Orthoses
Orthotics are shoes, shoe inserts or leg braces that alter the way the leg, foot or ankle sit and move. These are most often foot orthotics or shoe inserts. Other orthotics include supports for the ankle, knee, hip or combinations of these.
Uses for orthotics include:
- Relieving symptoms – like pain, eg metatarsalgia may be treated with a foot orthotic that transfers weight to other areas of the foot during walking
- Support – eg orthotics to support high arches.
- Maintaining aligment
- Prevent injuries & deformities developing:
- Eg prevents shortening of the Achilles
Types of orthotics:
- Accomodative
- Semi-Rigid
- Rigid
- Semi-Prothesis
Your orthotic should be:
- Comfortable
- improve rather that impede walking – they should facilitate painless rolling of the foot during ambulation.
Footwear in Orthopaedics
Shoes for Everyday
Wearing shoes that protect the normal shape and function of your foot is vital to preventing injury and pain.
‘Healthy’ shoes are those that promote the smooth transfer of your weight through your heel to toe while providing adequate support of your arches and joints.
There are a number of ways to ensure your shoes are ‘healthy’:
- Buy shoes that fit your feet well, rather than expecting shoes to stretch around your feet. Remember that while leather will stretch gradually, synthetic shoes will stretch very little.
- Try on shoes at the end of the day after walking around. Our feet tend to swell towards the end of the day, making them bigger.
- Rotate your shoes. Wearing the same pair of shoes day after day can alter your foot shape and function.
- Reduce the risk of shoes rubbing on edges of the foot by buying shoes with a wide toe box.
- Lace-up shoes and boots
Try to avoid wearing high-heeled shoes, especially if you have lower back pain or arthritis in any of the joints in your legs.
Who uses specialised shoes?
There are a variety of reasons that a podiatrist or orthotist will recommend specialised footwear, including protecting the feet from further injury, controlling symptoms like pain or supporting deformed feet.
Some conditions that use specialised shoes include as part of their treatment include:
- Arthritis of the hip, lower back, knee, ankle or foot
- Overuse injuries like stress fractures
- Soft tissue conditions like metatarsalgia, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, Morton’s neuroma and posterior tibialis tendon dysfunction
- Support for flat or high arches
- Protection and prevention of deformities, including bunions, diabetic and rheumatoid foot changes, hammer toe, mallet toe and claw toe
- Prevention of reinjury, eg ankle sprain.
Modified Footwear
Modifications can be designed to fit a deformed foot, to stabilise feet or improve ambulation.
Modifications include flares, which provide stability;
extended shanks to reduce bending stresses; rocker soles to rock
the foot from heel strike to toe-off; and relasting, or reshaping,
shoes to accommodate deformities.
Orthoses
Orthotics are shoes, shoe inserts or leg braces that alter the way the leg, foot or ankle sit and move. These are most often foot orthotics or shoe inserts. Other orthotics include supports for the ankle, knee, hip or combinations of these.
Uses for orthotics include:
- Relieving symptoms – like pain, eg metatarsalgia may be treated with a foot orthotic that transfers weight to other areas of the foot during walking
- Support – eg orthotics to support high arches.
- Maintaining aligment
- Prevent injuries & deformities developing:
- Eg prevents shortening of the Achilles
Types of orthotics:
- Accomodative
- Semi-Rigid
- Rigid
- Semi-Prothesis
Your orthotic should be:
- Comfortable
- improve rather that impede walking – they should facilitate painless rolling of the foot during ambulation.