Orthotic insoles (Foot Orthotics) or arch supports, are a highly effective form of conservative treatment for a wide range of common foot conditions which include sporting injuries, diabetic foot care and arch support for general comfort and stability.
Our team at Chin and Partners has the know-how, computerised assessment tools and in-house manufacturing capabilities to provide you with a foot orthotic to suit your needs.
Muscular Skeletal conditions
Orthotics are often used to treat muscular skeletal injuries by either supporting or correcting the way that the foot moves which in turn influences how the body moves over the foot. They can be manufactured to control the way your foot functions during standing, walking, and running by accommodating for structural issues, providing correction or support to relieve your foot or other related pain. Depending on the specifications for your custom foot orthotic, their function is either to distribute or relieve pressure under the foot or to support or alter your biomechanical alignment to correct an imbalance and improve symmetry of the whole body.
The higher your activity level, the more pressure and load transfers through your feet and body, resulting in a greater need to ensure that alignment and pressure factors are accounted for. It is therefore important you have the right shoes as well as the right orthotic insoles which will help to ensure that your feet are comfortable in everyday life, training, match, or race.
Diabetic or Neuropathic foot care
This type of orthotic is designed to ensure that pressure is distributed over the entire plantar surface/sole of the foot ensuring that there are no peak or prolonged pressure areas, especially over bony prominences like the metatarsal bones. The orthotic is designed to provide support to the natural arches of the foot protecting these connective tissue structures. A diabetic spec orthotic is manufactured using different types of materials that allow for compression in higher load areas with a layer of cushioning material under this layer to provide for absorption of the pressure. This orthotic can also be adjusted to compensate for biomechanical alignment correction but due to the design are not as effective as a more rigid orthotic.
An example of conditions that insoles may be prescribed for include but are not limited to:
A shop bought insole is made to a generic last or shape and might not necessarily match your orthotic requirements in terms of weight redistribution and restoring your natural foot position.
A custom-made insole is made to your exact foot shape and moulded with the required adjustments achieving function in treatment and management of the condition. Custom insoles are adjustable, giving us the opportunity to fine tune them to your comfort and requirements.
We use the latest technology to gather as much information as possible when assessing you for and with your orthotics. To gain a complete picture of your gait cycle (how you walk or run) we use a pressure plate system. The RsScan pressure plate is used as a diagnostic tool to determine the biomechanical forces affecting the foot and body while you stand, walk, or run.
The orthotic insoles are loose fitting in your shoes and can be moved from shoe to shoe. Problems may develop when the style of the shoe last changes and the orthotic insoles do not fit properly into your shoe. Your feet need time to adjust to the new pressures placed on the soft tissue and your body needs time to adjust to your new biomechanical position. When starting to wear your orthotics insoles you should gradually increase the time that you wear them. Below is an outline for wearing them in, but please use your discretion and trust what you feel.
Your orthotic insoles should be reviewed annually to adjust for any material compression. Their lifespan, however, ranges from 1-5 years depending on your level of activity and usage. In children, the orthotic insoles should be assessed every 6 months and they usually need to be replaced when their shoe size increases by more than 1 size.
Your orthotic insoles will take up space in your shoe, but it is generally not necessary to go a size bigger, but please do not buy a shoe that is already tight on your foot. If you already have orthotics, we advise that you take your orthotic insoles with you when trying on new shoes. Generally, shoes used for wearing orthotic insoles should be flat on the inside so that the angle and the position of the orthotic insoles are not compromised.
When buying a sandal, it is advisable to select one with a closed back or one that has an adjustable ankle strap which should help to comfortably accommodate your orthotic insole. We can provide you with Velcro to fix the orthotic insoles to the base of the sandal. Other factors to consider when buying a closed shoe for orthotics is that the heel cup depth of the shoe is deep enough to prevent heel slippage and that the toe box of the shoe is deep enough so that excessive pressure is not applied to the top of the foot.
The orthotic insoles must fit properly in the shoe for both comfort and function. Please bring the shoe and the orthotic insoles in for us to adjust if necessary.
Yes you can, and we offer a substantial discount if you order a second pair immediately or after your first fitting appointment. Should you require more insoles at a later stage, and you have kept your plaster moulds and they are still suitable for use, we offer a discount on these subsequent pairs of orthotics. Please speak to your Orthotist or our admin staff about this.