Custom Orthotics

The foot truly is an engineering masterpiece but when it doesn’t work efficiently it can commonly cause pain in the lower limb and back.

Assessing this complex system can be a real challenge for any clinician because a thorough analysis must consider both the structure and the function of the foot and that can really only be achieved if we assess you in action. Depending upon your speed when walking or running your foot is only in contact with the ground for about a quarter to half a second per gait cycle so assessing it properly with the naked eye is near on impossible.

How we assess your feet

Now not all back, hip and knee pain comes from the foot…not even all foot pain comes from the foot so before we prescribe custom orthotics to our patients we ensure that a thorough osteopathic assessment is conducted too and if we don’t feel your problem is related to your foot posture or mechanics, we won’t recommend orthotics… It’s that simple.

If you would benefit from an orthotic, we use state-of-the-art GaitScan™ technology to analyse your foot mechanics. This takes the guess work out and ensures we get the right orthotic for your foot.  With 4096 sensors and a scan rate of 300 frames per second, we can see exactly what’s happening when you walk or run. We can determine if faulty foot mechanics are contributing to your problem using over a million points of data.

This system not only allows us to determine if orthotics will help you, but ensures that orthotics are tailored to your unique structure and function. GaitScan™ also allows us to provide you with an in-depth report so you can see the exact pressure mapping and time sequencing of your foot mechanics at walking and running pace.

How orthotics can help

Custom orthotics work to optimise your biomechanics, to in-turn:

• Provide support to relieve pressure and reduce pain
• Prevent or slow degeneration & deformity
• Improve foot posture and function
• Reduce hip and knee stress
• Improve ability to load the low back and pelvis