Our History

Our company was founded in December 1980 when Candace and Don Buethorn created Cascade Prosthetics and Orthotics in Bellingham, Washington. What started as a single Prosthetics & Orthotics facility began to change significantly when Don met Nancy Hylton (PT/LO) in 1985. Nancy was fabricating a two-part plaster orthosis that allowed her to work with patients using the concepts of a Neuro-Developmental Treatment approach to therapy.  These theories contend that a stable, full contact base of support allows for more effective physical therapy work at the trunk, head and upper extremities and reduces excess muscle tone. The challenge was that the plaster concept was bulky, temporary and could not be used by the patient outside of therapy.

Nancy asked Don if he could fabricate a thin, flexible, wrap-around, plastic AFO that would function in the same manner as the plaster SMO. Through subsequent testing, trials, and development, the original DAFO brace was born. This first DAFO is now our DAFO #4, still one of the most requested braces we manufacture.

From these first braces, word began to spread quickly that DAFOs were very effective and that patient compliance was high. Requests began to arrive from all parts of the United States and soon Don needed to hire a technician and additional staff to keep up with the demand. Since this modest beginning, Cascade Dafo has continued to grow and has relocated twice into larger facilities. We are now located near Bellingham in Ferndale, Washington, and serve practitioners and patients worldwide.