Sayed on Air

25/05/2026

Excited to share our latest research: "AI Meets Offloading: Explainable Machine Learning for Footwear Prescription in Hallux-Affected Plantar Foot Ulceration."

Plantar foot ulceration (PFU) in patients with hallux deformities—such as hallux rigidus, hallux limitus, and hammer toes—carries serious risks, including re-ulceration, infection, and amputation. Despite this, footwear and orthotic prescriptions currently rely heavily on individual clinician experience, with minimal standardisation. Our study aimed to change that.

Using a curated retrospective dataset from a specialised foot clinic, we developed and evaluated explainable machine learning models to support data-driven, personalised offloading footwear prescriptions. Key findings include:

- Ensemble methods (Gradient Boosting, XGBoost, CatBoost) demonstrated consistently strong predictive performance across all prescription targets.
- Robust accuracy was achieved without synthetic data augmentation.
- Transparent, interpretable models clearly link biomechanical and functional risk factors to specific footwear design decisions, keeping clinicians informed and in control.

This work bridges the gap between AI capability and clinical trust. When clinicians can understand why a model recommends a particular prescription, adoption becomes practical rather than theoretical. This represents a significant step toward safer, more consistent care for patients at high risk of foot complications.

Read the full paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949953426000299
Foot Balance Technology Orthogenix Charles Sturt University

14/02/2026

👣 Our second article for February 2026 is live (Article in Press) — and it’s rooted in a lesson foot care has carried for generations: what we offload, we can heal; what we ignore, we invite back. In BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, our team published: “A narrative review of clinical decision support systems in offloading footwear for diabetic foot ulcers.” (DOI: 10.1186/s12911-026-03349-9)
Here’s the heart of what we found after reviewing 45 studies across guidelines/protocols, knowledge-based systems, and machine learning: The field often agrees on targets (like ≤200 kPa or ≥25–30% plantar-pressure reduction) — but rarely delivers the missing piece clinicians and footwear experts need most: feature-level prescriptions. Current approaches are largely rule-based and sensor-driven, while ML is emerging fast — yet still needs stronger explainability, clinical validation, and workflow fit. So we’ve laid down a practical runway toward what comes next: a future-facing Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) for personalised offloading footwear prescription, guided by a five-part framework: a minimum viable dataset, hybrid decision architecture (rules + optimisation + explainable ML), structured feature-level outputs (clear, actionable design recommendations), continuous validation and evaluation, and integration into clinical and telehealth workflows. This work is proudly a result of the National Industry PhD Program collaboration — bringing together the Australian Federal Government, Charles Sturt University, and Foot Balance Technology as our industry partner. When tradition and technology walk together, the path ahead becomes clearer. If you’re working in diabetic foot care, pedorthics, biomechanics, digital health, or footwear innovation — and want to help shape decision support that truly serves patients and clinicians — I’d love to connect. hashtag hashtag " Foot Balance Technology Sayed Ahmed

18/01/2026

A belated but grateful update: two of my abstracts have been accepted as Lectures at OTWorld 2026 (World Congress).
Leipziger Messe GmbH, Germany

Submissions came from 31 countries and were anonymised and double‑reviewed, so I’m especially honoured to be part of the programme.

I’ll be presenting in the session “Der Fuß im Fokus – Fortschritte in der modernen Versorgung” on 19 May 2026:
AI-Driven Personalised Offloading Device Prescriptions: a cutting‑edge approach to preventing diabetes‑related plantar forefoot ulcers and complications (OTW_En140)
Patient Engagement and Experience in Therapeutic Footwear: insights from pedorthic practice and consumer behaviour principles (OTW_En139)
It feels meaningful to carry forward what our profession has always valued—fit, function, and patient trust—while shaping what comes next through data, design, and better engagement.
If you’ll be at OTWorld 2026, I’d love to connect.
hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag Foot Balance Technology PAC association of Australia

13/01/2026

As 2025 draws to a close, I reflect on a year that has been both professionally fulfilling and personally satisfying. It has been a year shaped by steady progress, meaningful conversations and the chance to contribute – through my work, advocacy and collaborations – to better outcomes in foot health, diabetes care and community wellbeing.

As 2025 draws to a close, I reflect on a year that has been both professionally fulfilling and personally satisfying. […]

27/07/2025

Looking forward to catching up with global foot health leaders in Kingscliff! https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1738nhKTGT/

Meet Dr. Sayed Ahmed - Australia's first PhD in Pedorthics!

He will be joining us for our 2025 Pedorthic Conference: 𝘗𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 - 𝘚𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱.

One of our favourite speakers, and a passionate foot health professional, entrepreneur, and researcher, Dr. Ahmed is transforming diabetes-related foot care through 3D scanning, CAD design, additive manufacturing, and AI-powered clinical decision systems.

As founder & CEO of Foot Balance Technology and OrthoGenix, his mission is to deliver truly personalised, data-driven footwear solutions that enhance comfort and prevent complications.

💡 Don't miss the chance to hear from an accomplished leader in pedorthics!

👉 Learn more about Dr Ahmed: https://conference.pedorthics.org.au/speakers/
🎟️ Registration is open now: conference.pedorthics.org.au

Join us in beautiful Kingscliff NSW for what's shaping up to be our best conference yet!

16/05/2025

🦶💬 Community, Conversation and Care!

As Australia’s first PhD in Pedorthics, I was honoured to chair the recent 2nd Diabetes Awareness Forum at Wenty Leagues Club, hosted by the incredible Sydney Harmony Lions Club 🙌 With over 200 attendees, we came together to shine a light on diabetes and the importance of foot health in preventing serious complications.

In my latest blog, I share key highlights from the event and explore why foot care is essential for managing diabetes. Let’s keep the conversation going — education, prevention and community collaboration are the keys to improving quality of life for those living with this challenging condition 💙

🔗 Read the full blog on my website:

ww.wsayedahmed.com.au/community-conversation-and-care-2nd-diabetes-awareness-forum-sends-powerful-message

29/04/2025

Tuesday Takeaway

17/04/2025

👞✨ A life-changing moment I'll never forget.

As a pedorthist, my goal is more than just clinical outcomes — it’s helping people regain their freedom. One of my most memorable patients, a 75-year-old gentleman with diabetes, foot drop and a Charcot ankle, wanted more than medical devices. He wanted his confidence, mobility and independence back.

Together, we made it happen. His new custom boots didn’t just fit — they empowered him to ditch the walking stick and plan his long-postponed family trip to Hawaii 🌺✈️

This is what person-centred foot care is all about — listening, innovating and walking with the patient every step of the way.

👉 Read the full story on my latest blog.