What are orthotics?

Orthotics are any device used to support and align a part of the body. Custom made foot orthotics are inserts that are worn inside shoes. They can be used to relieve pain, improve skeletal alignment or improve the function of your foot and lower limb.

What do orthotics do?

Depending on the design, orthotics can cushion and support your foot by redistributing the pressure areas on your feet. They can also be designed to support and improve the alignment of the bones in your feet and legs. Improper foot alignment can lead to a wide variety of foot, knee, and lower back problems. By improving the alignment the body is able to function more efficiently with less stress on the muscles and ligaments that hold you together. Many different styles and types of orthotics can be designed in order to alleviate various types of pain in the feet, knees, hips and lower back. These can range from soft flexible types to very rigid types. It is important to have your foot and shoes properly evaluated prior to getting orthotics. Beware of companies that provide only one type of orthotic-it may not be right for you.

Foot Types:

There are two general types of misaligned feet. Pes planus, (flat flexible feet) and pes cavus, (rigid high arched feet.) The flexible flat foot is commonly named the over-pronator. This arch of this foot type collapses towards the ground upon standing. This creates excessive collapse of the feet, and will subsequently create excess movement up into the legs and knees.

The rigid high arched foot, called a supinator, has a high arch contour even when weight bearing. This foot type tends to have poor shock absorption and cushioning, and can lead to various joint pains.

Would Orthotics Change My Feet?

Orthotics work to support and re-position your feet. Like eye-glasses, they help us while we are wearing them. When we remove the orthotics, they have not changed our feet at all. Orthotics allow us to maintain our lifestyle and activities, while reducing the symptoms. Orthotics are often prescribed as a method of treatment for an injury. Orthotics will help you to recover from the injury. Once the injury has healed, orthotic use should continue, in order to prevent the injury from recurring.

Do I Need To Visit My Doctor or Therapist?

Custom foot orthotics are a prescriptive medical device. Most reputable providers of orthotics will require a medical prescription from your family Doctor, medical specialist or physiotherapist in prior to designing orthotics for you. The reason behind this, is that these specialists are able to eliminate other medical causes of your symptoms that are not related to mechanical alignment. You can still have a Pedorthist assess and evaluate your foot and leg mechanics, but you will also need to see your Medical Specialist in order for other causes to be eliminated.

Can I Wear Orthotics With Any Shoes?

Orthotics can be designed for virtually any shoe type but are usually designed with a particular shoe type in mind, depending on your needs, and as such should work well with shoes of similar style. If an orthotic is designed for running shoes, it will not fit properly into a heeled shoe. Sandals also restrict orthotic use, as the orthotic is not secure without a closed shoe.

I Have Flat Feet, Does This Have Anything To Do With Why I Have Lower Back Pain?

Flat feet cause the leg bones to rotate inwards when you are standing and walking. This will affect your hip and pelvic positions, thereby altering the amount of back curvature and leading to pain. Previous injury, activities, and upper body mechanics will also play a role in lower back pain.

Do My High Arch Feet Have Anything To Do With My Knee Pain When I Run?

A high arched foot lacks adequate shock absorption. When there is not enough cushioning at the foot, shock is transmitted upwards, placing added load on the knee and hip joints.

Can Orthotics Help With Arthritis and Diabetes?

In patients with arthritis or diabetes, special care is taken in supporting the feet, while also relieving excessive pressure areas and providing cushioning to the feet. Typically, these orthotics act as special supportive pillows for your feet.

What about computer-generated or “Dynamic Orthotics” ?

At Kintec we fabricate custom casted orthotics only. There are a few reasons we feel this to be of the greatest benefit to your feet.

Dynamic orthotics are usually produced from the information produced when you walk across a pressure sensitive pad. This means that the images are taken in a weight bearing position and therefore captures an image of your foot when it is already compromised in function – already pronated or supinated – the position that may be contributing to your symptoms.

Computer systems use pressure contact data as an image of your foot from which to fabricate the orthotic. Ultimately this is a 2 dimensional image derived from where you foot makes contact with the mat. The computer uses algorithms to best estimate the actual shape of your foot. It does not in fact know whether the arch of your foot is 1mm or 10mm off the ground. At Kintec, our technique captures an accurate 3 dimensional model of your foot, and the orthotic is designed from this.

Finally, the computer-generated orthotics are fabricated in various facilities across the country. If you have problems with your orthotics, they must be sent back to that facility for any changes to be made. At Kintec, we design and fabricate all of our own orthotics locally. This allows the pedorthist continued access to your orthotics during fabrication, and allows us to make modifications or adjustments on the spot. This means that you are not without your orthotics for a couple weeks while changes are made, and we can better evaluate the result of a change.

Are the orthotics made for you from inkblots at Home Shows of any benefit?

These orthotics may well help alleviate mild symptoms and feel generally comfortable. But you should be cautioned on the expense of these devices as they are not a truly custom device and may have the same therapeutic affect as a much less expensive off-the-shelf arch support. These types of arch supports are generally made of a fairly flexible rubber-like material and claim to be custom to your feet. They are however, massed produced products providing little more support or benefit than a non-custom insole.

What are your qualifications?

Kintec Footlabs has a staff of Canadian Board Certified Pedorthists and Technicians and are highly qualified team of individuals, ready to help you. As Pedorthists, they specialize in the foot and lower limb mechanics of the human body. Our pedorthists first possess a Bachelors Degree in Kinesiology or Health Sciences, and then follow an extensive in-house residency program. Upon completion, these individuals must successfully complete examination by the Pedorthic Association Of Canada.