Orthotics, anyone?

[Pocket_Pony]

Following up on my post in the hip pain club thread, I saw a new doctor who did very comprehensive testing to see if he could isolate where my pain is coming from, and if my back pain and hip pain are two different things (they are, which I already told the other orthos but they thought maybe the pains were related).

Part of this doctor’s testing was looking at my foot conformation and doing a gait analysis and he thought that I have a “forefoot valgus deformity” that is at least contributing to the pain I have (lateral hip, calf, knee, arch of the foot), if not a primary cause. He suggested orthotics to help.

Anyone here have orthotics? Do you ride with them in your boots? Did they make any difference when riding? Did they help the symptoms of your back/hip/knee pain?

At this point I’m so fed up with going to various doctors and being ushered in and out in 10 minutes with nary a diagnosis or good treatment plan afterward that I’m willing to at least try what the doctor who spent over an hour with me evaluating my gait and all other sorts of movement patterns suggests.

[stryder]

I wear orthotics. I found a wonderful family-run shop near my home and buy all my shoes there. Except barn boots. Those I buy from RedWing, and add the orthotic. The third-generation family member is an orthotist.

Using orthotics predates my hip pain and subsequent replacements. They do help minimize knee pain, but the main reason I got help was because my feet hurt so much.

I wear them all the time. You don’t really need special shoes, as long as the shoe itself has removable footbeds and is deep enough to accommodate the orthotic.

[Kyrabee]

Good luck. IF you can get the right ones, they really help. I have dorky feet. High, stiff arch and I over suppinate. Tore the peroneal tendons in one foot (surgically repaired) and now have tendonitis in the other foot…exact same spot that has been painful for > 1 year despite lots of treatments, including orthotics. I have had 2 goes at custom orthotics and have been disappointed. The last ones I have had adjusted 3 or 4 times and they still aren’t comfortable. I didn’t notice any difference riding…just made my feet hurt.

Right now I am just wearing heel wedges ($6.95 apiece from Amazon). The wedges (high on the outside) are supposed to take the stress off those the perineal tendons. My current orthopedic surgeon is not big on orthotics and I have not had good luck with podiatrists. The good thing about the heel wedges is that I can afford several pair and have them in each of my 2-3 pairs of shoes and boots. I hate getting ready for work and then having to chase down the last pair of shoes I wore to get the orthotics.

I too am having pelvic issues and am post right total hip. Since I had to wear a cam boot for a month to try and heal the tendonitis in my left foot, my pelvic and leg muscles on the right are all jacked up. I don’t know which comes first…a funky gait from the feet hurting the pelvis/hips/back or the pelvis/hip/back issues mess up the feet? Kind of a chicken or egg issue that I’m not sure anyone can determine (all kind of opinions though).

Good luck…don’t give up. I keep thinking I will come across someone that will figure it out:confused:.

Susan

[bingbingbing]

I will be following this thread as I need custom orthotics for a bad foot injury. Does $350 sound like the going rate for them?
Kyrabee, I think those boots are so hard on the body. I needed a boot on one leg for six months and three months on the other.

[scruffy_the_cat]

I can’t find the study I saw years ago which tested OTC orthotics like Superfeet/Spenco/Lynco against the pricey custom ones and found that the OTC ones did just as well for most pronation/stability issues. For metatarsal issues I can say that Superfeet won’t be a good choice as they don’t have any support there, but their rear-foot support is great. Just get fitted- don’t just take them off the display.

I work for an outdoor outfitter and sell the things (not on commission- doesn’t affect me if people buy them or not), but I also wear them to get rid of knee pain due to pronation and have my son in them to get rid of ankle pain due to his flat feet. They work really well.

[Kyrabee]

Bingbingbing.
$350 is reasonable as far as custom ones. I think my first pair was $400 and the last pair was $300 plus about another $150 in adjustments over the time I tried to live with them.

Susan

[Pocket_Pony]

I’m putting my fitting on hold because I only want to change one factor at a time.

Right now, though, I’m having some nerve pain in my left foot which is driving me bananas!

[LesleyW]

I have custom ones, back from the days when I had a real job with benefits…
I admit, I’m really bad at actually using them, despite the fact that they make a fantastic difference in my level of hip and knee pain.
They don’t fit in boots, nor most of my shoes. If I pull out the insert sole of my runners, they fit fine, but I can’t wear runners all the time.
Costco has a pretty cool active display with a machine that analyzes your foot and recommends an insert. I think they’re around $60, for two sets.

[walkers]

You can get better OTC orthotics from foot solution stores or aetrex in sole on-line also birkenstock has been making them for 50 yrs. Lots of options other than the rip off ones from the Docs. Hey I have a friend who is a orthotist and makes mine for free so i don’t have to get the cheaper ones. However the ones that fit in your running shoes will not work in dress shoes. For riding OTC are fine . Remember the expensive ones that are well made will not fit in your regular size shoes. If your insurance will pay for them and BCBS used to, then buy your riding shoes/boots wide and a little long take them in and have the orthotics fit those boots. If you are going to use them in running shoes you must buy neutral shoes.
I assume you post or jump otherwise you would not be on your feet long enough while riding to cause that pain. The pain then may be from a saddle that doesn’t fit you or a uncomfortable horse or the length of your stirrups, you get the picture.
Yes think of a chain from your back to your feet the more that hangs straight the better your joints will feel. not able to get all this info in the post but a really good P.T. will spend more time with you and be able to evaluate you better than any doctor working in todays environment.
just my 2 cents based on doing orthopedic pain management for 20 yrs.

[walkers]

Oh saw someone post. You must take out the in set that comes with your boots/shoes. never just put orthotics in a shoe without a removable lining.

[LookmaNohands]

I have them. They work great for me. Get the kind where they make a cast of your foot. I had a physical therapist do mine and he watched me walk etc and also recommending exercises to do to stretch my “hind foot.” LOL.

[red_mares]

I have a pair of custom orthotics. Big waste of $$$. I’ve done better with SuperFeet. Whether I use them or not depends on the shoes. In the super motion control sneakers - not so much, in the less restrictive stability sneaker I use them.

[SaddleUp158]

I have orthotics in every shoe I own. If the shoe is not already an orthotic itself, I make sure my inserts will work in the shoe. I originally used the New Balance orthotics on my podiatrist’s recommendation. However, now, I am seeing a chiro and he has some with better support for what I need. I over pronate when walking and have plantar fasciitis. At some point I may get the custom ones but for now the over the counter ones are working fine. My doc is able to customize these for me by adding to the support in different areas depending on the degree I am rolling inwards.

Vionic by Orthoheel is a great orthotic shoe. That is just about all I wear now.

[Pocket_Pony]

[QUOTE=SaddleUp158;8324254]

Vionic by Orthoheel is a great orthotic shoe. That is just about all I wear now.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for this info - I’m looking at their website now and they have some shoes that are actually cute! Thank you!

I stopped wearing my one pair of Clark’s and I feel better, actually. Don’t know what it is about Clark’s but I remembered that another pair I had years ago also made my feet hurt and so it must be something about the way they are made. Funny, I had stopped wearing heels because I thought they might be the problem. I do have one pair that is very comfortable and wore them out last night to a cocktail party. I’m not pain free today, but I do feel like my pain isn’t as acute, so that’s good! I’m going to check out a specialty shoe store in town and see what they’ve got.

[SaddleUp158]

Also keep an eye out on ebay and amazon. You can often find the previous year’s styles for much much cheaper. I have a hard time buying these shoes at full price.

[amastrike]

I freaking LOVE my orthotics!

I broke my leg about 5 years ago, and apparently when it healed things weren’t quite lined up. I couldn’t be on my feet for more than 30-45 minutes without excruciating lower back pain, to the point that I could not take a deep breath because it hurt so much.

So I went to a podiatrist and got fitted for orthotics (which involves having strips of plaster-infused material molded to my foot for an exact fit). It took a few weeks to get the orthotics in.

Holy crap. The orthotics have eliminated 90-95% of the pain. One day I was wondering why my back was hurting so much, and then I realized that I had forgotten to put the orthotics into my shoes.

Definitely go to a podiatrist and get fitted for real custom orthotics… not those stupid “custom” orthotics Dr. Scholl’s advertises on tv. There is nothing custom about those.

[scruffy_the_cat]

[QUOTE=amastrike;8325034]
I freaking LOVE my orthotics!

I broke my leg about 5 years ago, and apparently when it healed things weren’t quite lined up. I couldn’t be on my feet for more than 30-45 minutes without excruciating lower back pain, to the point that I could not take a deep breath because it hurt so much.

So I went to a podiatrist and got fitted for orthotics (which involves having strips of plaster-infused material molded to my foot for an exact fit). It took a few weeks to get the orthotics in.

Holy crap. The orthotics have eliminated 90-95% of the pain. One day I was wondering why my back was hurting so much, and then I realized that I had forgotten to put the orthotics into my shoes.

Definitely go to a podiatrist and get fitted for real custom orthotics… not those stupid “custom” orthotics Dr. Scholl’s advertises on tv. There is nothing custom about those.[/QUOTE]

Just keep in mind that clinical studies have shown that certain brands of OTC orthotics are just as effective as custom orthotics for the treatment of certain types of foot and structural pain. I agree that many brands of insoles are “stupid”, but not all of them are.

[amastrike]

[QUOTE=scruffy the cat;8325193]
Just keep in mind that clinical studies have shown that certain brands of OTC orthotics are just as effective as custom orthotics for the treatment of certain types of foot and structural pain. I agree that many brands of insoles are “stupid”, but not all of them are.[/QUOTE]
Sorry, I should have been more clear–my “stupid” comment wasn’t about the insoles themselves, but rather Dr. Scholl’s advertising them as being “custom”.

[scruffy_the_cat]

I like to run down Dr. Scholl’s products in general since I’m a cranky-type person, but I have to give them a little credit with those orthotics. I like the customization part because a lot of people do buy the wrong size OTC orthotics- they buy based on shoe size and not heel/arch fit- and then complain about them.

I think overall they are too soft to help enormously but for conditions like plantar fasciitis, they should be just fine. The independent research does support limited use of orthotics of this type.

[Pocket_Pony]

Coming back to say my problem is under-pronation vs. over-pronation, so I don’t know that the Vionic shoes would be right for me??