipeline at Insightful Products. It is an exciting place to work, and those that do find it compelling, important and satisfying to “Help People Walk”.
A Simple Idea
Build better braces and help people walk. That’s our thing!