Custom Fit Orthotics

When suffering with foot or lower body pain there are two treatment options open to us. Should we look to custom orthotics or can ready to wear orthotics work just as well for us? Here I want to examine the pros and cons of both options in order for us to make an informed decision. Knowing which choice is best for us can in the long run save us our hard earned money as well as much frustration and disappointment.

Ready to Wear Pros

The two main advantages of ready to wear orthotic inserts are their easy availability and their low cost to the consumer. Some recent studies have concluded that the more sophisticated ready to wear orthotics (like Walkfit), have demonstrably shown themselves capable of improving several common foot complaints. These include an ability to improve pronation control and to alleviate the symptoms of conditions such as plantar fasciitis. In fact some ready to wear orthotics are actually designed to conform to the shape of the wearers foot, bridging the gap between off the shelf and custom orthotics.

Click Here To Visit The Walkfit Website

Ready To Wear Cons

As ready to wear orthotics are usually bought by shoe size it is possible that those who do not possess feet of a standard size may encounter some issues. In these cases even devices that have some customizing capabilities can be limited in their effectiveness. There are also instances where support is required in very specific areas, often this support cannot be obtained from a ready to wear orthotic device.

Custom Fit Pros

Of course the main (and somewhat obvious) advantage of custom fit orthotics is the very fact they provide the wearer with an orthotic designed to be a personalized fit. This can help the wearer to adapt quickly to the orthotic and they can help to correct specific biomechanical issues. Lifestyle can also be taken into account when designing a custom fit orthotic, these can include activity levels and amount of time spent on the feet. Another pro is that very often any added customizing or modifications required are usually included in the cost of the orthotic.

Custom Fit Cons

There are two main disadvantages to custom fit orthotics, these are cost and time. Because the skills of a professional are required when ordering custom fit orthotics, and then they must be manufactured in an orthotic laboratory, many find the cost of custom fit orthotics to be somewhat prohibitive. Because of the processes involved in actually supplying a pair of custom orthotics patients can also find themselves waiting several weeks before they receive them. not great if you are having to live with constant pain.

In Conclusion

In the vast majority of cases most people will respond very well to inexpensive, ready to wear orthotics such as those provided by Walkfit. Those of us with a foot shape that can be described as normal, and who fit into standard foot size charts, will usually find that off the shelf orthotic inserts can provide them with the biomechanical relief from pain that they are looking for.

It is those of us who fall into the category of having abnormal or non classical foot shape that will benefit most from a custom fit orthotic. They may find that a ready to wear orthotic device is too uncomfortable to wear and that they cannot adjust to it. This is where custom fit orthotics really come into their own.