Orthotics Specialist

What are orthotics?

Orthotics are prescription shoe or heel inserts used to ease pain and improve mobility. They are much more effective than over-the-counter insoles. 

The team at Sarasota Foot Care Center customizes orthotics to support the unique structure of your feet. This provides relief for foot and leg pain without the need for more time-consuming or invasive treatment.

Who benefits from orthotics?

The team at Sarasota Foot Care Center regularly prescribes orthotics to:

• Correct foot deformities
• Improve foot and ankle function
• Provide support to the ankles
• Reduce the risk of future injuries

The team often recommends orthotics if more conservative treatments, like at-home exercises, stretching, and lifestyle modifications, don’t provide relief.

What conditions can orthotics treat?

Orthotics are beneficial for a variety of medical conditions, including:

• Arthritis
• Foot pain
• Gait abnormalities
• Bunions
• Bursitis
• Diabetes
• Flat feet
• Hammertoe
• Heel spurs
• High arches
• Sports injuries 
• Plantar fasciitis
• Heel pain
• Tendinitis
• Morton’s neuroma

You might also benefit from orthotics if you regularly experience ankle pain due to instability, general wear-and-tear, or a previous injury. Orthotics can also ease back pain and leg pain caused by your gait or posture.

Are there different types of orthotics?

The team at Sarasota Foot Care Center offers several types of orthotics, including:

Rigid orthotics

Rigid orthotics are hard, inflexible, and made of materials like plastic or carbon fiber. They’re skinny and easy to slip inside of your shoes.  

Accommodative orthotics

Accommodative orthotics are bulky, soft, and made of spongy materials that provide cushioning for your feet and ankles. Because of their size, you wear accommodative orthotics on the outside of your shoes.

Braces

Orthotic braces support injured or weakened soft tissue or joints. Braces are especially beneficial for people recovering from sports injuries, ankle instability, or foot drop, a condition that occurs following a stroke. 

Sarasota Foot Care Center can also prescribe Dr. Comfort® diabetic shoes.

What happens during an appointment for orthotics?

At Sarasota Foot Care Center, an orthotics appointment begins with a review of your medical history and a discussion of your symptoms and lifestyle. Your provider asks about the severity of your symptoms, what makes them worse, and what makes them better.

Next, your provider has you walk around the exam room and perform a series of range-of-motion exercises. This enables them to observe your gait and posture. 

Your provider then examines your feet and toes, looking for signs of an obvious deformity like a hammertoe, bunion, or high arches. They also have you walk on special foot pads to determine the exact location of the foot problems causing your pain.

After gathering all of this information, your provider takes molds of your feet. They send your molds to a medical laboratory that manufactures your custom orthotics.

Many stores sell products called orthotics but provide no service. Sarasota Foot Care Center makes sure your orthotics work for several years. You don’t just get an orthotic but also years of expertise in the art and science of orthotic creation.

Schedule your orthotics appointment at Sarasota Foot Care Center today. Call the office or book a consultation online.