Orthotics2023-10-25T10:11:52-04:00

Custom foot orthotics are specially designed shoe inserts that are fabricated from casts of your feet.

They are designed with specific consideration toward any biomechanical abnormalities in your feet and have been shown to alleviate foot, ankle, knee, hip and lower back pain in addition to improving athletic performance. Custom foot orthotics are often covered under group benefit plans.

Orthotics can treat and prevent many different physical conditions. According to the literature, orthotics have been shown to help those who over-pronate, a foot-type that has been related to different knee conditions (such as patellofemoral disorder). Orthotics have also been shown to help those with plantar fasciitis (heel pain) or those at risk for stress fractures in the tibia.

foot beside orthotic

ORTHOTICS AT OUR CLINIC

At Burlington Sports Therapy, we believe that not everyone needs orthotics. Orthotics should not be expected to have much benefit if you have a relatively normal foot posture and normal foot biomechanics. For some people, simply changing to a more appropriate shoe is enough to assist with their condition. For others, an over-the counter support will offer enough stability and arch support to either prevent or treat their condition and serves as a more cost-effective option for them.

The prescription of custom foot orthotics is very individual and should take into consideration a great number of factors. A person’s foot posture, biomechanics and activity level all play a role. If you are in the Burlington, Oakville, Hamilton and surrounding areas and are in need of Orthotics, contact Burlington Sports Therapy today.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Custom foot orthotics can be costly for many people, so we do take the financial side of our recommendations into consideration, and we try to find solutions that work for each person. For some, this may be considering a more affordable option like an off-the-shelf insole instead of a custom orthotic. Logically we can’t always expect the result to be as effective as a custom orthotic.

A custom foot orthotic is a specially designed insole that is constructed from a model of a person’s foot. When a patient is being fitted for a custom orthotic, we analyze their gait and take measurements of their ranges of motion and their biomechanics. We then take an imprint of their feet and send it to a lab along with our recommendations for the orthotic construction. In a few weeks, we have a custom orthotic insole that provides that patient with the precise amount of support required for their gait and biomechanics. An off-the-shelf insole is an insole that is not custom made. In these cases, we can give patients recommendations on an insole that might improve their current footwear, but there is some guesswork. It’s obviously not as precise as a custom insole, but it might improve a person’s footwear in a more affordable way.

OHIP does not cover custom foot orthotics. Most insurance plans have coverage for custom foot orthotics as they appreciate the need and benefit these devices provide for some people.

If you are in the Burlington, Oakville, Hamilton and surrounding areas and are in need of Custom Foot Orthotics, contact Burlington Sports Therapy today. We are conveniently located just off of Walkers Line on Harvester Road.

This is a question we get asked a lot. Recommendations for wearing orthotics are very individual for each person. For some, the goal of the orthotic is to assist the foot while it heals from an injury. For others, the goal of the orthotic is to provide long-term support. In this case, the advice may be to move the orthotic from one shoe to another and wear it at all times. There is no one general strategy that applies to all cases.

It is very typical for soreness to occur during the “breaking in” period. This may last for a number of days depending on how much the orthotic is being worn. We usually recommend a person wears the orthotic for an hour the first day, two hours the second day and three hours the third day (as an example). This might be similar to the advice with new running shoes. It is wise to ease into the new footwear as opposed to wearing them for a full run right away.

The type of orthotic that we recommend for a person depends on what their needs are. For some, there may be a bone spur that we’re trying to take pressure off of. For others, we are trying to provide more stability for the arch but allow it to fit in a dress shoe. Our clinic sees lots of runners so often we are prescribing orthotics that are suitable for athletic activity.

I have been a patient of Dr. Kevin McIntyre’s for 2 years now. Prior to that, I visited a few other local chiropractors with little to no success. Growing up, my father was an incredible chiropractor so when he couldn’t practice anymore, I had to find someone like him; someone who respected the traditional manual manipulation style of chiropractic. Thankfully, my wife and I found Kevin! His style is very much like my dad’s but he also incorporates elements of the “new school” with Active Release Technique. I would recommend Kevin to any of my family and friends (and already have a few times over!).
Ryan B.

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