Many people who complain of foot, calf, shin, knee, hip, low back, thoracic, neck pain, and other musculo-skeletal pains may have an underlying biomechanical problem. This may be as a result of the position of their foot on the ground, and their symptoms may be partially or fully relieved by the provision of some type of insole or corrective device.
‘Growing Pains’ in children are frequently caused by the position of their foot on the ground.
Seldom are these problems treated with orthotics or insoles alone, and the initial assessment will involve a full biomechanical assessment to determine any muscle imbalances, joint stiffness or postural deviances which may also contribute to your problem, so that suitable exercise programmes can be prescribed in association with specific treatments as well as the insoles.
There are many different Corrective options, with a big variation in price ranges. The best device for you will be prescribed taking into account: assessment findings, age, activities of daily living, occupation, recreation, footwear, price range.
Orthotics are devices which are custom made to adjust the position of your foot on the ground in order to correct a biomechanical problem.
A thorough assessment of the body is carried out including analysis of gait and foot position in stance. It includes muscle flexibility and function.
A cast is made of the foot and an outline drawn. Orthotics are then made to suit your foot, and your foot only. There are several different variations of these devices available, and so based on the assessment findings and price range a suitable pair will be ordered for you.
Anti-pronatory insoles are ‘off the shelf’ insoles which are specially adapted to meet the needs of the client as determined by the initial assessment. These are considerably cheaper than custom made orthotics, and although they do not offer the same degree of individuality as custom made orthosis, they are often adequate and will be prescribed where appropriate.
As the name implies, these are small devices which cup the heel and prevent the rearfoot falling (pronating) in the shoe. They are frequently prescribed for children while the foot is still growing, allowing it to develop as naturally as possible while minimising adverse effects of poor biomechanics on the rest of the body.
The child will also be given exercises to minimise future problems.
Chairside devices are temporary insoles which we put together for you in the clinic as a trial in order to see if orthotics may be appropriate for you. They may also be used when we want to give you instant relief while you wait on your orthotics to arrive. They do not have a long life span, but serve an excellent purpose.
In many cases a custom made device may not be necessary and in such cases an off the shelf device may be prescribed. There are several variations on the market, and we attempt to find one that we feel will best suit your needs as determined in the initial assessment.
Where a device is needed for a heeled shoe there are several options available which can be casted or off the shelf. We stock an average range of devices and can custom order when required.
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