Custom-made Orthotic Insoles
Living with chronic pain is debilitating and can have a significant impact on your lifestyle, preventing you from enjoying any physical activity — from the little pleasures of everyday life, such as walking your dog, to practising your favourite sports.
Custom foot orthotics are a very effective solution to alleviate pain or discomfort in your feet, back or lower limbs, helping you correct certain symptomatic conditions and biomechanical imbalances that stop you from doing the things you love.
What are Custom Foot Orthotics?
Custom foot orthoses, commonly referred to as orthotics, are prescription-only insoles designed to be worn inside your regular footwear to correct any biomechanical issues that may be contributing to pain in your feet, ankles, legs, knees, hips and lower back. Engineered to help support the feet and improve foot posture, foot orthotics can be prescribed for many biomechanical foot disorders such as:
- High arches and arch pain
- Supination (i.e. when you walk, your weight tends to be more on the outside of your foot)
- Pronation (i.e. when you walk, your weight tends to be more on the inside of your foot)
- Bunions
- Morton’s neuromas and;
- Plantar Fasciitis (heel pain) among others
Regardless of the condition, custom orthoses are prescribed as an effective solution to alter the pressure from the ground to the foot (ground reaction force) when you stand, walk or run. When worn, foot orthotics allow your foot to sit in the shoe in the most natural position where the tendons and ligaments surrounding the ankle are placed in their most advantageous alignment. This position enables the foot to function as ‘normally’ as possible while eliminating compensation for any abnormality. By changing and redistributing the plantar pressures under your feet, foot orthotics can help reduce internal and external forces acting on specific parts of the foot to treat an injury, reduce foot pain and minimise the appearance of corns and calluses.
How do orthotics work?
Scientific studies reveal that the mechanical properties of the foot trigger your central nervous system indirectly. Hence, wearing orthotics can help you send back sensory feedback to your brain to prompt it to change the timing of your walking and plantar pressures. With these signals, your brain can send corrective movements to the foot and improve your lower limb function and alignment, alleviating pain and preventing recurrence.
With custom made orthotics, we can treat and correct any abnormal function in your feet during everyday activities. They can help you:
- reduce pain;
- provide support;
- prevent or halt the development of foot deformity;
- provide better positioning;
- relieve pressure on a specific area of the foot;
- improve the overall biomechanical function of the foot;
- improve pelvic alignment;
- reduce lower limb torsion and knee stress.
When are orthotics necessary?
Before prescribing foot orthotics, we conduct an in-depth biomechanical foot assessment, including a physical examination and functional tests to determine the strength, flexibility and balance in your hips, knees and feet. In addition, we use a gait analysis software called OPTOGAIT to enable us to assess your walking. OPTOGAIT looks at the different phases of your gait cycle and evaluates if your right leg and foot behave the same as the left. If they are not, it indicates where they’re working differently and by how much, rating the difference.
With the combination of results from the physical examination, functional tests and OPTOGAIT results, we can discern the problem and its causes and, more importantly, advise you on the type of orthotics that will treat it.
For ethical reasons, we only prescribe custom foot orthotics to those who really need them. If there is no pain, pathology, deformity, or gait abnormality, orthotics are not needed.
How are Custom Foot Orthoses made?
When we identify foot orthotics as an effective solution for your foot or lower limbs problems, we tailor your prescription to your biomechanical needs. This prescription takes into consideration your foot type, foot function, body weight, sports activities, footwear, and any foot deformity or pathology present.
A custom-made foot orthosis will mould perfectly to your feet. To create the perfect fit, we take a 3D digital scan of each foot using our state-of-the-art foot scanner, which will produce a simulated 3D cast of your feet. This cast is then sent along with your prescription to our orthotic manufacturer in Staffordshire (Europe’s Leading Manufacturer of Custom Orthotics) to custom-make them for you. You can have them made in a variety of materials and styles to suit your individual needs. There are many different orthotic materials to choose from for the shell of the orthotic, forefoot additions, mid and top layers needed.
An essential factor to take into account is the type of shoes you regularly wear and the number of sports you practise. For instance, we can just do custom foot orthotics for football, rugby, golf, tennis, etc. Your custom foot orthotics can be functional, accommodative or therapeutic, and we are experts in combining all the elements that will provide you with your unique prescription.
Custom foot orthotics are long-lasting, and you can wear them for a few years before needing a replacement. However, your orthotic top and bottom covers and any other additions will become worn and flattened over time from daily use. A good way of extending your custom foot orthotic insoles’ life span is to have them refurbished annually.
At Walk This Way, we provide our clients with our exclusive warranty scheme, Protect, to help them keep their orthotic insoles in optimum order. Protect covers your custom foot orthoses for outgrowth, replacement, total refurbishment or any prescription adjustments for two years.
Custom foot orthotics can be a life-changing investment, preventing you from developing a biomechanical condition that can affect your mobility and become painful.
What orthotics do you need?
The type of orthotics you need depends on your specific condition and the severity of your symptoms. At Walk This Way Podiatry, our specialist team can assess your needs and recommend the appropriate type of orthotic device for you.
When should you get orthotics?
If you are experiencing foot or lower limb pain or discomfort, it is a good idea to consult with a podiatrist or orthopaedic specialist to determine if orthotics may be appropriate for you. They can evaluate your symptoms and recommend the best course of treatment.
