Home
Guide
The LOC OSKAR clinic

A guide to the LOC OSKAR clinic

The Optimal Segmental Kinematics and Alignment approach to Rehabilitation (OSKAR) is a therapeutic approach involving the use of orthoses for children and adults with conditions that affect the lower limbs including cerebral palsy and spina bifida.

Child with cerebral palsy walking in a video vector gait lab at the London Orthotic Consultancy with a walking frame

OSKAR was originally developed by Elaine Owen MBE MSc SRP MCSP, a physiotherapist recognised internationally for her work in clinical gait analysis and orthotic biomechanics. Her approach has influenced how clinicians think about alignment, stability and function in lower-limb orthotic care

Our team uses OSKAR principles to guide assessment, orthotic prescription and review for children who may benefit from this approach.

The origins of OSKAR

OSKAR grew from Elaine Owen’s clinical work with children and families, through detailed gait observation and analysis. Over time, her work shaped a structured way of understanding standing and walking, and orthotic management:

how a body segments and joints move during walking
how alignment affects joints, muscles, balance, posture, gait patterns and function
how orthoses combined with footwear, optimally designed and aligned in a way that is specific to the child, can affect outcomes

Today, OSKAR is closely associated with a high standard of orthotic care, where decisions are based on the measurement and analysis of alignment, movement and forces.

How gait analysis fits in

OSKAR is strongly linked with gait analysis. Our gait laboratory helps us understand your child’s walking:

barefoot
in footwear
in orthoses and footwear
with design and alignment adjustments to orthoses and footwear

This allows us to:

identify what is helping and what needs changing
make orthotic decisions based on objective measurement
use consistent measures to review progress over time

What OSKAR means

OSKAR stands for Optimal Segmental Kinematics and Alignment approach to Rehabilitation.

In practice, it means we look closely at how your child moves, then use orthoses and footwear strategies to support alignment and function in a way that fits your child’s everyday life.

How the OSKAR process works

The OSKAR clinic follows a structured clinical pathway. The steps usually include:

1. Assessment

Each child is evaluated, to understand their abilities and challenges.

2. Gait analysis

The gait laboratory is used to study the child’s walking patterns in detail..

3. Setting goals

Based on the assessment and gait analysis, and in collaboration with the family, goals are set.

4. Orthotic design and fitting

Orthoses, such as AFOs, and footwear, are then carefully designed, manufactured and fitted. followed by optimisation of design and alignments using the gait laboratory.

5. Review and adjustments

Progress and goals are regularly reviewed, with adjustments made to the orthoses as needed.

This step-by-step approach ensures that every aspect of the child’s mobility is carefully considered and optimised.

Which patients can benefit?

The OSKAR clinic is for children with conditions that affect the lower limbs. This often includes neurological conditions, such as:

cerebral palsy
spina bifida

Every child is different, so we use an individual assessment process to understand what matters most to your child and family.

Locations

The OSKAR Clinic is available at:

Kingston upon Thames: at the London Orthotic Consultancy headquarters, using its state-of-the-art gait lab.
Cambridge: using its own, state-of-the-art and purpose built gait lab.
Manchester: at the University of Salford, utilising the university’s gait laboratory facilities.

Elaine Owen

Elaine Owen is a physiotherapist with over 50 years of experience specialising in movement disorders in children. Her work focuses on understanding how children walk, and designing orthoses (such as Ankle-Foot Orthoses, or AFOs) and footwear that optimise their movement.

She has postgraduate qualifications in clinical gait analysis and orthotic biomechanics and has spent most of her career in the NHS, working with children with complex movement challenges. She has peer reviewed publications, including collaborative family centred goal setting pictorial tools, clinical algorithms, and research on optimum orthotic alignments, and she has also contributed chapters to several books. She lectures on gait analysis and OSKAR internationally.

Elaine’s pioneering work has helped many children achieve better mobility, and her expertise is at the heart of the OSKAR Clinic. Her methods are now recognised as the international standard for orthotic care.

At LOC, we aim to support children using OSKAR to:

Improved mobility: by optimising how a child walks, the clinic can help them gain greater independence and confidence.
Evidence-based care: all treatments are grounded on research and advanced clinical methods.
Personalised support: every child receives a care plan tailored to their specific needs.
Comprehensive service: from the initial assessment to ongoing adjustments, families can rely on a holistic and dependable service.
Measurable progress: regular reviews and gait analysis ensure that collaborative family centred goals are being met and adjusted as necessary.