About Us
What Is An Orthotist?
An orthotist is a medical professional trained in the design and fitting of orthoses for patients. In order to design a suitable orthosis, an orthotist must have a solid understanding of how the whole body moves, as well as knowledge and experience working in relevant medical fields.
We lead the orthotics industry by providing treatments with high success rate using TLM's unique orthotic footwear and orthotic insoles treatment system.
TLM - A Centre of Excellence
TLM Foot-Knee-Back Arm Orthotics Center is an award-winning medical centre providing revolutionary full-body orthotics treatments for patients of all ages with musculoskeletal pain. We provide bespoke non-invasive treatments using TLM’s orthotics technology.
Our dedication to excellence and providing the best care for our patients has won us recognition locally and abroad, receiving a total of 16 awards between 2015 to 2022. Click here to see our awards.
Our Mission
Our Vision
TLM Foot-Knee-Back-Arm Orthotics Center's mission is to relieve pain and discomfort in the human musculoskeletal system, as well as setting the highest standard in the orthotics industry.
TLM Foot-Knee-Back-Arm Orthotics Center will be recognized as a model organization for service excellence and maintains a reputation for improving people’s health and their quality of life.​
Our Values
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Integrity
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Innovation
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Professionalism
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Customer Service
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Respect
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Teamwork
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How to book an appointment?Please call us directly or email us at contact@tlmbrace.com.sg
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What is orthotics?Orthotics is a specialty within the medical field concerned with the design, manufacture and application of orthoses – an externally applied device used to modify the structural and functional characteristics of the neuromuscular and skeletal systems. Orthoses are designed and fitted to the body to achieve one or more of the following goals: Support or correct musculoskeletal deformities Support weakened joints Control biomechanical alignment Enhance of maintain mobility Protect and support an injury Assist rehabilitation An orthosis can take the form of a brace, splint, orthotic insoles and orthotic shoes.
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What does an orthotist do?According to the Ministry of Health, an orthotist is a specialist who is a part of a multi-disciplinary healthcare team caring for those who require mechanical devices to support or supplement abnormal joints. He/she is the primary medical clinician responsible for the prescription, design, manufacture and management of orthoses to relieve pain and discomfort in a patient's body. An orthotist at TLM is further required to have combined knowledge of anatomy & physiology, pathophysiology, biomechanics & engineering, and should be able to analyse X-ray images & MRI scans.
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What are the conditions that can be treated by an orthotist?Relieving various pains in the musculoskeletal system: foot pain, knee pain, back pain, shoulder pain, arm pain, hand pain, etc. Support and/or correct musculoskeletal deformities: flat foot, high arch, bunion, bow legs, knock knees, scoliosis, etc. Protection and support for injury or surgery. Rehabilitation and recovery for injury or surgery.
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What does your insurance policy cover?There are many similar insurance policies that many people have but due to various circumstances, your policy could cover very differently from another person with the same type of policy from even the same insurance agency. Insurance policies can be largely different from local insurers to foreign insurers, and then corporate insurance. There are cases of exclusions, pre-existing conditions, lapses in premium payments, corporate insurance types and many more scenarios that affect your coverage. For foreign insurance, we will be able to fill up the forms for you upon bringing it to us.
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Are orthotists qualified medical practitioners?In the past, an orthotist works under an orthopedist; manufacturing orthoses according to the instructions from an orthopedist. However, following the maturity of the field, an orthotist receive more comprehensive training in relevant fields of medicine and are thus qualified to set up their own independent practices.
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How is it possible to cure foot pain, knee pain or back pain using TLM orthoses?Foot pain, knee pain and/or back pain arise because of misalignment of the musculoskeletal system. TLM orthoses corrects these misalignments by pushing the misaligned joints back into place in order to relief pain. As seen from the example above, the structure of the patient's foot improved significantly after wearing TLM orthotic insoles.
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How are orthoses manufactured and why do their prices vary so much?The price of an orthosis will vary depending on its function, including intended length of use, as well as its manufacturing process, which determines cost. Pre-fabricated braces are usually priced below a thousand dollars because they can be produced cheaply in bulk at factories. Custom-made corrective orthoses made by an experienced orthotist on the other hand are priced between $1,000 to $10,000 because they require a very time consuming and messy process. A mold of the patient's feet has to be taken and made into a cast to serve as a model for biomechanical realignment. There is a significant amount of hands-on skill required of the orthotist who makes the devices. Therefore, a lower volume of orthotics can be manufactured by this method.
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How does TLM Orthotic insoles feel like when you wear them?Initially, you may feel like you are walking on clouds in the sky. After 10-20 minutes of wearing insoles, the bottom of your feet will feel more comfortable. Foot size will change gradually after wearing insoles, thus follow up sessions are important for orthotist to access the fit and change to a more fitting pair of insoles when necessary.
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How frequently do I need to change TLM Orthotic InsolesFor children who are strong and healthy, 1-2 pairs of insoles are needed as foot size changes when they grow taller. For children who are weaker, 2-3 pairs of insoles are needed. For teenagers who are undergoing their growth spurts (approximately 12-15), more pairs of insoles may be needed as there will be rapid changes in their shoe size. For adults, 1 pair of insoles can be worn for a long period of time. Wearing insoles is like wearing spectacles, if there is no further changes to the biomechanical alignment of the feet as a person ages, a pair of insoles can be worn for more than 10 years.
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Is it normal for someone to feel pain or discomfort when wearing orthosis?Orthoses, such as orthotic insoles and scoliosis or spine braces, are non-invasive devices, causing no harm to the human body. Therefore, an orthosis designed and manufactured by a good orthotist should be comfortable to wear, without causing any pain, discomfort or irritation. It is akin to putting on a pair of spectacles; a pair of correctly prescribed spectacles will enhance your vision once you put it on. Good results will be shown between half an hour to two hours after wearing TLM's orthoses. This is TLM Foot-Knee-Back-Arm Orthotics Centre's guarantee to our patients.
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Orthoses, Braces, Splints, Protheses, what are their differences?A medical brace is an externally applied device used to restrict movement of the joint it is fitted to by holding it in place. This may be done to allow an injured joint to heal. They are unable to modify the structural and functional characteristics of the musculoskeletal system like an orthosis. Braces and splints are non-corrective orthoses; they are prescribed to assist in rehabilitation. Corrective orthoses on the other hand are prescribed to modify the biomechanical alignment of the body and they serve as treatment. If we take the example of a spinal condition, a brace is prescribed if the vertebrae are not misaligned, as shown in picture 1. The brace serves to lock the spine in place while the surrounding tissues heal. However, an orthosis is prescribed if any of the vertebra has shifted out of alignment, as shown in picture 2. This is because an external force has to be applied in order to push the misaligned section back into its original position. A prosthesis is an externally applied device used to replace wholly or partly an absent or deficient limb segment. It is also classified as a brace.
Our Orthotist
Prof. Li Ming, TLM's founder and chief orthotist, specialises in treating patients with foot pain, knee pain and back pain caused by musculoskeletal system conditions. She has more than 20 years of clinical experiences and worked in various hospitals and clinical departments such as Orthopaedics, Sports Medicine, Pain Management, Rehabilitation Medicine, Physiotherapy, Neurology and Hand Surgery.
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Her experience working in these hospitals led her to believe that the design of orthoses can be greatly improved so they can be used as a form of non-invasive medical treatment rather than simply for holding and supporting injured joints. ​
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Therefore, to push the boundaries of the orthotics industry, Prof. Li Ming developed a unique orthotic insole and orthotic footwear treatment system for patients with musculoskeletal system conditions. Almost all patients see improvements after treatment and many recovered fully from their musculoskeletal system conditions.
Our Moneyback Gurantee
Patient Guarantee:
Deposit will be returned if patient is unsatisfied with TLM’s products during the first training/collection session.
When collecting your first pair of orthotic shoes and insoles, you would be able to test/walk in them for approximately 1-2 hours. Should you find them unable to provide relief for your condition or otherwise unsatisfactory, you may choose to:
1. Return another day to try them again.
2. Request for alterations to be made to the shoes at no additional cost.
3. Request for a full-refund of the deposit.*
* You may still request for a refund of your deposit should you decide to try your orthotic shoes and insoles a second time. However, if you decide to bring the product(s) home, it will be assumed to be satisfactory, and the option for refund will be withdrawn.