Orthotics are custom made supports which correct the alignment of your feet. The proper medical term for orthotics is Custom Kinetic Orthoses.
Pain Relief
Orthotics relieve pain by correcting the underlying poor foot alignment which has led to the painful symptoms.
By improving your foot posture, orthotics allow injured and painful areas to heal properly. They also help to prevent your pain from re-occurring. This means you can return to your normal activities quickly and continue to do so for many years to come!
Preventing Problems in the Future
If you want to prevent problems, orthotics prevent pain and disability in the future by correcting the underlying faulty alignment of the feet.
By improving your foot alignment, orthotics reduce stress and strain on muscles, ligaments and bones in your feet and your whole skeleton. This stress can cause many common deformities and problems such as bunions, hammer toes, collapsed arches, corns and calluses, back pain, and arthritis of the knees and hips.
Orthotics treatment should begin as soon as possible. The later orthotics are commenced, the more stress and strain will occur. This means there is a much greater chance of deformities and problems as you get older.
For those children with postural problems such as “Flat feet”, in-toed gait, knock knees, tripping/clumsiness or uneven shoe wear, orthotics realign foot and body alignment to make children look more “normal”.
Improved Performance
For adults and children with sporting injuries, we believe orthotics greatly reduce the incidence of injuries and results in less “down-time” from sport and training.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are Orthotics Made?
After a thorough examination and video gait analysis, we take a plaster impression of your feet in their ideal position – called the “neutral sub-talar position”. These casts are then sent to an off-site lab and are scanned using a laser. The scans are then transferred to a computerized milling machine, which mills your orthotics to our exact specifications. We then cover the orthotics with a synthetic leather covering material before dispensing.
orthotics can be made in many different ways and from many different materials. As many as 4000 different corrections can be added to orthotics.
How Long Will I Need to Use Orthotics?
Just like eyeglasses don’t “cure” vision problems, orthotics don’t “cure” incorrect foot posture. Orthotics only correct the function of the feet, not the structure! They need to be used on an ongoing basis.
“How Long Do My Orthotics Last?”
Hard thermoplastic orthotics lose their shape in about 4 years. Our feet and gait change significantly every three to four years anyway, so this is a good time to review your orthotic therapy.
Soft EVA orthotics last about 1 to 3 years. At this point, you will need to replace them with a new set made from the original scan/cast or start from scratch with a new scan/cast.
Children will need to replace their orthotics every 1 to 3 years, depending on the child’s growth.
Can I Get Another Set of Orthotics?
Yes. This saves taking the orthotics from one shoe to another. The scanned image of your casts and prescription is stored at the lab for many years and it is easy to do another set from this information. Alternatively, if you have plaster casts of your feet, you should keep them for a period of 4 years.
How do I Care For My Orthotics?
It is best to wipe the top-cover with a moist cloth at least once a week. If it is dirty, use a weak solution of dish-washing liquid.
Do not immerse the orthotics, as this may cause the top-cover to separate from the orthotic shell.
Your orthotics are made from polypropylene or EVA plastic, and should never be placed near heat sources e.g. heaters, oven, direct sunlight, in the boot of your car. To dry your orthotics, use a dry cloth to absorb excess moisture and air-dry for a few hours.
Orthotics
Orthotics are custom made supports which correct the alignment of your feet. The proper medical term for orthotics is Custom Kinetic Orthoses.
Pain Relief
Orthotics relieve pain by correcting the underlying poor foot alignment which has led to the painful symptoms.
By improving your foot posture, orthotics allow injured and painful areas to heal properly. They also help to prevent your pain from re-occurring. This means you can return to your normal activities quickly and continue to do so for many years to come!
Preventing Problems in the Future
If you want to prevent problems, orthotics prevent pain and disability in the future by correcting the underlying faulty alignment of the feet.
By improving your foot alignment, orthotics reduce stress and strain on muscles, ligaments and bones in your feet and your whole skeleton. This stress can cause many common deformities and problems such as bunions, hammer toes, collapsed arches, corns and calluses, back pain, and arthritis of the knees and hips.
Orthotics treatment should begin as soon as possible. The later orthotics are commenced, the more stress and strain will occur. This means there is a much greater chance of deformities and problems as you get older.
For those children with postural problems such as “Flat feet”, in-toed gait, knock knees, tripping/clumsiness or uneven shoe wear, orthotics realign foot and body alignment to make children look more “normal”.
Improved Performance
For adults and children with sporting injuries, we believe orthotics greatly reduce the incidence of injuries and results in less “down-time” from sport and training.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are Orthotics Made?
After a thorough examination and video gait analysis, we take a plaster impression of your feet in their ideal position – called the “neutral sub-talar position”. These casts are then sent to an off-site lab and are scanned using a laser. The scans are then transferred to a computerized milling machine, which mills your orthotics to our exact specifications. We then cover the orthotics with a synthetic leather covering material before dispensing.
orthotics can be made in many different ways and from many different materials. As many as 4000 different corrections can be added to orthotics.
How Long Will I Need to Use Orthotics?
Just like eyeglasses don’t “cure” vision problems, orthotics don’t “cure” incorrect foot posture. Orthotics only correct the function of the feet, not the structure! They need to be used on an ongoing basis.
“How Long Do My Orthotics Last?”
Hard thermoplastic orthotics lose their shape in about 4 years. Our feet and gait change significantly every three to four years anyway, so this is a good time to review your orthotic therapy.
Soft EVA orthotics last about 1 to 3 years. At this point, you will need to replace them with a new set made from the original scan/cast or start from scratch with a new scan/cast.
Children will need to replace their orthotics every 1 to 3 years, depending on the child’s growth.
Can I Get Another Set of Orthotics?
Yes. This saves taking the orthotics from one shoe to another. The scanned image of your casts and prescription is stored at the lab for many years and it is easy to do another set from this information. Alternatively, if you have plaster casts of your feet, you should keep them for a period of 4 years.
How do I Care For My Orthotics?
It is best to wipe the top-cover with a moist cloth at least once a week. If it is dirty, use a weak solution of dish-washing liquid.
Do not immerse the orthotics, as this may cause the top-cover to separate from the orthotic shell.
Your orthotics are made from polypropylene or EVA plastic, and should never be placed near heat sources e.g. heaters, oven, direct sunlight, in the boot of your car. To dry your orthotics, use a dry cloth to absorb excess moisture and air-dry for a few hours.