I’m still standing: how orthotics can help prevent everyday foot pain

If you suffer from any kind of foot pain – maybe in your toes, the arch of your sole, or under your heel – the problem might be with your body alignment. Orthotics can help alleviate the daily physical stresses and strains of life-on-your-feet by realigning your body posture so you balance better on your feet.

Body alignment, balance and foot pain

Your feet work hard all day, whether you are:

Standing all day at work, either indoors or outdoors
Busy looking after a young family
Sitting all day at a desk
Enjoying retirement activities

So it’s hardly surprising that, according to the Canadian Federation of Podiatric Medicine;

“75% of Canadians will experience foot health problems of varying degrees of severity at one time or another in their lives.”

Your skeleton needs to be aligned correctly to function as it should, enabling smooth, pain free movement from head to toe whether you are standing, walking or running. However, no “body” is perfect. Injuries, imbalances, age and genetics can all play a part in contributing to foot or lower limb and hip pain.

Orthotics can help rebalance you physically, alleviating muscle and joint pain by correcting posture and gait.

What are custom orthotics?

Orthotics are custom made shoe inserts designed specifically for you. Each pair of orthotics is custom-moulded to exactly fit your feet – and only your feet! Custom orthotics simply slip into your footwear, so you can wear them in different pairs of shoes, including everyday shoes and boots, casual footwear, smart shoes, and even your specialist sports footwear.

Your first orthotics appointment with Hunt Footcare

At Hunt Footcare, we specialise in creating custom orthotics. At your first appointment, we’ll gather key details about your medical and surgical history, to create a full picture of what you need. This will include:

Any previous injuries or illnesses that might affect your feet (such as diabetes)
Any conditions you have or had in the past (such as plantar fasciitis or bunions)
Any symptoms you might have noticed or concerns you may have

Next, we’ll do your biomechanical assessment. This looks at your body alignment, how your feet are built, and how they function in conjunction with your ankles, knees and hips. We will also look at the range of movement in your lower limbs, and how they bend, flex and work.

We’ll also ask you to walk around for a gait assessment, and stand so we can see your normal posture. This usually highlights any imbalance or other issues. If required, we can review any X-rays or other diagnostic tests you may have had in the past.

Once all this is completed the exciting moment of making your orthotics begins! We take a unique, detailed impression of your both your feet, to form comfortable custom orthotics which will improve your foot fitness and movement. You’ll be walking on air in no time!

Off the shelf shoe inserts and custom orthotics

You may see various off the shelf insoles available, including “orthotic insoles”, or “arch support shoe inserts”. These differ from custom-made orthotics in three key areas:

Off the shelf insoles are not designed to specifically fit your feet. They also assume your feet are symmetrical – which human feet never are!
Inserts can help provide cushioning and some support, but will not correct issues with your specific posture and gait issues.
They might actually create more problems, leading to more pain and imbalance.

Custom orthotics are only available from foot clinic professionals such as our teams here at Hunt Footcare. All our custom orthotics are checked by our own team, who ensure the perfect fit in person, making any adjustments at your first fitting, and with follow-up checks if required.

Our custom-made orthotics are not only the perfect fit for your feet, they are precision-made, long-lasting, durable and above all, comfortable!