Custom Foot Orthotics

An example of our clinic’s casting method. The molds will be used to create custom prescription orthotics.

Custom foot orthotics or prescription foot orthotics are custom-made shoe inserts designed for the individual wearer. They are medical devices designed to correct biomechanical imbalances, allowing for normal function and alignment of the foot. An orthotic is designed to control the mechanics of the foot to a precise degree—from the heel contact phase of walking through the midstance and toe-off phases.

Orthotics can help to alleviate and control a number of foot problems, including heel and arch pain, plantar fasciitis, flat feet and bunions, posterior tendonitis, shin splints, metatarsalgia, and neuromas to name a few. Their use is often prescribed as a highly successful, practical, and conservative approach to many foot problems. These custom prescription orthotics require a three-dimensional impression of your foot, or a casting method. This is different from what may be called a ‘custom’ orthotic, which uses computerized pressure information to make adjustments to a pre-manufactured insole. Our office uses a neutral suspension non-weight bearing plaster cast method where in essence, a 3-D mold of your foot is made as a template for the orthotics.

Our laboratory provider for custom orthotics is Paris Orthotics, out of Vancouver, British Columbia. Following a casting appointment, the plaster mold of your foot will be sent along with the doctor’s prescription in order to make a pair of orthotics specially designed to help your feet. Functional foot orthotics are very effective at alleviating many painful pathologies of the foot.