Our podiatrists are experts in determining the cause of your aches & pains from the gound up. Your feet, legs, posture, walking & running will all be assessed to determine what is correct or what needs assistance. Your shoes are also a big factor, so remember to bring in 2-3 pairs of the most frequently worn pairs. Everything is then explained to you in plain English (no jargon here) and you are given treatment options for your situation. You are the boss in the room, we give our expert opinion, but ultimately you decide your treatment. Sometimes it is just buying the right type of sports shoes, or some exercises or massage. We don't put everyone into orthotics, but they are a significant part of our treatment plans as some people will need them regardless of how good their shoes are. If you have bunions, you are one of nearly 400 people each year that we see and our bunion specific orthotics are used in a variety of shoes and yes people do run marathons in them.

Firstly, there are pre-made orthotics which, per pair are typically between $100 - $150 and on average last 12-18 months. This lifespan is all dependant on the amount of activity, the body weight of the wearer, the type of sport (twisting court sports are very hard on all orthotic types), type of shoes, etc, so we cannot give an exact timeframe on the longevity.

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Secondly, there are custom-made orthotics and whilst these increase in cost to over $500 a pair, we counter that by providing a 4 year guaranteed lifespan on the structural components of the orthotics. Typically, they last 5-6 years, which means that in 25 years, you may go through only 4-5 pairs which is good value for money. Beware the practitioner who says you need new orthotics every year as the only thing worn out may be the covers, which are replaceable. Custom-made orthotics also have extra features like bunion splints to minimise the rate of bunion development, so there can be more advantages to custom-made vs pre-made.

After more than 30 years of helping kids, I must say that, unfortunately, genetics wins in the end. If your child has inherited your flat feet, then orthotics may only take the aches & pains away, but not permanently improve the arch height. Lets be realistic, when the December school holidays start, a lot of kids kick their shoes off and don't put them back on until late January when school starts back. So the custom-made orthotics they were prescribed has not been worn for 6-8 weeks during some of the most active times of the year. So, basically you can't wear a device part time and expect a permanent result. Orthotics work like glasses, they do NOT work like braces on teeth. If any health professional tells you otherwise, please seek a second opinion. 90% of the time pre-made orthotics are sufficient to help your child, but we do see some children with severe pathology or even bunions in childhood and those cases do need custom-made orthotics.

Yes, they have improved, well ours have! All podiatrists are able to order soft or hard orthotics and they can also order cushioned covers to 'soften the support' of a hard shell. Overall, we use semi-flexible shells and nearly always use, at a minimum, a 3mm topcover such as neoprene (wetsuit) so that the foot is cushioned and to minimise the chance of blisters. The structural shell material is individually prescribed for each patient and is dependant on their foot size, body mass, arch height and activities. For example, a 100kg male with a size 12 low arched foot needs a stronger polypropylene shell than a 45kg female with a size 6 high arched foot (she needs it to flex a lot more). So one size does not fit all and you need to see an experienced podiatrist to get the right device for you. Here is one of my favourite sayings to patients (& when supervising podiatry students) - "Don't ever give an orthotic to a patient that you wouldn't dare give to your mother in-law....because she will never forgive you if it is too hard."

Unfortunately, there is a LOT of misinformation out there and it ends up confusing the public. There are very, very few sports shoes that have arch supports in them - pull out the insole and see how flimsy it is and then look at how flat the shoe is inside. What some models do have is a firmer midsole material on the inside heel section of the shoes, which means that you don't pronate (roll inwards) as much. These type of shoes suit 90% of the world as 90% of us have pronated feet from mild to excessive amounts. A shoe should not allow you to move and roll around too much and it should NOT be squishy soft the first time you put it on - it will only get softer over time. 

Here is the best tip - try model A on your right foot and model B on your left foot and walk/run around the store. Go for the shoe that has 'structure with some cushioning' and then get rid of the other one and put on model C. Do this a few times and then put the pair on. Colour and a $20 price difference should be your last decision.