The Truth About Foot Orthotics

“Do I Need Orthotics?”

What is an orthotic and why would I need one? An orthotic is a device that is worn inside of a shoe that supports the arch of the foot and helps to place it in a biomechanically balanced position. Orthotics or orthoses are used for a variety of reasons, not just for foot and ankle problems, but some practitioners will prescribe them for knee, hip, and/or back ailments. The patients that benefit the most from orthotics are the ones that have the most unstable feet. This can be someone that has a flat foot who pronates (rolls their ankle inward) excessively during gait or someone that has a high arch that cannot find a shoe that provides enough support and therefore puts excessive stress on the midfoot joints and the ball of the foot. Many of the most common diagnoses seen in a podiatry practice are treated with orthotics. These include, but are not limited to:
1. Plantar Fasciitis
2. Tendonitis
3. Arthritis
4. Apophysitis/Sever’s Disease (Growth Plate Problems)
5. Ball of Foot Pain (Neuromas, Metatarsalgia)
6. Bunions and Hammertoes

Orthotics both treat these diagnoses and help to prevent or slow the progression of the deformity or painful condition. For example, orthotics will not get rid of a bony bump, such as a bunion, but they will place the foot in a better supported, balanced position which will slow or halt the bunion’s progression.

There are prefabricated orthotics and there are prescription custom orthotics. Both serve a purpose. A solid shell prefab device provides much more support than almost any shoe that is available and is great for someone with an average arch height and a foot that is pretty “normal”. A custom made device is made directly from imprints, casts, digital scans, etc. and is specific for that patient. These are better than prefab orthotics for this reason. Often times a patient will start in a prefab and improve, but may plateau. This is a time the fine-tuned custom devices will give that extra needed benefit. Most local insurance plans cover custom orthotics when they are deemed medically necessary.

At Westfield Foot and Ankle, LLC a digital gait scan is done of the patient's feet both in static(standing) and dynamic(walking)phases of gait. The majority of the information that is gleaned from this scanning comes from the dynamic portion, which tells us what the feet are doing during gait. The pressure distribution is clearly seen. Prior to the scan, a comprehensive examination of the feet is done to determine what modifications may be needed, such as posting to further reduce the amount of pronation or rolling in of the ankle while walking. Overpronation is the culprit in many foot and ankle pathologies. Orthotics prevent this.

To schedule an appointment with Dr. David Sullivan visit www.westfieldfoot.com or call Westfieldf Foot and Ankle at 317-896-6655.