Orthotics

Family Foot Care Clinic is the only podiatry or orthopedic practice which manufactures

our own custom orthotics in our orthotics lab located on our premises. Unlike many

“orthotics” which are actually just arch supports, our orthotics are functional orthotics.

This means they move in the shoe to keep your feet in the correct position throughout

the entire gait cycle.

A functional orthotic is far more difficult to make correctly than a simple arch support.

For this reason, standing x-rays are then taken in our facility for all of our patients. A

plaster cast is made for every pair of orthotics. This must be taken while the foot is

maintained in a corrected position. Since this is so important, all plaster casts are taken

by Dr. Neuhoff, who has cast thousands of patients. The orthotics are made by Britnie,

who has been making them for FFCC for 11 years.

Once the orthotics are made, you are allowed to keep the plaster molds. These can be

used to make an additional pair or to replace an orthotic which is lost or damaged.

If your feet are painful, Dr. Neuhoff will recommend a course of treatment to alleviate the

pain and be sure the orthotics are made correctly to maintain your comfort.

If your problem is caused by simple plantar fasciitis, usually 2 weeks of strapping will

resolve most of the pain. Dr. Neuhoff applies the tape and evaluates the response. If

your heel pain is complicated by another problem such as tarsal tunnel, which is a

common cause of pain and often unrecognized, other pain free options such as laser

therapy or acoustic wave therapy may be discussed with you.

Many patients do not actually need a custom functional orthotic. Patients with pronated,

flat feet usually do well with an OTC arch support. Patient with a supinated foot which

rolls to the outside usually require a custom orthotic since an arch support rolls the foot

further out and makes it worse. Unfortunately, many patients with supinated feet are

misdiagnosed as flat feet because the front part of the foot rolls inward to compensate

for the supination.

A simple test you can do at home is to look at the heels of your shoes. If they are worn

down on the outside your feet are probably supinated. If the heel is worn on the inside,

you probably are pronating and can use an OTC arch support. We can provide you with

a list of good arch supports which you can usually buy for less than $100 a pair.

Our orthotics generally last at least 10 years. If any modifications are needed, we can

usually make them while you wait.

So, if you have painful feet, especially if you have supinated feet or have tried OTC

orthotics which have not resolved the problem, make an appointment with FFCC. We

can make an accurate diagnosis and discuss many options of treatment that will allow

us to alleviate your pain.