Orthotics, by definition, are inserts worn in your footwear to help treat a podiatric problem. Under that broad umbrella are several kinds of orthotics used for multiple purposes such as reducing pain and discomfort or correcting balance and pressure issues and alleviating other symptoms brought on by injury, deformity, misalignment or degenerative disease.
Types of Orthotics
Orthotics can be custom made or purchased over-the-counter at a pharmacy or sporting goods store. The ready-made variety offer a minimal amount of additional support but can be used to relieve minor discomfort. Custom-made orthotics are available by prescription and designed to fit your individual foot structure, gait and disorder. They are made from a digital scan of the patient’s foot, which provides a computerized picture and analysis of the foot or a mold made from a plaster cast taken of the foot. Prescription orthotics provide greater support and correction than the over-the-counter kind and are also more durable. Within the category of custom-made orthotics, there are two classifications:
Accommodative: usually made out of soft materials, this type of orthotics provide cushioning or padding to protect a painful area on the foot or to reduce pressure that is causing a foot problem.
Functional: designed to correct or compensate for mechanical problems with feet and ankle motion and the pain and discomfort that results from them, these orthotics are made of more rigid materials.
At Lansdowne Podiatry we use orthotics to treat a wide range of ankle and foot conditions, including:
- Bunions
- Flatfeet
- High arches
- Corns and calluses
- Heel pain
- Toe deformities such as hammertoe, claw toe
- Neuropathic ulcerations
- Pain in the forefoot
- In-toeing and out-toeing
To find out if orthotics can help relieve foot, toe or ankle symptoms you may be experiencing, make an appointment with our podiatrist, Dr. Monique Renee Rolle at our Leesburg office by calling: (571) 223-0424.