What do you think of when you hear the word orthotics?  Let me guess, your grandparents’ footwear right?  Let me tell you that your grandparents may have been onto something.  I highly recommend orthotics for a lot of my patients.  So much so, that we have decided to add these as an offering at Better Life Chiropractic and Wellness, LLC.  I don’t like to turn this blog into a sales pitch, so I have decided to give y’all a little information as to what orthotics can do and who they are best suited for.

Obviously orthotics, like anything else, aren’t for everyone.  The people that do see benefit from them, are never going to want to be without them, though.  Who are these people that will benefit most from orthotics?

I recommend orthotics for most of my patients that are into sports that traumatize the legs, like running, people who stand all day and people who experience a lot of foot and lower leg pain.  Let me explain how all of this works.

When you use custom fit orthotics (more on that in a moment), your arch is re-created, which helps the foot better absorb the shock that is put into it on an everyday basis.  When the arch is functioning how it is supposed to, a lot less stress will be put on the joints and the muscles throughout the body, but particularly the ankles, knees and hips.  By taking the pressure off of these, many activities are more easily tolerated.

The next question, is what type of orthotic is best for you?  There are a lot of different varieties on the market today.  Obviously some of these are good options, others I wouldn’t recommend for anyone.  Podiatrists seem to favor the hard plastic molds, there are some that are made of leather and other components, and I’m sure you have all seen the commercials for the Dr. Scholl’s “Pain Relief Orthotics”.

Of these varieties, I would highly recommend getting your foot scanned for custom-made orthotics.  The hard-plastic and the leather/component versions are both very good.  I would stay as far away from the Dr. Scholl’s version as I could.  In my opinion they are taking advantage of consumers and making their product seem like something that it isn’t (they bill it as a custom orthotic, but we all know that something that fits multiple people is not custom).  The Dr. Scholl’s version may help, or it may make your condition worse.  Don’t give up on orthotics if you have fallen for their marketing and it didn’t help you.

The reason that the hard-plastic and leather/component versions are so much better is they are molded specifically to your foot.  They take into consideration all of the little quirks that are present in your body and they design a product to eliminate the problems that can be caused by that.  The hard plastic version is usually molded to your foot, the leather and component varieties usually require a pressure scan of your foot to ascertain where the orthotic needs to support.

Of the two choices that I recommend, I usually push people to the leather variety.  The reasoning behind this, is a matter of opinion.  The hard-plastic versions does a very good job at changing the mechanics of the foot to the way that they are supposed to work.  What they don’t do is move with the foot.  If you are put in a position where your foot isn’t on a level surface, the orthotic isn’t going to adjust.

The leather/component varieties have corrected for this, and are easily adaptable to inconsistent surfaces.  I think this makes them the better product overall.  If you are going to use the orthotic for normal, everyday walking, either variety will probably work fine for you.  If you are going to use it for athletics, or more aggressive terrain, the leather/component varieties will probably be your best bet.

How much can you expect to pay for these different varieties of orthotics?  Unfortunately the prices of these are all over the board.  You can get the Dr. Scholl’s variety (again, I highly recommend you don’t) for around $30.  The leather and component versions will cost you between $100-300, but they will last for 3-5 years depending on what you are using them for.  The hard plastic varieties can cost anywhere from $200-750.  They are likely to last longer than the other varieties, as they are made of more stable resources.

If you would like to check into these products a little more deeply, or you have any questions about them, please let me know.  I would love to take you through this a little more in-depth.  I do highly recommend these for most athletes, people who are on their feet a lot, and people who have problems with their lower legs.  They really do an amazing job of easing some of those aches and pains.

If you have questions, or would like to discuss this further, please contact me at:

Jeffrey L. Cumro, Doctor of Chiropractic, Certified Personal Trainer
Better Life Chiropractic and Wellness, LLC
          Better Care > Better Health > Better Life
          10700 Sapp Bros Dr, Omaha, NE  68138
402-210-1472
BetterLifeNE@gmail.com
www.BetterLifeNE.com