Orthotic Insoles

[sanguine_emma]

Hi hannah

Been meaning to reply for a while but been a bit useless.

These insoles. Are they to correct pronation? if so it sounds like they are making it worse - knee rolling in, weight on big toe, feet sticking out (that's what mine are like without the orthotics in!) If they are actually for correcting supination (ie the opposite), it could be that they are just over-compensating a little. Or it could be that you are actually being properly corrected, it's just that the new style of walking feels weird. For ages it felt like my toes were pointing inwards, even though they were straight. And the weight transfer changed (with bad consequences!) These days it feels quite natural, although my feet revert to type the minute the orthotics are removed. As for walking clumpily - yes, it does feel like that to start with, I remember it well. In fact, I'm going through the whole clumpy thing again with my new softer ones right now!

I think I'd be inclined to go back to Peter and get his opinion. They might say it's OK, but you don't want to take chances with feet, in my experience.

Love Emma xx

PS - you can just phone up the orthotics department and ask for an appointment - you don't have to be referred or anything. They can usually get you in within a day or so.

[sarahh]

Hi Hannah I agree with what emma has said about them sounding like they are making things worse. Did you get your orthotics from a podiatry dept? if so it might be worth getting hold of them and explaining what is happening and that they made need looking at again and perhaps adjusting. I hope this helps.

Sarah x

[hannah]

Thanks chaps,

On Thursday I thought 'oh, I seem to be getting used to them - I'm walking better amd my hips don't ache as much' and then realised that I had worn them for a total of about 30 mins all day. hmmm. probably not a good sign.

They should be right - I mean they fit the casts of my feet very nicely, but I can't help thinking that plaster casts probably aren't as flexible as the real thing Maybe the fact that my feet can grow up to an inch in length when I stand isn't helping.

Without them I have flat feet which are inclined to point out, which with them seems exaggerated. Maybe I will stop wearing them for a while, and will try to see orthotics at some point. Right now I just cant face the hassle and the whole trying-to-explain-something-important-while-drunk thing. Mind you, I may feel more up to it in the morning...

[Shadowlady]

Hey hey Hannah,

How about writing to them and describing it? Or maybe even taking a photo? They should be able to let you know whether you can carry on breaking them in slowly, or whether you should stop using them and go in. You could always say that you don't want an appointment for a month or two?

I've only ever worn shop bought orthotics, so I don't have much experience to share, only that my feet have liked them for ages, now they seem to be getting worse . Ah well. Hopefully my stoopid physio will let me see the other physio who is apparently 'really good with feet'.

Take care honey,
S x

[sarahh]

Hi Hannah when I first got mine I was told to build up the amount I wore them with first starting wearing them for 10 mins, 20, 30 and build it up each time.

Sarah x

[sarahh]

Hi Everyone I have a bit of a problem with my orthotics they are making my arches really sore and ache all the time. Where I have torn muscles in my arches is where it hurts. I have phoned podiatry at my local hosp and am waiting for them to get back to me. I have tried not wearing my orthotics and it hurts then aswell so I am not sure which is better.

Advice really appreciated.

Sarah x

[Sandy L]

My experience has been that if they don't hurt a fair amount when you first wear them, they won't supply enough support to help. If they hurt too much, though, you can't wear them. It usually took me about three days to adapt to the point I could wear them all day.

I had best luck with an over-the-counter brand that could be heated in boiling water to soften them and formed (in several steps) to fit my foot. Once I had them to a good fit, I filled in the hollow on the bottom with melted glue from a glue gun. That way, if they proved too high in some part of the arch, I could heat a putty knife over the stove, melt and scrape a bit off in that part, and try again. If they weren't quite high enough, I could add a bit of glue to build it up a millimeter or so more in that part of the arch.

[sanguine_emma]

Hi sarah

How long have you had these orthotics? It seems odd that they have started hurting again after you've got used to them. Have you changed shoes recently? I find they sit differently in different shoes and that can cause a problem sometimes. Can you go back to see your orthotist? In the end I was made some softer ones because of my propensity to get stress injury. Maybe something like that would be helpful for you.

on a related but different note:

Q. When is an orthotic insole not an orthotic insole?
A. When you have successfully worn down the inside of the sole of your shoe to such an extent that it cancels out the effect of the insole!

I've been looking for new shoes for months, but hitting brick walls repeatedly. I'm not fussy, don't really care what it looks like so long as I can wear it for work, it fits my insoles in and is comfortable on my rather weird feet. OK, maybe that's a tall order . I finally hit the end of my tether at the weekend and arranged to import a pair of my favourite brand (one of the only brands that make shoes that fit me) all the way from the US!

[sarahh]

Hi Thanks Sandy and Emma for your replies, I have had the casted ones made to fit my feet about 9 or 10 months now I think. My local podiatry dept phoned me back today and I have an appointment in 2 weeks time.

My physio has done ultrasound on my arches today, She said that I have tendonitis again in both feet and where I have torn muscles in my arches previously the scar tissue from them and the hard orthotics are making the problem worse. I have been given exercises to do with my feet after taking dogs for walks and general walking. I can only wear my orthotics in my boots as my others shoes are kind of like little ballet type shoes and are too big for these. I have noticed for a while that I was tipping over the edge of my othotics and just cushioned them with padding and that helped for a while.

I think it's probably my own fault for not doing something about it sooner, typical me leave it till it gets too bad.

Take Care and thanks again

Sarah x

[Jaws]

Thanks chaps,

On Thursday I thought 'oh, I seem to be getting used to them - I'm walking better amd my hips don't ache as much' and then realised that I had worn them for a total of about 30 mins all day. hmmm. probably not a good sign.

They should be right - I mean they fit the casts of my feet very nicely, but I can't help thinking that plaster casts probably aren't as flexible as the real thing Maybe the fact that my feet can grow up to an inch in length when I stand isn't helping.

Hi Hannah!

How are you getting on with them now?

I too am 'breaking in' new custom made orthotics. The whole issue of hypermobility raised its head a few months ago when a back problem flared up (it turns out the MRI I've just had done reveals 3 large, bulging discs in the lumbar region alone - one so large it is eroding the spinal cord covering!) The experience seems to have left me with a partial disability to my left foot i.e. I can't control it as I can the other one, exacerbated by an underlying problem of pronation and flat feet.

I read with interest your query about the cast being taken with the foot raised and the arch high (i.e. not flat, therefore the foot being shorter, a different shape etc.) I wondered exactlty the same thing when I was having my casts made! When the Podiatrist did a biomechanical assessment of my feet, she was astounded that the measurements taken showed that my plates of meat are apparently 'ridiculous' - they are the weirdest feet she has ever seen, and way way off normal measurements. It was she who mentioned the word 'hypermobile' and has solved the mystery of the weird things that have been happening to my body over recent years! Nobody else has spotted it, just calling me 'bendy' etc!

Anyway, to answer your question, I would have thought that the podiatrists would have considered our considerable anomalies (excessive pronation and flatness etc) when making the casts, so in answer to your query, I guess they know what they are doing (???!!!) I hope so.

Are yours made from carbon fibre? I went privately, as the orthopaedic clinic I went to for my back said they no longer have podiatrists (cost cutting and all that) and that they wouldn't have been able to do any better than the inserts I bought from Scholl (which I found very helpful by the way). I found this totally unacceptable, as by this time I had a grossly swollen ankle and the pain was terrible - torn tissues etc. I decided to go privately and get help immediately, as the shop assistant at Scholl said I needed a State Registered Podiatrist urgently, and that this would also help my knees, hips and back.

For anyone reading this and wondering about going privately, it was very easy (I found one via the internet and got an appointment in 2 days). It costs about £25-£35 for an appointment and you can get a full biomechanical assessment where they look for anomalies.

The custom made orthotics cost a lot more - £250 including the casting and fitting etc with the podiatrist. The good news is that they are solid (carbon fibre), indestructable and should last a lifetime. The bad news is that I have just read some of these posts and now wonder whether 'hard' is a good thing! It took a few weeks between the initial assessment and actually getting the orthotics.

I too am having a bit of discomfort breaking them in Hannah - when I walked to the corner shop last night I said to my partner that it felt like I had them in the wrong way round! It was agony.

I also have been told to just wear them for a short spell each day and to increase the time.

They fit best in my ankle boots. Trainers are not quite as good, and my ballet pumps are a 'no no' apparently. I think I will keep my smaller Scholl inserts for days I want to wear more attractive shoes!

The podiatrist said that a little discomfort is normal, but that it is very important we look out for any other problems with them, as at this stage we can still send them back to the manufacturer and get them altered at no cost. I have got to phone her in 2 weeks, and again 2 weeks after that with a progress report.

Apparently she has done hundreds of these orthotics and only ever sent 2 back. Even before I had put mine in my shoes she said "...but your feet are so unique that I just know we are going to have to send them back!!!"

Keep in touch and let me know how you get on! It's nice to know there are others out there wondering exactly the same things, and going for the same treatments etc.

Good luck and I hope this really helps you! I was in terrible pain when cooking last night, but when I popped my inserts in my slippers I had immediate relief. Maybe we just need to stand still!!!

[hannah]

Me, Stand still? the best approximation I can do is a gentle sway

Anyway, orthotics. They are, I think, settled in OK. I didn't go back to the chappie cos I just didn't have the energy . My right foot still seems to 'flatten' more than the left and I really don't think it is supported enough, but I think it is better than nothing so I am just letting it be. The toes pointing out might be a side effect of the neuro stuff I have going on.

I used to walk on a very 'narrow base'. After my january collapse the Drs kept on mentioning that I didn't have the 'wide based gait' they would expect to go with my other symptoms. Well, with the orthotics, I walk with a much wider base (although probably only about normal) - I found this intriguing so I tried walking with a wide base (well, normal) without orthotics, and my knees kept collasping inwards and my feet rolling over inwards and pronating with rather painful enthusiasm. needless to say it was a short experiment. I concluded my orthotics were therefor doing a good job, even if it might not be perfect! I wonder whether my body automatically weighed up the options:
narrow base=more unstable, possible fall, little pain versus
wide based=more stable, probable fall due to knee collapse, definite pain, ow, stop it.
and concluded that some wobbles and a possible fall was the better option?
Or maybe the orthotics just make me walk more normally.

Having said that I have been noticing an ache at the back of my ankle - achilles tendon area I think. not major, just a slight, dull ache which has been there a while now :hmmm:

I didn't have any assessment done other than "stand up. hmm I see you pronate. sit down, put your feet in this foam". I'm afraid this didn't give me much confidence.

I hope yours settle in well.

Incidentally, can anyone else make their feet shrink by using muscles to bring the ball of the foot closer to the heel? (mainly the big toe) I can make mine shrink a few cm. So if I stand on one foot and shrink the other it looks very odd!

Hannah

[sarahh]

Hi Everyone

I went to the my podiatrist today about my orthotics situation and she said that when they were molded they asked for high arches as my feet were collapsing but now my feet have change and she said they would definatly be hurting me due to the height of the arch. She has taken my orthotics and said she will try and get the orthotic arches lowered or a new pair made and if after this is I am still having trouble with them I would probably be better without them as I have done without them for quite a while now due to the pain in my feet and the pain has gone since I haven't been wearing them. I think maybe with my feet they are probably doing more harm than good.

Sarah x

[dremcatcher]

Hi everyone
I just thought i'd chuck my tuppence in, I haven't posted in ages mainly because i've been doing really well since I started seeing a great physio.

I have been given some temprory insoles (in october) and am waiting for a bio mechanics appointment, was told it would be about 6 weeks wait & I thought great that was quick. But nearly 6 months later i'm still waiting, so I called them yesterday & left a message, well this morning I got a phone call from the podiatrist apologizing for the wait and promised to post me a replacement pair of temp insoles to keep me going untill i actually get my appointment. Then she called me back 5 mins later to say that it would really help if she had my shoe size!
I kind of went of track a bit there but what i'm trying to say is if your waiting for a while it might be worth giving them a phone to see how long it's going to be because sometimes you do get forgotten about.

Iona

[sarahh]

Hi Iona I'm glad to hear you have been doing really well. I was told that I would have to wait about 5 months for mine but ended up waiting about 8 months in total I think the problem comes when they cover alot of areas doing the orthotics and not enough staff. I was also told that apperently they do childrens orthotics first. I hope you manage to get you orthotics soon. Let us know how you get on.

Take Care

Sarah x

[TED]

I am having a real problem getting shoes that my daughters orthotic insoles fit into. She has very broad feet and the insoles bring her feet high up in the shoe. She has not been wearing them for a while as her feet have grown and they now hurt in the trainers she was wearing. I have taken her to a special shoe shop where they take their time to fit the orthosis properly but our second attempt today was another failure. I am at a loss as to what to do.

Any suggestions?

TED