Custom foot orthotics

Orthotics I use

I always encourage patients to do their own research on which brand works best for them. There are many options, and many opinions about which company is best and why. As with pillows and mattresses, you may have to try more than one before you find the right pair.

I use Foot Levelers custom orthotics in the office.

What these orthotics are for

Foot Levelers builds each pair from a weight-bearing scan of your feet, in the same spirit as glasses made from a measurement of your eyes. The insert is shaped to support all three arches: the inner arch, the outer arch, and the arch across the ball of the foot. Together those arches are the plantar vault. Store inserts usually lift only the inner arch.

The point is a steadier base, not only a softer shoe. When an arch drops or the foot rolls inward too far, the knee, hip, pelvis, and spine have to make up for it. Supporting the feet is meant to ease that compensation. Foot Levelers explains this on their page about the foot and spine connection, and they collect the studies they rely on, including low back pain, on their research page.

Your feet do not have to hurt for an imbalance to affect the rest of you. Conditions they discuss include:

• Plantar fasciitis
• Low back pain
• Knee pain
• Hip pain
• Sciatica
• Achilles tendinitis
• Drop foot
• Leg length inequality

A scan or impression in the office shows how the feet are working under your weight. The orthotics are made from that record. Ask me about getting scanned.

The options

One insert does not belong in every shoe. Foot Levelers matches the style to the shoe and the activity, and they suggest a new pair about every two years as your feet and posture change. Their pictures and style charts are on these pages:

• InMotion+, for everyday shoes, work boots, and a shorter dress length. They describe it as their current all-purpose orthotic, with more shock absorption and a stronger push-off than the original InMotion.
• XP3 Sports Collection, for athletic shoes and higher-impact sports.
• Work and play. A dress shoe and a running shoe need different orthotics, so many people keep at least two pairs.
• Shoethotics and Sandalthotics, shoes and sandals that arrive with the custom orthotic already in them.
• Mother Nurture, a three-part set for the second trimester, the third trimester, and the year after the baby is born.
• Orthotics made for children, also shown in that catalog.

I will go over the scan with you and help you choose. You can also download the current Foot Levelers catalog.

A patient’s story from Foot Levelers

Kelley Andrews was living with pain and taking painkillers after several failed back surgeries. She found relief after she started using Foot Levelers custom orthotics. This is her story, from Foot Levelers: