LIVING WITH ORTHOTICS!

The success of your orthotic treatment depends greatly on you and your expectations. If you maintain your orthotics in good condition, you can expect them to last for years. But as your age or face new physical demands, the needs of your feet may change. Follow-up visits with you podiatrist may help control new foot problems before symptoms develop. Realistic Expectations: Your foot problem took time to develop, so don't expect your symptoms to go away overnight. But if you wear your orthotics as instructed, your symptoms can lessen over time. Also keep in mind that your orthotics can help you move more comfortably, but they won't change the structure of adult feet. Your orthotics will work only if your remember to wear them. Orthotic Care: Your orthotics must be in good condition to do their job. By replacing a torn or badly worn covering, you can extend the lift of your orthotics. Lost posts or additions should be replaced to avoid new foot movement problems. If your orthotics crack, begin to lose their shape, or start rocking in you shoes, they may need replacing. Follow-up Visits: Once you're wearing your orthotics full-time, regular podiatric checkups can help you maintain the health of your feet. As with contact lenses, your orthotic prescription may change over time, and your podiatrist may recommend new orthotics. Children, athletes, and people with health concerns affecting their feet may require special care. Your podiatrist will recommend a foll-up schedule to meet your individual needs. Moving with support: Your feet no longer have to ache with every step. By controlling foot movement, your orthotics can make it easier to get on with your life and the activities you enjoy. Help yourself keep this symptom-free pace by wearing your orthotics daily and visiting your podiatrist regularly.

CUSTOM ORTHOTICS

TRYING OUT YOUR NEW CUSTOM ORTHOTICS: After your orthotics arrive from the lab, your podiatrist will make sure they fit and correct your movement problem. You may be asked to walk with your orthotics in your shoes to check for sharp edges or rubbing. Minor adjustments may be made by your podiatrist, but extensive changes may require returning your orthotics to the lab. BREAKING IN YOUR ORTHOTICS: Getting used to your orthotics takes time. They may feel strange, even uncomfortable at first. But if your build up your daily wearing time as your podiatrist instructs, you can get used to the feel of your orthotics. You'll probably be wearing them full time by the end of 2 or 3 weeks. SELECTING SHOES FOR YOUR ORTHOTICS: Orthotics usually work best in shoes with a closed toe and low heel. you may be able to your pair in similar types of shoes. But if your wear different shoe styles or enjoy a sport that makes special demands on your feet, you may need more than once pair of orthotics. When you're shoe shopping, remember to wear your orthotics. Your want to be sure they fit and don't slip in the shoes you want to buy.

FITTING YOUR CUSTOMIZED ORTHOTICS

To meed your unique needs, your orthotics can be custom built from different methods of casting the feet. Our office uses a TomCat Scanner - this is a 3-D scanner - we make a 3-D image of your feet to reproduce images to be used to create your custom orthotics. We also have biofoam impression where we evenly compress your feet into the biofoam for the impression. Another way is using casting supplies with plaster or casting socks where we use water and hands to form the plaster or casting socks to your foot. Which ever casting device is used - the scan or cast is sent to an orthotics lab where a trained technician with then craft your custom orthotics to meet your specific prescription and fit the model of your foot. Your can expect to receive your new custom orthotics anywhere from 2-4 weeks.

Different Types of Custom Orthotics

Rigid Orthotics: Rigid orthotics are made from study materials such as steel, graphite, or special plastics. They offer the greatest control of foot movement. In young, growing children, rigid orthotics may improve the way the bones of their feet develop. Rigid orthotics may relieve bunion pain by controlling over pronation and the pull of tendons on our big toe joint. Semi -Rigid Orthotics: Semi-Rigid orthotics control foot movement and increase shock absorption. They are often made of flexible plastic, and may help reduce strain on soft tissue overused during strenuous activities. Semi Rigid orthotics may relieve inflammation of the plantar fascia caused by over pronation. Soft Orthotics: Soft orthotics cushion your feet when they're on the ground, but offer only limited control of foot movement. Made of spongy plastic or foam, soft orthotics are lightweight but slightly bulkier than the more rigid varieties. Soft orthotics can redistribute weight away from a callus on the bottom of your foot. Accommodative Orthotics: Accommodating orthotics protect your feet from the stress of weight bearing. Made of cork, foam, or leather, these orthotics may have indentations or raised areas to take pressure off tender parts of your foot. If a medical problem places your feet at risk, accommodating orthotics may protect your feet from sores and infection.

AN ORTHOTIC FOR EVERY NEED

Orthotics come in a variety of materials, ranging from rigid plastic to soft foam. All of these materials can be shaped to fit your individual foot. The rigid orthotics offer the most control of movement, while the softer one's provid better cushioning and protection. When prescribing your orthotics, your podiatrist makes the best match between your needs and the qualities of the materials. Customized Support: Unlike shoe inserts bought in a store,m prescription orthotics are built to meet the unique needs of your feet. Ask your podiatrist about constructing orthotics to fit the special shoes you wear often. Orthotics can be made for dress shoes, athletic shoes - even ski boots. The Post of Orthotics: The post allows only the amount of the heel motion that your podiatrist prescribes. The Plate: The plant controls flattening of the foot and holds your arch in place. The Covering: The covering is placed over the plate to reduce any friction between your foot and the orthotic. Additions: Additions may be added to extend the orthotic out to your toes. Accommodations: Accommodations are indentations or raised areas that may be added to the plate to protect tender parts of your foot.

YOUR PODIATRIC EVALUATION

To determine your best treatment, your podiatrist looks for the cause of your symptoms. A medical history and a foot exam help diagnose your problem. Your podiatrist may also test the range of motion in your joint, from hips to toes. If necessary, you may be scheduled for imaging or lab test to help confirm the diagnosis. Your Medical History : Does foot pain interfere with your job or keep you from a sport you enjoy? To learn if orthoses may treat your problem, your podiatrist asks about your symptoms and how they limit your activities. You may also be asked about medical conditions affecting your overall health. Imaging and Lab Tests: Your podiatrist may order x-rays to study the bones of your feet. sometimes special imaging tests, like CTs, are ordered to assess damage to soft tissue. Routine lab test, such a blood analysis, may help evaluate your general health. Your Foot Exam: During this hands-on examination, your podiatrist looks for the problem causing your symptoms. He may feel for displaced bones or swollen soft tissue. Your feet may also be examined for sores and/or other skin changes. To evaluate blood circulation, your podiatrist may check the pulse, skin color, and temperature of your feet. The strength, reflexes, and sensation in your feet may be tested, too. Testing Your Range of Motion: To help diagnose your problem, your podiatrist may test how far and how smoothly your joints move. Depending on your symptoms, range of motion may be tested in the joints all the way from your hips to your toes. Your podiatrist may also watch how your lower body moves when you walk or run. Your podiatrist may use a tractographto measure the range of motion in your subtalar joint. Your Treatment Plan: After making a diagnosis, your podiatrist may recommend orthoses as the best treatment for your. Before prescribing your particular orthoses, your podiatrist may make a 3-D scanner image of your feet. this 3-D scanner image will help your podiatrist determine which type orthoses will be effective to help you with your foot pain and problems. This will also help your podiatrist to decide with Physical Therapy and/or surgery will be necessary.

WHY DO FEET FALL ASLEEP?

Sometimes if we sit on our foot funny, it falls asleep. What causes that? When your foot falls asleep, it is not blood but nerves. Nerves carry feeling from your body to your brain. When you stay in one position too long, sometimes you squash your nerves and lose feeling. After you move around, and the nerves are no longer compressed, the feeling in that part of your body comes back. So don't worry when this happens. Everyone has something fall asleep once in awhile. Just make use it is not your brain especially while you're at school or work!

PROBLEMS WITH LEGS AND FEET

Where would you be without your legs and feet? They do a lot to get you where your need to go. But sometimes, kids have problems with these important body parts. Their legs and feet might look different of might not work exactly the way they should. The good news is that these problems usually aren't serious. They either go away on their own or the kid learns to handle them by using stuff like special shoe inserts. PIGEON TOES - Pigeon toes, or inwardly turning toes, is a common foot condition in kids. It occurs when the front of the foot is turned inward, facing the other foot. Boys and girls both experience pigeon toes. Most kids' feet straighten naturally without any medical treatment. BOWLEGS - When someone stands with the feet and ankles together but the knees widely apart, we call that being bowlegged. Many babies are born bowlegged because their legs were folded tightly across their bellies while they were growing inside their mom. Bowlegs usually straighten once babies with this condition start to walk and their legs bear weight. By the age of 3, most kids grow out of this condition. KNOCK-KNEES - A condition where the legs curve in at the knees so much that the ankles are separated. Lots of kids become knock-kneed between the ages of 3 and 5. But around age 6, the body begins to straighten naturally, and within a few years most kids can stand with their knees and ankles touching at the same time. FLATFEET - Stand sideways in front of a mirror, rise up on your toes - can you see the arch (curve) in the bottom of your feet? Most of us have some sort of arch on the bottom of our feet between our toes and heel. Someone who doesn't have this curve might have flexible flatfeet. That means more of the person's foot surface is in contact with the ground. In a typical foot, that arch part wouldn't touch the ground. Most babies are born with almost no arch in their feet. Within 2-3 years , after kids have been walking for a while, the arch develops. Wearing the right kind of shoes - ones that are flexible, not stiff - helps kids feet develop the way they should. About 1 in 7 kids never develop a full arch. Very rarely, this requires surgery. Some kids might wear arch supports is their feet hurt. But most of the time, flatfeet do not cause pain or problems.

SMALL STEPS FOR YOUR HEALTH

SMALL STEPS FOR YOUR HEALTH! There are many things the "Experts" tell us to doe to prevent diabetes complications or type 2 diabetes - Choose health foods - make healthy meals - be active 30 minutes a day. But where should you start? It's not easy to do all of this every day living in today's fast paced fast food world. It can be even harder if you have a lot of changes you want to make! * ONE STEP AT A TIME! - It's easier to make lifestyle changes over months and years - Think of each small step as one piece of your effort to change your habits. ** BAD HABITS? - Accept that you have bad habits you need to change - If you believe you have a problem, you will probably succeed in making some changes. *** READY, WILLING AND ABLE! - To succeed at making lifestyle changes the change must be important to you - For example, maybe you want to live long enough to see your grandchildren grow up - You must have more reasons to change than reasons not to change. **** PICK AND CHOOSE! - Take what you want to do and break it down into small steps - Then think about the few things you are ready, willing , and able to change - Leave other habits that you don't feel ready to change for another time. ***** TAKE A LOOK! - Think about your current habits - How active are you? - Pick some changes that you want to do the most and that will make the biggest impact - For example, take 15 minute break from the TV and go for a walk. ******SETTING GOALS! - For each goal think about 4 things: How long will you try to reach this goal? Keep it short - How often will you do this? - Is it easy to do in your regular daily like? Keep it realistic - Is it limited in scope? Be specific - Set 1-2 goals at a time - For example for the next month (how long). 4 days each week (how often) I will take a 15 minute walk after lunch 3 days a week (realists and specific) - Write them down - Put them in a place where you will see them often - on the refrigerator - your bathroom or bedroom mirror, or in your purse of wallet. ******* HOW DID YOU DO? - Once the time you set is over, look at the goals you set - Did you succeed? Did you set your sights too high? Did something happen in your life to keep you from being successful? If you were successful, give yourself a BIG pat on the back (or maybe a trip to the movies!) ********WAIT!! YOU ARE NOT DONE!!! - Making a change for 2 weeks or a month does not mean that it will stick for life - It is so easy to slip back to your old ways - Practice the new habits faithfully - It will take months before they become your way of life - If you weren't successful, try again - Revise your goals or choose easier ones - Make sure they contain the four parts of setting a goal that's within reach - Make sure you want to make changes in this area and that you believe you can!