FOOT ORTHOTICS
Step Towards Comfort
Custom Foot Orthotics
A foot orthotic is a brace that can be discretely inserted into a shoe to support, align, prevent, and/or help to correct foot deformities while improving the performance of the foot and lower limbs. If required, all ages can benefit from a foot orthotic. Gait Maxx foot care has on-site labs that make custom-made foot orthotics and supplies off-the-shelf foot orthotics as well.
It’s important to note that custom foot orthotics should only be prescribed and designed by qualified medical professionals. While over-the-counter shoe inserts are available, they are not tailored to an individual’s specific needs and may not provide the same level of support and relief as custom orthotics.
If you’re experiencing foot or lower limb discomfort, it’s recommended to consult our experts who can determine whether custom foot orthotics might be a suitable solution for your condition.
How Does a Foot Orthotic Work?
The primary goal of a foot orthotic is to help reduce unnecessary stress and/or pain in the feet, lower limbs, lower back, and general body alignment by realigning your feet within your footwear or accommodating specific conditions or deformities, used in conjunction with appropriate footwear. It is effective in helping to treat a number of foot problems including heel arch and forefoot pain.
Many cushioned insoles are made of gel or soft foam alone. They may seem comfortable at first but without a firm stabilizer, custom made orthotic, they fail to adequately support your feet. Like sleeping on a soft mattress or trying to run in soft sand, the cushioned feeling quickly subsides without proper support. Without proper well made custom made foot orthotics, the body won’t be aligned properly.
The feet are the foundation of the entire skeletal system. Even a slight misalignment can allow the arch to collapse and cause foot pain to spread to the knees, hips, back, shoulders and even neck. Strained muscles, spinal distortion and poor posture can follow. Results may include discomfort while walking, difficulty maintaining exercise routines and painful daily activities.
How Do I Determine if I Need a Foot Orthotic?
If you are experiencing foot or lower limb, lower back, knee, and/or hip discomfort, call us or ask your physician to be referred to Gait Maxx Foot Care. We can help. A detailed assessment can confirm if a foot orthotic will assist you with a particular foot, lower limb or even back problems.
IS A FOOT ORTHOTIC UNCOMFORTABLE TO WEAR?
Initially, a new foot orthotic may feel intrusive. In fact it can take up to several weeks to get accustomed to it. While there are no set guidelines for how long it takes to get used to wearing your new foot orthotics, it is recommended that you not wear it for more than an hour on the 1st day. Every subsequent day, you should gradually increase the amount of wear time to help your foot become accustomed to it.
Orthotic Manufacturing On Site
With an on site lab in each one of our clinics, the patient is assured that his/her orthotics will be produced precisely by a Canadian Certified Pedorthist on site. In many cases, footwear customization may also be necessary. A process which can be performed and completed on site
The first step of the manufacturing process is the casting of both feet. Gait Maxx Foot Care professionals only use three dimensional casting techniques, including mold-able slipper cast procedure.
The advantages of the slipper cast – Non weight bearing foot does capture structural defects, for example if the arch flattens excessively then this occurs when the weight is on the foot. This is why most of us believe our arches are fine, we look at them when there is very little weight on them, for example when we are sitting.
Precise positioning of the foot; The pedorthist can hold the joints including the ankle, sub talar (below the ankle), mid tarsal (bones in the middle portion) and the foot. Positioning the fore foot up or down can increase or decrease the height of the arch and the overall correction of the foot. Most casting methods cannot provide this degree of flexibility of “intrinsic” cast correction.
After casting, Gait Maxx Foot Care Pedorthists are able to create a wide range of foot orthotics to suit each patient’s specific needs. We are able to supply our patients foot orthotics within one week (7 Days). We are also able to make adjustments and refurbishments to patients foot orthotics, at our on site labs, whilst the patient waits for them.