If My Feet Hurt, Does This Mean That I Need Foot Orthotics?

By: Deny Dallaire, B.Sc., C.Ped (C)
Certified Pedorthist (Canada) with Thera-Ped Foot & Ankle Clinic

The short answer to this question is NO. In my experience, the first line of defense for managing foot pain is footwear. In today’s society, shoes come in many shapes and sizes. In fact, some shoe styles are not even conducive to the shape of the human foot. Yet people still wear them on regular basis. This creates undue stress on the tissues and joints of the feet and subsequently leads to foot pain.

That being said, many times people have come into our clinic for an assessment, thinking that they need custom orthotics, when all they really needed was the correct shoe to fit their foot. It is actually estimated that 20 to 30 percent of Canadians do no wear the correct type of shoe. Although buying expensive and well built shoes can be a good thing, if the shoes you picked out don’t have the correct characteristics for your foot type, the price of the shoes will become meaningless because they won’t be comfortable.

If you’re assessed by a Canadian Certified Pedorthist and it is determined that you do not require foot orthotics, he or she will then be able to guide you in choosing footwear that will fit correctly and also have the necessary construction to help manage your foot pain.

Following are some very simple tips to keep in mind:

• Wear activity-specific footwear. This simply means that you should wear shoes that are constructed for what you are doing.. Therefore, if you need to walk to the bank on your dinner hour, walk there with your walking shoes or sneakers as opposed to your dress shoes.
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  If you suffer from foot pain, put away your “dressier” or “fancier” shoes for a short period of time and wear comfort/casual footwear while your feet recuperate. You will be surprised how quickly they do.
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  If you need to wear dress shoes for work, wear comfort footwear until you get to work, slip on your dress shoes at work, then take them off when you leave.
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  If your shoes come with laces, tie them. If they come with straps, fasten them. If they come with buckles, buckle them. Those fasteners are there for a reason.
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  If you have foot pain, look at the shape of your foot, then look at the shape of your shoes. If they aren’t the same, chances are that’s part of the problem.
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  If your foot pain lasts for several days or becomes debilitating, consult your family Doctor.

For more information about Pedorthics, visit www.pedorthic.ca or call Thera-Ped Foot and Ankle Clinic.