Custom Molded Orthotics

Custom molded FootLab orthotics remedy many problems

The human foot has 26 bones and 33 joints. Each bone in the foot grows to a unique length and shape which ultimately means that there are no two feet that are the same. Your feet are as unique to you as your fingerprints.

When footwear manufacturers make shoes they design them to fit as many different foot shapes as possible; flat feet, high arches, narrower feet, wide feet and the infinite number of foot shapes in between. Shoe designers cannot put supportive inserts into their footwear because an insert that is supportive for one foot would be offensive for another. Accordingly, the inserts found in footwear are designed to be as accommodative and inoffensive as possible for the greatest number of feet.

Why is proper orthotic foot support so important? Three things that proper orthotic support will do are:

• Position the foot in proper alignment
• Disperse ground forces throughout the entire sole of the foot
• Properly align the lower leg, knee and back

Foot Position – Misalignment of the foot contributes to many of the common foot ailments that people struggle with; plantar fasciitis, bunions, metatarsalga, shin splints and more. Orthotic insoles are to feet like eye glasses are to eyes. They correct the alignment of the foot and improve comfort and performance.

Ground Forces – During the gait cycle (walking or running stride) the natural impact sequence of the foot in motion begins with initial impact at the outside rear edge of the heel. During mid-stride the foot rolls forward to the 5th metatarsal head just behind the little toe. Pressure moves across the metatarsal heads to the 1st metatarsal head behind the great toe then push off from the great toe. This “Z” shaped pressure pattern is where the brunt of the body’s weight is carried.

A custom orthotic insole will off load pressures at these key impact areas by supporting the body’s weight throughout the entire surface of the foot

Alignment – The foot is the base of what’s referred to as the body’s kinetic chain- its posture determines the alignment, or mis-alignment, of the rest of the body.
To better understand this try this experiment. Next time you’re standing in the shower roll your foot to its outside edge, you’ll notice that your leg will rotate outward and that if you bend your knee it will track outward. If you roll your foot all the way inward so that the inside edge of the foot is as far to the ground as possible. You’ll notice that the shaft of the leg rotates inward. If you bend your knee it will track inward. Position the foot so it is somewhere between the full inward and outward position. If you bend your knee you will notice that the knee will track straight forward (as it should).

A custom molded orthotic insole will support the foot in the correct middle position (neutral) and thereby help the knee, hips and lower back function in a correct, pain free manner.

Why custom molded orthotics?

For the reasons previously discussed, on a scale of 0-10, the standard inserts that come with shoes or boots are a 0. Off the shelf insoles or insoles from a machine are a 5. Custom molded insoles are a 10.

Off the shelf insoles are made to an “average” foot shape which of course no one has. An individual’s foot and arch are unique to the person and different from everyone else. Using premade or off-the-shelf arch supports are like giving everyone the same “average” prescription glasses- its better than nothing but nowhere close to correct. The principle advantage of custom molded orthotics is that they are manufactured directly from a molded impression of the foot which means perfect support and perfect performance. We build your custom molded orthotics during a one hour appointment.

Custom Molded Orthotics