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.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.

When and Why Should I See a Canadian Certified Pedorthist?

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

Any time you suffer from pain in the legs and/or feet, you should first consult your family physician. He or she will then decide whether to refer you to a Canadian Certified Pedorthist.

Canadian Certified Pedorthists are one of the few healthcare professionals educated in the assessment, design, fit, manufacture and modification of foot orthotics and footwear. To become certified, Canadian Certified Pedorthists undergo a rigorous training and examination process, which includes testing their knowledge of biomechanics, anatomy, physiology of the legs and feet, foot orthotic fabrication and modification as well as footwear fitting and modification.

As footwear and foot orthotics experts, Canadian Certified Pedorthists work as members of a health care team to alleviate painful or crippling conditions and/or restrictions in the legs and feet. With the recommendation of a physician or other prescribing healthcare practitioner, Canadian Certified Pedorthists provide foot orthotics and footwear to assist in:

• Accommodation of foot deformities
• Realignment of the feet and legs
• Redistribution of external and internal forces acting on the feet and legs
• Improvement of balance
• Controlling the function of the feet and legs
• Accommodation for circulation problems in the feet and legs.
• Helping lack of function in the feet and legs resulting from accidents/trauma, deformity, disease or nerve and muscular disorders.

Canadian Certified Pedorthists work alongside healthcare professionals, like your physician, to fill prescriptions for footwear and orthotics and make recommendations regarding appropriate footwear management.

All Canadian Certified Pedorthists are members of the College of Pedorthics of Canada and the Pedorthics Association of Canada. For more information, visit: www.cpedcs.ca and http://www.pedorthic.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 your pedorthist will try to accommodate as much of your existing footwear.

How Can Footwear and Foot Orthotics Help Manage My Arthritis?

Arthritis comes in many forms. Basically they all involve some form of inflammation in the joints. Therefore pain is experienced when pressure is applied to these stiff and inflamed joints. In the case of your feet, forces coming from the ground can sometimes equal 4 times your body weight. Therefore, any decrease in these forces will help decrease the pain caused by arthritis.

In order to reduce these forces, a Canadian Certified Pedorthist will use special materials in order to create a full-contact foot orthotic device; a full contact will spread your body weight over a larger surface and accommodate inflammation, thus reducing high areas of pressure. Moreover, when we add additional supports or cushioning to the orthotics, ground reaction forces can be reduced even more.

When addressing stiff joints however, footwear is even more important than foot orthotics. Choosing the right shoe with the correct upper and sole constructions will go a long way in reducing strain on arthritic joints. As a Canadian Certified Pedorthist, I am trained to guide you in your choice of footwear.

Deformed arthritic feet are usually dealt with by modifying shoes. Our goal in this case is not to correct, but more to accommodate for the deformity. At Thera-Ped, we see foot deformities on a regular basis and provide a variety of specialty footwear and modifications to help manage the arthritis in your feet.

Speak with your physician to see if pedorthic therapy is right for you. For more information about pedorthic management of arthritis, visit www.pedorthic.ca or call Thera-Ped Foot and Ankle Clinic for an appointment at 506-382-FOOT (3668).