[5] A remark in Ambrose Bierce's postwar memoir that "We shot off a Confederate leg at Philippi" refers to Hanger.
His dissatisfaction with the fit and function of the limb replacement led Hanger to design and construct a new prosthesis from whittled barrel staves, rubber and wood, with hinges at the knee and foot.
At the time of Hanger’s death in 1919, the companies had branches in Atlanta, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, London and Paris.
In 1986, Sequel Corporation, a Colorado-based communications company, sold off its cellular phone business and began investing in the orthotics and prosthetics industry.
Ivan Sabel, president and chief operating officer, was focused on centralizing the design and manufacturing of the company's prosthetic and orthotic devices and distributing them nationally.
This acquisition doubled the size of the company, which now had 175 patient care centers, six distribution sites, four manufacturing plants and 1,000 employees in 30 states.
In 1999, Hanger Orthopedic Group bought its biggest competitor and the industry leader, the orthotics and prosthetics division of NovaCare.
Its Products & Services segment includes Accelerated Care Plus, Hanger Fabrication Network (formerly National Labs), Innovative Neurotronics, Southern Prosthetic Supply (SPS), and SureFit.
Through its SureFit subsidiary, SPS manufactures and sells therapeutic footwear for diabetic patients in the podiatric market.
Employees of the company are editors and contributing authors of textbooks such as Prosthetics and Patient Management: A Comprehensive Clinical Approach,[12] Functional Restoration of Adults and Children with Upper Extremity Amputation,[13] and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: Principles and Practice.
[14] In 2004, allegations of billing fraud were made against the company when an office administrator reported Hanger employees in New York for forging prescriptions for non-existent patients.
[15] A class action lawsuit was brought against Hanger for allegedly using the fraud to artificially raise stock prices.