Custom orthotics are designed to address specific foot function issues for individual patients. While regular orthotics work well to help support or correct these musculoskeletal issues, a ?one size fits all? solution is not always the best. Health care professionals who work with orthotics have some ability to customize prefabricated orthotics for each patient. A patient using pre-fabricated orthotics is diagnosed and prescribed a basic orthotic device, which is fitted in the best possible way to suit the patient's needs. However, in most cases, custom orthotics will help correct or relieve a problem much quicker and easier than standard ?off-the-shelf? orthotics.

As prefabricated orthotics are only customised to an extent, it often means the issue being corrected is not addressed as well as if custom orthotics were used. Every issue for which orthotics can be used is different. The patients? musculoskeletal structure, weight, age, etc., all have a bearing on the amount and type of correction the orthotic device must do. With so many variables affecting the issue, it is difficult for any prefabricated orthotic to properly correct every foot function problem. Custom orthotics, when prescribed by a healthcare professional who is well versed in foot function disorders, are made specifically to address the issue being faced by the patient and they are made to suit the patient's specific physical circumstance and needs.

Many patients are concerned about the extra cost and effort needed for fitting custom orthotics. Each patient must weigh the benefits of custom orthotics for their particular circumstance. 60% to 70% of people have abnormally functioning feet that could benefit from custom orthotics. Abnormal foot function and alignment is the source of a large number of other disorders. Pain in the knees, hips and back are commonly caused by problems with the alignment of the patient's feet. These issues can result in poor alignment and other pain and discomfort elsewhere in the body and leave the patient more prone to injury and further pain.

Your feet are the foundation for the rest of your body and that's why any issue with alignment can translate into problems elsewhere. Custom orthotics work like a shim to correct poor alignment and put your body back on a solid and level foundation.

Two of the basic foot issues corrected by custom orthotics are pronation, and supination. Pronation is the inward rolling of the foot. People who are flat-footed or ?knock-kneed? have varying degrees of pronation. Unless corrected by custom orthotics, pronation of the feet can result in shin splints, achilles tendinitis, posterior tibial tendinitis and plantar fasciitis.

Supination is the outward rolling of the foot. Excessive supination places a major strain on the ankle and the muscles and tendons that stabilize it. Supination can cause the ankle to rollover and increase the likelihood of ankle sprain and ligament rupture, unless it is corrected by custom orthotics.

Left uncorrected, pronation and supination can cause arch pain, heel pain, corns and calluses, knee, hip and back pain. Pronation and supination are best corrected and prevented by using custom orthotics in the form of orthotic inserts for your shoes or, in extreme cases, full orthotic devices. The healthcare professional who fits you for custom orthotics should perform a foot-strike and gait analysis which outlines exactly the type and amount of correction you need. If custom orthotic inserts are needed, it makes sense to have them made for a number of different shoes so your pronation or supination can be corrected regardless of what activity you are doing. It would be best to start with new footwear, chosen in consultation with your healthcare provider. Pronation and supination cause shoes to wear unevenly to compensate for the condition of the foot. If you use old shoes, it forces custom orthotics to compensate for a poorly aligned shoe as well as poorly aligned feet.

When using custom orthotics, it is important to make sure you purchase and use quality footwear. Many budget priced shoes do not offer the support needed to help the orthotics work. Use shoes that are not too tight so the custom orthotics have the space they need to work.

The professional custom orthotics specialists at The Urban Athlete know how to correct and prevent poor foot function.