Custom Orthotics
Everything You Need To Know About Custom Orthotics
Custom orthotics are essential in foot and ankle care and a great strategy in addressing potential and existing health concerns. It’s important to know about custom orthotics to understand how it benefits you, loved ones or clients. We discuss what exactly they are, signs that someone may need custom orthotics and how one goes about purchasing them.
What Are Custom Orthotics?
Right off the bat, what are custom orthotics? They’re a prescription orthotic made from a 3D impression of your feet. They’re made just for you to help improve, support or correct your foot posture or treat any foot pathology you may be experiencing.
Also referred to as custom insoles, they are inserted into shoes acting as arch supports, designed to support the natural shape of your foot and align the ankle.
Benefits of custom foot orthotics include:
- Supporting your feet and legs whenever weight-bearing to increase confidence and sports performance.
- Improve chronic and acute sports injuries.
- Improve weight distribution and posture.
- Optimise shoe fit and comfort and absorb shock.
- Alter abnormal foot functioning position to correct a wide range of common foot ailments or prevent them from getting worse.
- Help a child’s foot grow in a more neutral or anatomically aligned position.
- Potential to eliminate low back pain from leg length inequalities.
- Improves balance.
Like foot orthotics, someone may need ankle foot orthotics, which is used to improve walking patterns by reducing, preventing or limiting movement of the lower leg and foot and supporting weak muscles.
Signs You Might Need Custom Orthotics
Common signs to be aware of when thinking if you may or may not require custom foot orthotics are:
- You have foot pain or swelling.
- You experience pain in your knees, lower back or hips.
- You have sharp heel pain.
- You have a flat foot or high arch.
- Gait abnormalities – you’re having problems with balance or are falling over.
- Your shoes are wearing unevenly, or you have worn-out shoes.
- You’ve had a lower limb injury.
- You experience diabetic foot complications.
- If you’re on your feet for an extensive amount of time, often.
How Can You Get A Pair Of Custom Orthotics?
For those ready to embark on the custom orthotics journey, it’s a step-by-step process. It includes extensively examining the foot, taking a cast of it to then manufacture. Ensure you find a provider with years of experience fabricating custom orthotics to make sure it’s done so correctly.
Some health insurances cover the cost of custom orthotics, and one would usually have to pay 10% to 50% of the total price. However, more often than not, insurance doesn’t cover them, and it’s advised to make sure you check before getting fitted.
During an appointment, a podiatrist will be the one to prescribe and, at times, even create custom foot orthotics. Additionally, they will take 3D images of each foot and perform a thorough examination. This may include watching you walk and noting how your feet, ankles, legs and hips move. If you need orthotics, your podiatrist will make a precise mould of your feet.
At Jakupi Podiatry, great care is taken when examining the feet to ensure an accurate insert is moulded to the patient’s feet. The podiatrist who performs such examinations is friendly and efficient and prioritises patient care so that potential patients can rest assured they are in great hands.
You Need Custom Orthotics, The Team At Jakupi Podiatry Can Help
We’re the experts in all things podiatry, offering patients an extensive range of quality medical services, including paediatrics, custom orthotics, general podiatric skin and nail care, nail surgery, stretching & strengthening, sports podiatry and diabetes foot assessments. So if you’re after friendly and efficient services regarding all your foot and ankle care needs, look no further than Jakupi Podiatry, Victoria.