By David Holmes
KELOWNA – For Lise Dallien MacMillan, the co-owner of Orthoquest Pedorthics and Rehabilitation Inc., a person’s health really does begin from the ground up – at their feet. “Foot health is definitely linked to a person’s overall health and well-being. At Orthoquest we are an orthopedic supply company. We assess people for biomechanical issues that might be causing pain or could be contributing to an injury and then find the best solution to deal with those issues,” she explained.
A trained Kinesiologist and Certified Pedorthist, Dallien MacMillan has spent more than 20 years working in the medical and fitness sectors, bringing that expertise to every case and each individual’s specific needs. “Kinesiology is the study of human movement and Pedorthics is the study of biomechanics of the lower limb, specializing in addressing foot related conditions. This involves building and modifying custom foot orthotics and footwear,” she explained.
Working with her husband and business partner Sean MacMillan (a Certified Pedorthic Technician and Certified Pedorthist), the pair works with clients for their foot health and footwear needs from across the region, and even into the Northwest Territories where Orthoquest routinely works with the Occupational Therapy Department at the Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife. Nominated for an Okanagan Business Excellence Award, Orthoquest Pedorthics and Rehabilitation has been serving its clients since 2007.
“We basically look at how people walk, from there we’ll give them advice as to whether they need an over-the-counter, custom orthotic and/or make footwear changes – if a custom orthotic is needed we can make them on-site, thanks to our in-house manufacturing facility,” Dallien MacMillan explained.
Not a shoemaker, Orthoquest specializes in the fabrication of custom orthopedic insoles, used in their patient’s existing shoes, or in the footwear products sold through the practice’s own retail outlet. Orthoquest`s Kinesiology Clinic is located at 1021 Richter Street in Kelowna, while the footwear store is located next door at 1015 Richter Street.
“We don’t make shoes on-site but we do provide custom footwear for people who have severe deformities. We also have the capability of carrying out footwear modifications. For example, if someone has one leg longer than the other and needs a lift added to their shoe, we can do that. We can also do other types of footwear modification on-site, depending on the needs of the patient,” she said.
Look toward the future Orthoquest Pedorthics and Rehabilitation looks forward to continuing to serve its expanding client base, across the Okanagan and beyond. “We’ve really enjoyed building the business and learning more about business in general – after all our backgrounds are in health care and not business so we’ve been learning a lot over the past 10 years,” she said.
“We are a very community minded business. We enjoy giving back to the community by supporting a variety of charities, leading run groups, cycling groups and our own weekly hiking group. Our main goal is to help Kelowna be active, after all, our company tagline is: Helping People Move Well – Be Well.”