Restore Natural Alignment to Relieve Foot, Knee, and Back Pain
Custom Orthotics Serving Waterloo & Kitchener
To build a solid structure, we start from the ground up, focusing on the foundation before moving on to floors and walls; the logic is similar when it comes to your feet. The foot is a complex structure. Feet are like pillars for the body, providing essential support to the bones, joints, and muscles that help your body stand, move, and balance. Imbalances in your feet can reverberate throughout the body, affecting everything from your gait, ankles, and knees to your lower back.
Book an AppointmentWhat are Custom Orthotics?
Custom orthotics are designed to help correct problems with foot structure or alignment. Unlike the generic insoles available at your local drug store, custom-made orthotics are tailored to your foot, explicitly designed to correct the issues that are causing you pain.
In contrast to a one-size-fits-all insole, custom orthotics are considered medical devices and generally require a prescription. Their creation is a multi-step process, including a consultation with a physiotherapist and a detailed evaluation of your foot – right down to investigating your shoes for telltale signs of alignment issues. Custom casts of your foot are taken before the mold is sent away, along with your personalized prescription, for manufacturing.
When tailored correctly, you will not notice your custom orthotics as you move; however, you will see a positive difference in how your body feels.
Benefits of Wearing Custom Orthotics
Even mild foot misalignment can put significant undue stress on other areas of your body, leading to painful joint, muscle, and back problems. Custom orthotics help change all that.
Book an AppointmentYour medical practitioner or physiotherapist might prescribe custom orthotics to:
- Reduce pain originating from the feet, ankles, knees, or lower back
- Improve balance
- Correct posture issues
- Provide foot and arch support
- Eliminate or reduce bunions, calluses, or corns
- Relieve pressure and other foot abnormalities
- Enhance athletic performance
- Help prevent bone and muscle injuries
Patients use custom orthotics daily to help correct these issues and more because being active shouldn’t be painful.
How Custom Orthotics Help You Live Better
When you walk, run, or jump, the force applied to your feet can exceed several times your body weight. That’s a lot of pressure, and even a small misalignment can dramatically affect how that force is distributed, resulting in soreness, fatigue, and other chronic issues.
Living in pain is exhausting; however, the solution could be as simple as adjusting how you walk, and custom orthotics may be the answer. If you are interested in exploring custom orthotics in Waterloo, we can help.
Your Top Questions, Answered Here
Commonly Asked Questions & Answers
Have a question or curious to know what to expect? We have your questions answered!
Custom orthotics are individually designed devices that support foot structure and alignment. Unlike standard insoles, they are made specifically for the individual’s feet and needs.
Custom orthotics may help reduce discomfort associated with foot, ankle, knee, or lower-back problems and can provide additional arch and foot support. They may also help improve balance and posture.
The process typically starts with a consultation and detailed foot assessment. Measurements or custom casts of the feet may then be taken before the orthotics are manufactured according to the individual's requirements.
Custom orthotics are specifically designed around an individual's foot structure and alignment needs, whereas standard insoles are mass-produced. Whether custom orthotics are appropriate depends on your specific condition and assessment.
In some cases, foot alignment can influence how forces are distributed through the ankles, knees, and lower back. Custom orthotics may help address underlying foot alignment issues and reduce associated discomfort when clinically appropriate.
