Several times a week people come into my office complaining about either a custom orthotics or an over-the-counter shoe insert. Usually, the story goes that they spent a considerable amount of money on a device that was supposed to solve all their problems but didn’t solve anything, and in some cases made their feet feel worse!
Sometimes, certainly not always, the person that sold them the shoe insert will refund their money. However, often there are “fees” attached so the buyer does not get their full refund back. There are rarely if ever any other options offered.
I have been making both custom orthotics and over-the-counter shoe inserts for over 30 years. And even with a podiatry degree and all this experience I still don’t always get it right with an orthotic or shoe insert the first time.
Making orthotics or shoe inserts is something of an art. I can determine how much correction someone needs, however, the question is how much correction can they tolerate? By watching someone’s gait, determining the flexibility of their joints, considering their body weight and type of shoes they wear, I can make a very educated and usually correct determination as to how much correction I can build in an orthotic to accomplish its task and be comfortable for the person using the device.
But, one of the most important things is that I can always adjust the orthotic! Whether the adjustment is needed at first or even after six months or a year, a simple tune-up of an orthotic can make it work great again. In my office, I have heating devices, grinding devices, and a whole little mini lab which I use to make orthotic adjustments.
One thing I do not do as a rule, however, is to make adjustments on orthotics which I did not originally make. The reason for this is because they are usually made out of materials I am unfamiliar with and I do not know how they will respond when I heat them or grind them. If for some reason the orthotics are damaged while doing the adjustment there is no recourse with the manufacturer.
At Austin Foot Health Specialists, we pride ourselves on offering a wide choice of both over-the-counter and custom orthotics. We customize our over-the-counter orthotics with both heat and grinding as needed to customize the device for a particular patient’s problems. We also offer a 100% money back warranty on custom orthotics. If custom orthotics do not work after having been adjusted we will provide a full refund.
So many custom-made devices, from braces on teeth to eyeglasses for eyes, need to be adjusted. I never understood why custom foot orthotics or even over-the-counter shoe inserts should be any different.
Learn more about orthotics from Austin Foot Doctor on the Austin Foot Health Specialists website.