What to Consider Before Buying Orthotics

What people usually don’t realize is that a lot of areas of the body are affected by feet pain. You might not notice it at first, but we subconsciously adapt our walking patterns to avoid pain. So, we buy orthotic devices to address these foot pains. They are special shoes/heel inserts that can be prescribed by a doctor and are custom-made to fit your foot. But there are a lot of factors that come into play, and if you are considering getting orthotics, these are some of the things you should pay attention to.

What do You Need Orthotics for?

As we have previously mentioned, a lot of pain throughout the body can be attributed to feet pain. Feet misalignment can commonly lead to pain elsewhere in the body. Walking patterns that manifest from misaligned feet can cause back pain due to your spine becoming misaligned as well as walking instabilities. This is most obviously seen with people that have flat feet. Orthotics help with this because they help provide structural support for your feet in order to correct any walking irregularities and serve to take pressure off of the injured area in question. Some of the conditions that orthotics can help are as follows:

• Overpronation and underpronation
• Bursa inflammation

• Arthritis

• Flat feet

• Injuries from sports

• Tendon inflammation

• Post-surgery recovery

• Bunions

Keep in mind that there are some feet problems that can’t be fixed with orthotics, this is why if your issue isn’t mentioned above, you should consult your doctor regarding it. 

Orthotics can be used to help an overpronate or under pronate foot. Your foot is overpronating when it rolls too far inwards, causing ankle instability. When your foot rolls too far outwards, it is called. For these cases, you will require your orthotics to provide foot support. 

They can be used to help arthritis by improving circulation and shock absorption via the shoe inserts.

Flat feet cause can negatively affect your whole body through your ankles. The pain goes from the knees and subsequently reaches the hips, spine, and finally, the neck. In order to deal with this, your body will automatically try to correct itself by walking, sitting, or standing in unhealthy ways that will, eventually, make the problem even worse. 

Are You Correcting or Supporting the Problem?

Depending on the problem, you might need to take a different approach. There are some orthotics that don’t provide any correctional value, instead, they just make the pain more tolerable. This is evident with orthotics that rely on too many cushioning inserts. The goal of proper orthotics is to properly give your feet support and correct the problem. They aren’t meant to make you live comfortably with the problem, but to fix it.

How Long does an Orthotic last?

Custom orthotics can vary in life span. They will usually last around 1 – 10 years. It all depends on your lifestyle and the model itself. If you live a very active lifestyle, the chances of wearing them down will increase, causing it to be effective for only about a year. While those who live a more stationary lifestyle, tend to last for much longer, up to 10 years. The life span of the orthotics also depends on the weight of the wearer, as well as how much they are torn through time.

Another factor is how they are used during the day, and cared for. Orthoses can last around 5 – 10 years if properly maintained. If you use them during the entire day and exert more-than-average amounts of stress on them, they will inevitably become torn and less effective over the course of a few years. So, if you are regularly using them and want them to remain effective, it would be wise to review them and replace them (if need be) around every 3 or so years. 

It is worth noting that custom-made orthotics last longer than retail inserts. This is because custom-made orthotics are made from higher-quality materials that significantly improve their durability. 

How do You Know You’ve Bought the Right Orthotics?

We tend to question whether the medical things we buy are actually working or not, so it’s natural to doubt whether your orthotics are making a difference or not. You should expect some soreness and pain at the start, it’s completely normal. Your feet need to get used to wearing them, so some time will need to pass for this. Once several months have passed, you should really feel the difference. If you don’t notice any change, you should reach out to your podiatrist to make sure everything is okay.

The quality of the orthotics will heavily depend on your podiatrist, as a lot of them will try to get you a close enough model in order to save money. So it would be wise to consult a qualified and proven podiatrist so you don’t have to keep coming back every so often. If you’re in Australia and want to get a well-crafted treatment then we would advise you to contact a podiatrist on the South Coast, as they are known for their professionalism and medical expertise.

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