In Transition From Summer To Fall

By: Deny Dallaire, B.Sc., C.Ped (C)
Certified Pedorthist (Canada) with Thera-Ped Moncton

Although we hate to admit it, summer is almost over. Soon it will be back to school, as well as back to the old routine. Most people slow down to some degree over the summer. However, when September rolls around, activities and sports start up again and our bodies go through a “kick-start”. From a Canadian Certified Pedorthist’s perspective, in order to avoid foot and lower limb injuries this fall, follow these simple rules:

• Check the condition of your fall and/or sports footwear. Too many people injure themselves because their footwear is in poor shape. If your shoes are worn or deformed in any way, then it’s time to go shoe shopping.

• Wear activity-specific footwear. What this means is don’t attend your school walkathon or gym class in your flip-flops. Make sure that if you know that you will be spending a lot of time on your feet, that you wear comfortable and supportive shoes that are conducive to your activity.

• Ease back into your routine. The vast majority of people we see at our clinic in September through to December are people that “forgot” that they were less active over the summer and tried to do too much, too quickly.

• Finally, if you feel any pain of injury coming on, DON’T IGNORE IT! Consult your family physician right away. Regarding foot or lower limb injuries, Canadian Certified Pedorthists are trained to treat these injuries using prescribed orthotic and/or shoe therapies.

For more information about Pedorthics and Canadian Certified Pedorthists, visit the following websites: www.pedorthic.ca and www.cpedcs.ca.

Why Won’t My Foot Orthotics Fit Into All My Shoes?

By: Deny Dallaire, B.Sc., C.Ped (C)
Certified Pedorthist (Canada) with Thera-Ped Moncton

One of the most common complaints that people have regarding their custom made foot orthotics is that they do not fit into all of their shoes. In short, that’s because:

1. Not all footwear is meant to accommodate orthotics, nor should you always need to wear your orthotics in all of your footwear.
2. No one pair of orthotics will fit into every shoe. In fact, your initial orthotic devices are more than likely made to fit into a deeper type of shoe, such as a comfort walking shoe or a sneaker.
3. Your orthotics are designed with a specific treatment plan in mind and meant to relieve your symptoms. The type of shoe you need to wear is often part of that plan.

In order to demonstrate this, let’s use the following example: A person that works in an office environment complains to their doctor of heel pain. He/She enjoys walking and running for exercise. However, when at work, the dress code requires dress attire and his/her dress shoes do not accommodate orthotics.

Their doctor prescribes pedorthic therapy in the form of custom-made foot orthotics. He/She then sees a Canadian Certified Pedorthist. It is the pedorthist’s job to take into account all factors of the patient’s lifestyle when performing the assessment. Based on what is observed at the assessment, a treatment plan is created.

While each treatment plan is different, this patient’s treatment plan could resemble the following:

1. Provide custom-made foot orthotics as prescribed to be worn with case-specific running shoes (either existing or new) that accommodate orthotics.
2. Wear the running shoes with the prescribed orthotics as much as possible, especially during exercise or when on your feet for long periods.
3. Wear your orthotic devices and sneakers until you get to work. When dress shoes are warranted, wear them with gel heel cups inserted into the shoes.
4. Follow-up with the pedorthist after 4 weeks.

As you get better, the need for larger orthotics may diminish. At that point, smaller and less bulky orthotic devices can be created that will fit into more styles of shoes. Having said that, depending on the case, you may even be able to phase out foot orthotics altogether.

In conclusion, pedorthists who have their Canadian Certification [ C. Ped (C) ] are trained to develop a pedorthic treatment plan that is specific to you. The more you deviate from this plan, the more the results are affected. However, whenever possible, your pedorthist will try to accommodate as much of your existing footwear.