Worried about the price of custom orthotics and not wanting to sell your sole? Deciding between the cheaper or the more effective option is often the greatest dilemma. When it comes to orthotics, the latter almost always exceeds the price. Custom orthotics can be pricey and may or may not be covered by insurance depending upon the type of insurance the patient has. Even so, they have been proven for many years to have a pristine record when it comes to quality of treatment.

Standard over the counter orthotics today are built to specifically treat one type of running injury. It has been found that most running injuries were caused by overpronation- the inward rolling of the ankle. These foot inserts are built with a built-up arch and a slanted heel to prevent this, something known as pronation paradigm. The problem with this orthotics is that though effective to some degree, every runners gait has a different slant and every individual has a different contour to their feet. Optionally, patients can try these over the counter treatments and see the results for them self. If you try running with the inserts in, and you do not see any improvement or face even more discomfort, it is time to consider custom orthotics designed to specifically focus on your own cause of damaged tissue. The results of over the counter orthotics like foot insoles show varying results because different individual runners experienced differing responses to the same features offered in standard orthotics. Moreover, more and more recently, studies have been showing that not as many running injuries necessarily involve pronation. Because of this, custom orthotics built to your specific foot slant to treat your specific injury is far more effective. In a 1993, 95% of 520 patients reported that their injury reached complete or near-complete recovery using custom orthotics. (Moraros J, Hodge W: Orthotic survey: Preliminary results. JAPMA, 83:139-148, 1993)

Custom running orthotics can correct a large variety of foot problems such as controlling abnormal motion, treating foot pain, and even things as simple as sore feet. Patients often turn to Functional Custom Orthotics to treat injuries such as shin splints or tendinitis. Alternatively, Accommodative Custom Orthotics treats diabetic foot ulcers and painful calluses. They are only created by podiatrists after completing a full and thorough evaluation of your feet, ankles, and legs so that the custom orthotic is personally tailored to target your area of stress given your lifestyle and needs.

Despite the cost, the proper and rigorous treatment custom made orthotics offers entails priceless benefits to your health and daily life. To gather more information on this topic please talk to a podiatrist or feet specialist.