Orthotic Insoles

[jakerleen]

Hi everyone

Dom got his insoles on Tuesday and the doc said to build it up half an hour at a time, but he won't be able to do that it hurts him so much. He's going to do 10 - 15 minutes at a time. The doc said that it is going to be painful and the longer you've needed them the worse it will be, he said his feet legs and back will hurt and this will carry on for a while.

So we're hoping that in a few weeks he will be wearing them to school so I hope that it will all help him in the end.

Jackie xxxxxxxxxxxx

[Eiblis]

We are lucky to be covered by medical insurance. Prof Grahame referred my daughter to a podiatrist, who did a lazer scan of her foot, it showed her shoe size to be a size 4 when lying down, when she stand up though she needs a size 6. They recommended orthotics which arent covered by insurance but I paid for them and they did a gait analysis, which we received the full report on.
She started wearing the insoles in gradually and noticed her knee and hip were less painful, however her ankle is getting worse.
She has tried leaving out the orthotics, but then realizes that the knee and hip and then lower back get more and more painful, and the ankle pain is at least isolated.
When we returned to see the podiatrist he believed she should be pain free, Kat expressed surprise as now we know she has been diagnosed with EDSIII she admitted to being in pain since she was about 6.
He asked us what Xrays had been done on Kat in the past, only once has she been X-rayed, that was for her ankle 2 years ago. All other visits to A&E have resulted in us walking away, dismissed as she didnt swell or bruise they told us there was nothing wrong just take painkillers for a few days till its better.
Anyway he has arranged for her to have an MRI to see if they can find a cause for the pain she is experiencing.

[ombili]

I went and got my new molds made last Friday so that I can get my new orthotics (probably mid-December) - I have needed them for over a year, but my health insurance policy says that they are "not medically necessary" unless you are diabetic, so I have to shell out the $500 myself. I was so sad when the podiatrist said that I need to get new ones once a year. How am I supposed to do that? I don't have the money even to pay for them now, and had to charge them so that I can pay them off slowly...

So now in an odd way I am hoping that they don't help as much as I remember them doing because I don't want to have to pay $500 a year for them.

[Sandy L]

It's a nuisance, but a physician can often request pre-authorization for things that are a bit out of the ordinary. It involves some paper work or perhaps writing a letter, but your insurance might be willing to see the light.

[naama]

Just a quick question on orthotics. Does anyone know how often you should get orthotics checked out to make sure they are still correct? I got my last two pairs done privately so I'm not sure whether they're OK to keep until they wear out or whether they should be checked once a year or how often?

[nat05]

my podiatrist said to get them checked about once a yr as mobility in joints can increase/decrease or to seek assistance as soon as any additional pain starts. In May my knee pain went up a notch and was worse when i wore the orthotics so i saw podiatrist who reassessed my feet and told me my ankles had lost mobility so the old ones were no longer suitable.

for a 'normal' person its not such an issue, but for us it is doubly important any aids we may use are providing the best support possible.

hope that helps
xx

[naama]

Thanks Nat. I guessed about a year was probably right and generally that's about when I've had new ones made. No-one has ever checked my old ones though to see whether they are still suitable, they've just taken my money for a new pair.

[sarahh]

Hi Naama I had to have mine altered as they made the arch supports high for my feet and then my feet changed and I was getting pain and my arches were tearing all the time so I had them check and altered to lower the arch support although I gave up wearing mine as they ended up doing more harm than good to my joints.

Sarah x

[Blaadyblah]

I went to see the orthotist nine weeks ago and was told to expect a five or six week wait. I called this morning and they've not heard anything back on my new feet.

So I is still waiting for mine.

[nat05]

your feet are coming from USA tho blaady!!! Sarah, could they not provide moulded ones for you? Mine had to be alterd a couple of times til they found the right ones for me and said if the pain starts again next tiem ill have to have them made to measure which i think may have to happen as ankle mobility is decreasing!
xx

[Shadowlady]

Ello,

I got my new orthotics six weeks ago, thought I'd post to tell you about them.

They are nice and squishy, some sort of foam, 3/4 length, and they're really quite high. Weirdly, as they were taken from casts of my feet, the left one is really high, and the right lower, which I find odd as my left is my good side, you would have thought my bad side would need more correction than my good side?

Anyway... they felt really weird to begin with (high!) but still comfy, and they've got comfier. My pain levels have not as yet! They're still higher than before I got these insoles. Very much so! Though they are coming down again. My back has been ever so naughty, and my inflammation has flared up properly for the first time in years. It finally seems to be settling down now as I get used to my new, improved posture, it is quite simply easier to stand straight. It really hurt a lot first though!!!

My legs LOVE them, before Christmas I'd become incredibly nervous about walking on my leg as the stoopid thing kept trying to collapse under me and it was a brain strain to keep from injuring myself every day, however, with my new insoles my legs are automatically nice and straight and SO much more stable than they were - hurrah! And my legs, instead of saying "Please don't walk on me, please!" now say "EXERCISE ME NOW!!! COME ON LETS GET MOVING" and I have quite enjoyed 'exercising in' my new orthotics to get my muscles used to them! Tis Lovely!!! Yes, to begin with my legs ached ridiculously and seemed to need stretching at least 4-5 times per day instead of their usual 1-2 times, but with all this exercise, they've got used to their new alignment and they don't arf feel fab! (Now I just need my back to finish settling... though to be fair that's not 'just' HMS, it set off my facet joint syndrome too and it needs a lil more time to hush up)

Although they my legs feel much straighter, I'm wobbling more in my ankles, I asked my physio to have a look, and apparently my legs aren't quite as straight as they feel to me, so she's advised me to go back to my absolutely lovely orthotist-dude to see if they can be any better, or if this residual wobblyness comes under 'it's HMS deal with it'! He's expecting me anyway, as he told me it can take a few goes to get them just right. Hopefully any adjustment only needs to be small as I don't want another big pain flare to get used to some really different ones!!!

How's everyone else getting along?

Take it easy tigers,
S

[Rachel1985]

Hi,

I got my first pair of orthotics yesterday, they were made at UCLH when I last went up for physio. I'm finding them really hard to walk in! It feels like I have a large pebble under each arch, and feels almost painful to walk, they feel ok and quite comfy when just standing & weight bearing, but the rolling movement the foot makes when you walk is really painful! I know they must be ok fittings wise, as they were moulded for my feet with casts at the hospital and the physio has checked them. Just wondering how long it takes to get used to them? I can't imagine wearing them at the gym or doing anything in them at the moment!

Thanks
Rach

[Bones]

Hi Rach,

Are you gradually building up each day wearing them? I got my orthotics 2 weeks ago and had to wear them for an hour on the first day and then build it up by an extra hour a day. they do feel weird to start with but you have to remember that your feet need to get used to them and they can also affect your ankles and knees. I had a very achy ankle and knee after my first week but now I am at the end of the second week I feel much better. I havn't tried exercising with them yet as I have been advised to wait at least six weeks ,although I must admit, I'm not sure how comfortable they will be as they are very hard. I will keep you posted on that one.

I hope you get used to them soon and if you are not happy you must go back with them, they may need adjusting, although they are made specifically for you, they do sometimes need slight adjustments.

Take care

Sandra

[Fiona-Jane]

my physio is sorting me out a referral to the podiatary dept of my local hospital. its about 10 foot from the physio unit (the hand injuries unit is 10 foot in the opposite direction ) so she knows all the guys really well and assures me that they will do a good job. she also arranged a referral for the hand injuries unit (i got appointment in april to get a custom made brace as my hand keeps falling off even though i'm wearing the ill-fitting brace she gave me...).


and there is no waiting list for the podiatary dept so i'll get seen pretty quick! woo hoo! so soon i hope to have a bit of relief and reduction in the leg and foot pain!

fi xx

[loosebones]

awesome fi!
thanks also for reminding me to chase my referral!