Orthotic Insoles

[sarahh]

Hi Sue I am sorry to hear you have been messed about they should have sorted this out before you got there. Silly dept I really hope they get you sorted asap.

Sorry hun don't know anything about the foot cradle but wanted to reply to your thread.

[cuddles]

i got my new insoles this week
but i was measured up for them on january 6th (this year )

sue ,sorry to hear you are suffering
if you need to let some steam off you know my email address

hugs
me
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[sarahh]

Hi Cuddles I hope the new insoles help fingers crossed. Yikes long wait for them I know trouble is as you said to me last week there is only one person doing them for the whole of east kent silly people.

[Fiona-Jane]

hello all!

i got my new orthotic insoles last thursday and i was very lucky that i only had to wait about a month for them. usually the wait is longer but i expect that i was fast-tracked as the podiatrists were shocked at my feet and how i'd been walking on them without any corrective insoles for all these years. i was also told that my new orthotics would be outside the scope of their podiatry unit so they simply took plaster casts of my feet and sent them off to another hospital in london (UCLH i think) and they made them and sent them back. considering that they were sent to such a large and busy hospital to be made i expected to have to wait at least 3 months so was very shocked when i recieved the phone call from the unit telling me that they were ready!

so far they are great! my feet love them, knees and hips are quite sore but nothing that i cant deal with and it all feels like muscle pain (like i've over done the exercise and i'm achy) so i expect its just the muscles that dont usually need to work this much moaning and having to work properly!

i need to go shopping now to get a new pair of work shoes. i need shoes that are either lace-up or have an elastic/velcro section across the top of my foot to hold my foot onto the insole properly. so that'll be my mission on saturday!

fi xx

[naama]

I'm going to pick my second pair up from UCH next week - the first pair fell apart in four weeks and the guy who saw me the second time said I need different things for each foot - my left big toe doesn't make contact with the floor when I walk without orthotics so he says I need something that reaches under my big toe on that foot but that the other one just needs a standard orthotic. After I pick them up I'm off to try to find shoes to put them in - what a nightmare that is. I hope they've made the orthotics narrow enough. The standard response is that because of the degree of correction I need they can't achieve that on a narrow orthotic. The best pair I ever had were made privately but the private physio I saw doesn't use the same technique any more. They were made using biofeedback to measure precisely where I was putting the most weight when I walk. However, the second time I saw him he used a machine that you stand on and it inflates around your foot. Totally useless because even with him moving my feet, the arches collapse completely when I stand up. My hubby keeps asking me why I don't just pay for a pair but I'm not convinced I could find someone to make a decent pair. UCH seem to think they'll last forever once they've been made. I think they should be reviewed fairly regularly but it seems the NHS won't pay for that.

[tzuki]

hi.

i hope this querry is in the right place!!!!

can anybody help me find some 'over the counter' insoles for a high instep? my doc suggested to try these first but i cant find any

i have pain in the arches of my feet. its just recently started so i want to stop it getting worse.

its a stabbing pain and it is now affecting me in the house and not just on the supermarket run.

many thanks in advance

tzuki

[cuddles]

tzuki
i would recommend you see a podiatrist
yes ,over the counter insoles "MAY" work ,but with most things you have got to think of the future ,and these "may" cause more harm than good ,but like i said "MAY".
go to the people that know ,all health trusts have podiatrist departments ( podiatry is the new name for chiropody in the nhs )

good luck
cuddles xxxxxxxx

ps ,they will get insoles made specially for you ,and not off the shelf ones ,also they will check your walking etc ,to see if there are any other possible problems they can help you with

[adele]

Sue, i have these http://www.richiebrace.com/
I was told that my ankles were so bad that these were actually the final straw and if these didn't work then i would HAVE to have my subtella fused. My orthopedic surgen is very understanding of EDS and knew that the op would be a HUGE risk and so he really didn't want to have to do it unless he had to.

I have found this splint amazing. I am just about to have the wheelchair people come round, but later (if i remmy lol) i will try and post some pictures of the difference it has made to my ankles.
maybe you could mention these if you haven't already seen someone (sorry i know you posted a while ago)
I showed them to prof G. at my last appt and he was VERY impressed and took photo's the physio there also took notes on what it was etc because they were so impressed with the difference they make!

I have had a few problems to, like my knees and hips are slightly worse because they are not used to my ankles being in the correct position therefore them being in the right position. and in the early days i had some problems with rubbing, but that has basically been sorted now!

sorry i have to go for now... but will write later.
lots of love and gentle hugs
Adele xXx <><

[Sue New]

Hi Adele,

Thanks for the info about the Richie Brace - it looks very good, particuarly as it is moulded to the individuals foot/ankle shape. I have not heard anything yet about the referall to the foot/ankle ortho, so if I have not heard by the end of the week, I might chase my GP up to make sure he has actioned the referral.

Best wishes,

Sue.

[Pickle]

Hi Guys,

Just thought i'd let you know that i went to see an orthotics specialist today and was treated like a VIP. He understood all about HMS and EDS as he used to treat a couple of children with it in his old job, he listened to what i had to say, took it all in and gave me some great advice. I told him how my present orthotics are ok but my feet still hurt after an hour of being on them, whether i'm just standing or walking, and he went into great detail about the adjustments that can be made to the new pair he is making for me.
He explained about the different materials used and their functions and he even let me choose the colour i want, i felt like a child again! But me being as i am i decided i want pink, only for him to say they don't have that colour, but he's going to try to get the material for me from America, what a great guy! He also thinks we (EDS and HMS patients) are great because we are aware of our bodies and really want to do something to combat the problem.
He is also going to do a wlking assessment of me in a month or so, basically i'll be on the treadmill, new orthotics in trainers, and he'll film me walking so that we can look back over it and see where there are any problems and discuss how to fix them.

I can't believe that just by seeing me sitting upright in the examination chair/bed thing, he could tell that i had slight scoliosis and this was affecting my hips. I've never felt like this before about a specialist, he took me seriously and really wants to help.
So if any of you guys are in the Suffolk area, pm me and i'll let you know the contact details for the company (not sure if i can post them on here).

The only downside is that it's a private company so could be a bit expensive, i'm very lucky because my employer is paying for all this treatment for me, but i think last time the scan and orthotics came to about £98.

Take care,

Anna

[barkingmad]

Lucky you Anna! It always makes a difference when you find somone who really does want to help. My orthotics guy is brilliant, he's making me a night splint for my elbows. But as I was referred for my elbows not sure he can help with my feet...worth asking though I guess. Saying that because my day elbow braces are black I asked if he could get me matching thumb splints instead of the normal flesh ones I usualy get from OT,and he did bless him. He also sees my son,and instead of me having to get separate appointments for him,he lets me take him in with me.
Donna

[Sue New]

Hi Guys,

My referral to the foot/ankle orthopod has come through now for September 4th. I have seen him once before, and to be honest, he is the typical arrogant orthopaedic surgeon. i remember he asked me to go on tiptoe and as I did there was a really loud clunk where my ankle dislocated - there were a couple of junior doctors in the room too, and one of them gasped audibly - it was quite funny really. Anyway, I am hoping that he will refer me back to the orthotics department to get a combined ankle/foot orthoses

Wish me luck.

Sue.

[Sue New]

Hi Guys,

It's my appt tomorrow with the foot/ankle orthopod so I am feeling a tad nervous about it. All I want is a referral to orthotics to be fitted for an AFO (as the podiatrist suggested) but I bet things will not be as simple as that.

I will be keeping everything crossed that things go well tomorrow

Sue.

[Rosie]

Hiya Sue

Hope all goes well tomorrow and you get the referral you want. Orthopods eh!



Rosie

[Sue New]

Thanks for your well wishes Rosie, they were much apprecited, especially with what you are going through yourself at the moment .

Well, I was pleasantly surprised today. The orthopod was very nice today, and after me briefly explaining the situation and where I am having the pain over the side and top of my foot, he siad he would refer me on to orthotics to have a biomechanical foot plate assessment, and that I my need some kind of orthotic boot (I guess this is the same as an AFO?).

Now I just need to wait for the referral to filter down to the orthotics department (even though I am already under their care for other splints and braces ).

Overall, I was very pleased with today's appointment - for once I was worrying over nothing

Best wishes,

Sue.