Orthotic Therapy

What are foot orthoses?

Foot orthoses are worn inside your footwear. They are devices designed to alter and make the foot function better. This is generally achieved by supporting the feet and improving foot alignment. The benefits to the user may be

• relief of pain
• increase foot comfort
• prevention of future problems – eg. reduced wear and tear on bone, joint, tendon and muscle

Orthotic treatment options

You have 3 treatment options when it comes to finding foot orthoses to wear:

• Chemist, store or internet purchased generic foot orthoses.
• Semi-custom prefabricated orthoses (typically heat moulded and adjusted for you) from your podiatrist.
• Custom foot orthoses made to each foot from plaster casts, foam impressions or 3D scans of the feet taken by your podiatrist after a biomechanical assessment.

Think before choosing

Consider the importance of your comfort, time, health, hobby and/or sport, and occupation in deciding what style of foot orthoses to get. The podiatrist will make recommendations – sometimes custom devices, sometimes prefabricated foot orthoses depending on your situation. A decision could be made with short term or long term objectives. The economics may come into it sometimes (eg. a fast growing child) however ideally you should aim for what is best.

Many factors are considered before the podiatrist expertly prescribes and fits your foot orthoses – arriving at the right device for you. 

Custom foot orthoses

Let’s start with our most premium option. Custom foot orthoses are made to your specific requirements using a 3D scan or physical impression of each foot after a biomechanical assessment by the podiatrist. 90% of the time a custom made foot orthotic prescribed by your podiatrist will be better fitting, more durable, and more suited to your needs than prefabricated or generic alternatives. There is simply more scope in the design options available to the podiatrist and better materials to use in custom devices. It is a long term value purchase.

Semi-customised prefabricated orthoses from podiatrist

At Progress Podiatry we have many options available in our prefabricated heat mouldable foot orthoses range. A 100 kg man with a flat foot who wears safety boots to work will require a different device to 55 kg woman with a high arch who works as an air hostess. A child who in-toes (walks with toes pointing inwards) might require a gait plate design. Some designs are more supportive or durable, others aim for cushioning and shock absorption over support and durability. One of the benefits of prefabricated orthoses is you can fit them quickly and often see an improvement in symptoms and alignment at least in the short term.

If you are used to trusting an untrained salesperson or crossing your fingers selecting a device yourself from a store or online without professional advice then having the podiatrist select a specific orthotic for you, heat mould and then use additions to adjust it to your specific requirements is going to be a big upgrade.