If you suffer from foot pain or have any kind of medical condition that affects your feet, it’s important to find the right treatment for it. One option is to get custom orthotics. They are specifically designed to work with your shoes and feet to provide comfort, support, and a great fit. They’re also often covered or rebated by your health insurance provider.
However, many people choose to go with over the counter shoe insoles as they’re cheap and available easily without a prescription. While OTC insoles can be helpful for some people, they’re not a long-term solution and they can actually make your foot problems worse. Here are a few reasons why you should avoid them:
The One-Size-Fits-All Approach
OTC insoles are made to be generic so that they will fit most shoe types and sizes. This is done in order to keep costs low and so that they can be sold widely. But this can cause a lot of issues because they don’t take into account the individual differences in arch height, foot length, and specific foot conditions.
Over the counter insoles are generally made from cheap materials such as rubber, carbon fibre, polypropylene, and rigid plastics. Custom orthotics are typically made from high quality materials that are durable and will last for a long time. This is because they’re made for your feet with your specific needs in mind.
Temporary Fix
Prefabricated or over the counter custom orthotics vs over the counter shoe inserts can help in some cases, such as providing temporary relief of a mild flat foot deformity or for athletes who want to add cushioning to their running shoes. They can also be used for some types of metatarsalgia. But for most lower limb conditions, they don’t do enough to provide long-term relief or address the underlying problem.
They can even cause damage if you use them in the wrong way! If you’re an athlete with a biomechanical abnormality in your foot, using a one-size-fits-all shoe insole can put extra stress on the parts of your feet that aren’t supported. This can lead to other injuries in your legs, knees, hips, back, and ankles.
If you have a serious medical condition that affects your feet, you need to see a podiatrist to get proper treatment. You’ll benefit from the individualized attention that you won’t get at a store and you’ll save money in the long run by getting the right treatment from the start. Custom orthotics are the best way to treat your specific medical condition. They will help to adjust your feet into a better, more supportive position that can help improve your posture and gait long-term and prevent things like shin splints, plantar fasciitis, and metatarsalgia. So, if you want long-term relief from your foot pain, consider visiting your local Canadian Certified Pedorthist for custom orthotics! You can contact them here.