05 Jul Where To Get Orthotics?
Foot orthotics: should you get them from your podiatrist, another health professional, the pharmacy, or use the insoles they sell at the supermarket? Given the importance of orthotics in helping manage a range of foot pains and problems, knowing where to get orthotics from is very important – and a great question.
What Are Foot Orthotics?
First thing’s first: Foot orthotics, also referred to as orthoses, insoles or footbeds, are specialised medical devices that sit inside of your shoe and adjust how your bones load, how your muscles activate, and generally how your feet function with every step. Well – they are when they’re made correctly and precisely for your feet, anyway. Orthotics have a unique ability to help relieve painful symptoms, allow damaged tissues to repair without being strained and overused, and even prevent future injury – which is why they are included in many of our treatment plans.
True “custom foot orthotics” are (and should only be) prescribed by an experienced, qualified podiatrist after a comprehensive assessment of your feet and legs, other clinical testing, a diagnosis, and a consideration of a range of lifestyle and other factors. This is really the key here – the knowledge and experience that goes into them from a medical and technical perspective. Our orthotics here at Masterton Foot Clinic are made from a 3D scan of your feet paired with a very detailed prescription form. The result is orthotics that are truly unique and customised for you, which is essential to their success – every foot is different, and it should be treated that way to provide effective medical care, much like prescription glasses.
Pharmacy And Supermarket Insoles
The custom foot orthotics that we’ve just described are very different to the ‘footbeds’ or ‘insoles’ you can purchase from your local pharmacy or some supermarkets. The devices sold here really offer little more than cushioning, giving you a one-size-fits-all footbed that has no “functional” benefits. These are far from true orthotics, and the product is very different to one that is created by our podiatry team. This is why whenever someone tells us that they’ve had orthotics in the past that haven’t worked, we always ask more about where they came from and what their function was, often uncovering that it was a one-size-fits-all mould from the chemist that had some deceptive marketing about fixing heel pain or other problems.
Insoles From Other Health Professionals
Occasionally we also see insoles being sold at the offices of other health professionals – chiros, physios and even some massage therapists. Again, we also treat these insoles with caution, purely because there’s a big question mark around the extent biomechanical knowledge of the feet and legs compared to podiatry where it’s our sole focus, their ability to prescribe “functional” orthotics as opposed to cushioning ones, the assessment techniques used and how they’re able to capture a cast or scan of the feet (versus using a standard sizing foot chart which will not deliver an accurate result in our eyes) – and even where they get them made, given that the specialised orthotic laboratories we use only take prescriptions from registered podiatrists.
What Can Orthotics Help With?
If you’re wondering whether custom foot orthotics are right for you, the good news is that as the orthotics prescribed by our podiatrists are uniquely designed for your feet, your feet can reap extensive benefits including:
- Supporting the tired muscles, joints and ligaments in your legs and feet whenever you are standing or walking
- Reducing the load placed on injured structures
- Assisting your sports performance
- Improving your regular foot function and balance
- Supporting your recovery from both acute and chronic injuries
- Encouraging optimal foot propulsion through your walking and running activities
- Addressing any leg length differences you may have.
- Providing shock absorbing and cushioning abilities that your feet may no longer have
This means we use them extensively to help manage a range of foot and ankle injuries and pains including:
- Achilles pain
- Balance and falls prevention
- Bunions
- Capsulitis and metatarsalgia
- Flat feet and high arches
- Tibialis posterior tendon dysfunction
- Limb length difference
- Shin splints
- Neuroma
- Arthritis
- Heel pain (plantar fasciitis)
- Stress fractures
- Other tendinopathies
Will Orthotics Help Me?
The only way to confidently know if orthotics are right for you is through an appointment with a podiatrist. At every biomechanical appointment, our podiatrists take you through an assessment to understand the root cause of any problems, gait abnormalities, injuries, or anything you’re concerned about. We use assessment tools like a video treadmill analysis to also understand the extent of the impact on your gait, comfort, and quality of life. We have a 3D foot and ankle scanner whose scanning precision is accurate to 0.1mm.
From there, we’ll discuss all of your treatment options, including if orthotics are recommended. If they are, we’ll explain exactly which features we will incorporate into them and hence how they’ll work to help you.
Orthotics At Masterton Foot Clinic
For us here at Masterton Foot Clinic, custom foot orthotics are one of our specialties, meaning that our highly skilled and experienced podiatrists have built a strong reputation for prescribing precise and effective orthotics to help our patients with a range of foot pains, injuries and conditions. We take every orthotic-related decision very seriously, knowing that the success of your orthotics is directly correlated to the prescription made by your podiatrist, their consideration of all of the factors, and simply put, their experience and confidence in the area. This is where we excel, investing in this field as a clinic, regularly upskilling our team, and taking great care as we understand the impact your orthotics can have on your recovery, wellbeing and your quality of life.