Custom Foot Orthotics Phoenix Arizona

 

New Orthotics: A Little at a Time

By K. Jeffrey Miller, DC, DABCO

I just returned from an orthodontic visit with my daughter. She is my fourth
and final child who requires braces. I feel sorry for her, as I did for the rest
of my children when they were in this early stage of correction.

The first few months are especially difficult. Each adjustment of the braces
and the resulting increased tension brings new pain.

Luckily, the braces are tightened only a little at a time. Can you imagine if
they tried to move everything all at once? That would be exceedingly painful.
Even though the correction is necessary, there is a need for gradual
movement. The body must be allowed to adapt to the changing position of the
teeth.

My daughter’s recent trip to the orthodontist reminds me of the break-in
process needed for the application of flexible, custom-made stabilizing foot
orthotics. It is best to break orthotics in gradually. They should not be placed
and then worn continuously in their early application. Patients’ problems seldom
develop overnight. When problems do develop, healing, support and correction
take time. The body must be allowed to adapt.

Once a patient has been scanned or casted and you have received their
orthotics, there are important steps you should follow in order to assure
optimum function and patient acceptance. I recommend you take the following
steps:

• After you have removed the orthotics from the package and shown them to the
  patient, demonstrate how the orthotics can be switched from one pair of shoes to
  another. Be sure to point out that the heel of the orthotic needs to fit snugly
  against the counter of the shoe.
• Explain that the orthotics need to be worn all the time and that in the
  beginning, the patient may experience brief periods of minor discomfort.
• Instruct the patient that if discomfort occurs, the orthotics should be
  removed from the shoes for about a half hour and then re-inserted. Reassure them
  that the break-in period can last as long as 45 days. Reduce break-in symptoms
  by improving the patient’s muscle and foot flexibility.

Help With Break-in

Improved balance and joint mobility may elicit some muscle soreness in the
lower extremities due to trigger points and myofascial restrictions in the feet
and legs. Improving muscle compliance with the use of devices such as a
self-massaging roller stick and a foot wheel device will address a vast majority
of the symptoms that can be associated with the break-in period.

Self-Massaging Roller Stick: Roll the stick up and down, 20 to 30
strokes two times a day, focusing on the calf muscles, anterior compartment,
quadriceps and hamstring muscles.

Foot Wheel Device: Roll the foot forward and backward on the wheel,
using a comfortable amount of pressure, for 20 to 30 seconds two times per day
for each foot.

Explain to patients that their bodies change with time. Just as they visit
their optician for correction of their eye glasses, go to a dentist for a
regular tooth checkup or (as my daughter has done) visit an orthodontist to have
braces tightened, their orthotics should also be re-evaluated in roughly one
year.

Final tips: Your patient’s shoes play an important role in the postural
complex. They are the housing and the structure that helps provide a foundation
for one-quarter of the bones in the body (there are 26 bones in each foot). The
very best stabilizing orthotics are custom made for the patient, but shoes are
not and there may be some shoes that the orthotics will not fit in correctly
because the patient’s shoes vary in size. Always make sure the shoe size is
correct for the orthotic.

Stabilizing orthotics will also mold to the shoe to a degree and will slip in
and out easier after several days of wear. The method of the shoes’
construction, fit and condition all play a role in how good a job they do in
helping support the body.

When shoes fit incorrectly, wear unevenly or are just overall wearing out, it
affects the patient’s posture and their ability to hold adjustments.

Should problems arise with the orthotics, look first to the shoes. This is
likely where you will find the problem.

Time is a factor in all healing and correction, whether in orthodontic
correction or spinal and postural care. Slow and steady wins the race.