At Be Podiatry, our team of podiatrists take great pride in our ability to manage the foot and ankle pain of our community, providing diagnosis, education and management for your concerns. Through thorough assessment of a patient’s circumstances, mechanics and overall foot posture, our team establishes a root cause of a patient’s pain, and provides a comprehensive management plan focussed on getting patients back to what it is they love doing, whether that is sport, walking the dog, or general day-to-day activities.
Often used in our clinic are custom, semi-custom or prefabricated orthotics, or insoles. The primary role of orthotics is to provide support or structure for the foot, or to redistribute pressure from the underside of the foot, away from a point of pain. In order to effectively prescribe an orthotic for you, our team performs extensive biomechanical assessment of your foot and lower limb, taking into account specific exercise or activity in your life that would benefit from the addition of an orthotic.
It is worth noting that while orthotics are a fantastic means of reducing foot or ankle pain, they are not a permanent fixture in your life once your podiatrist has prescribed them. Our team at Be Podiatry are firm believers in the notion that orthotics are not necessarily a life sentence, but rather a means for getting better. It is important to remember that often pain is a result of our body placing too much pressure or load through a particular area. An orthotic allows us to reduce this discomfort by shifting pressure away from the problem area, while our team of podiatrists curates a management plan that addresses the root cause, whether it relates to reduced muscle strength, increased tension or tightness, or reduced range of motion at a particular joint.
On occasion depending on the issues that are presenting clinically we may encourage you to wear your orthotics during aggravating activities longer term (e.g. work or particular sports or activities). In circumstances where a patient is dedicated to working on their foot health and strength we endeavour to ‘wean’ you out of these devices over time should the situation allow for this.