Misconceptions Part 2 Custom Foot Orthotics

Here is a continuation to the common misconceptions regarding custom foot orthotics that I wanted to share with you. 

“I don’t like to wear shoes in the house, I always like to be barefoot so I’ll never wear orthotics.”

For someone who likes to be barefoot as much as possible, I try to educate them on the benefits of wearing their orthotics. The more that you are able to wear them, the more benefit you will get out of them.  For many of us, we are not allowed to be barefoot at work or when shopping, running errands, working out etc., so your orthotics can still be used for a large portion of each day and you will benefit from them. 

“I only wear sandals from April to October so I wouldn’t be able to wear orthotics.”
There are fantastic sandals, Naot is one of my favourite brands that has a removable foot bed and your custom foot orthotic can be built directly into your sandal bed.  So for those who love sandals you can still get the support and correction from your orthotics in your favourite sandal.
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“I wear so many different pairs of shoes, it would be too difficult to wear orthotics having to change them between shoes.”
It's really not difficult to switch your orthotics between footwear. Especially given that for most people, there are only a few pairs of shoes that we wear about 80% of the time. For the odd pair of shoes that you wear for a special occasion or once a week for an hour, don't worry about it. Most people once they are used to and comfortable with their orthotics opt to get a second pair. This reduces switching pairs of orthotics between shoes.  

My child is too young to need custom foot orthotics, they are still growing, we’ll wait until they or older or see if they grow out of the problem. 
Your feet are your base of support that have a significant impact on how everything else develops from the ground up.  By age 4 how we walk has already been determined. So waiting during the vital growth years for your child to stop growing will not help their foot function or their overall biomechanics or development. 

​Children who require custom foot orthotics are no different than children who require eye glasses, if you need them, it doesn't matter what age you are, you  will benefit and they become part of the health needs for that person. 
We see many children in the clinic who have foot pain, plantar fasciitis, pain in their big toes etc. , due to how they run and walk and wear custom foot orthotics. 

I am concerned my child will outgrow their orthotics, so I better wait until their feet stop growing.
For parents who are concerned that their children will outgrow their orthotics before they outwear them, there's no need to worry. As orthotics will need to be replaced every couple of years at the most, and possibly sooner, it's highly unlikely that your child will outgrow his or her orthotics.  Most foot growth happen distal or past the end of the functional part of the custom foot orthotic.
For those who are really worried, our one partner lab has an outgrow program that you can enroll in that will ease any concerns. 

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