Why orthotics

History:

Shoes were originally designed primarily for appearance' sake and were considered a status symbol.  As more people acquired shoes, they demanded better comfort.  Early innkeepers began making insoles from matted animal hair (later called felt) to relieve the travellers' pain.

Shoemakers modified the insoles by laminating leather strips together, and molding them to the shoe lasts, shaping them by hand.  This was the beginning of arch supports, albeit often heavy or bulky.

With the invention of electricity, machines, and more sophisticated materials in the early 1900’s, arch supports became more comfortable and affordable for the general population.

During the 1960's, thermoplastics, lightweight and durable, changed the way arch supports were made.  Medical professionals began using a mold or cast of a person’s foot,  creating a rigid orthotic, defined in medical terms as a brace that supports a specific body structure. More significantly, applying scientific principles to both the foot’s structure and to foot orthotics led to the development of foot supports that can actually control the function of feet, legs, hips, back, and neck. 

Continued process improvements to custom made orthotics actually enable them to  help correct foot deformities (such as bunions, flat feet, etc.) that cause people all over the world to endure pain in the feet, legs, hips, back, and neck.

Importance of Orthotics

It's NOT NORMAL for feet, back or legs to ache!

Your feet are your foundation.  When the foundation is strong, the building will stand for many years; however, when the foundation is weak, the building soon crumbles and needs repairs.  Similarly, when our feet have problems, the body is out of balance and alignment, muscles are tense, and the joints in our lower extremities begin to wear down, causing aches and pains in the ankles, knees, hips, lower back, and often the shoulders as well.  Muscles begin compensating for each other, trying to ease the discomfort when ankles and knees bend inward or outward, one hip is lower, spine is crooked, and one shoulder drops.  Arthritis can set in.  When the body is properly aligned, muscles are relaxed, and the pain disappears, enabling you to apply your energy and focus to productive issues.

Types of Orthotics

Even though there are many different orthotics on the market, there are basically only two kinds of orthotics:

• supportive orthotic, rigid and inflexible, typically made from a cast or mold,

• corrective orthotic,  has the arches built into the orthotic, and is flexible, as if there is a built-in shock absorber, to cushion the foot, and to help strengthen the muscles, ligaments, and tendons in the foot.  This restores the arches to where they belong

The foot has four arches - metatarsal, transverse, medial, and longitudinal.   Ped-Tech Orthotics have all four arches built in, and are therefore known as the replication of a normal foot.  They fit in any shoe except a lady's pump that has a heel higher than 1 1/2 inches.  In this case, the foot rides forward, and the heel tends to walk out of the shoe. 

When an individual pronates (walks on the inside of his foot), or supinates (walks on the outside of his foot), with either one foot or both, his body is out of alignment, from the ankles, right up, the knees, hips, spine, shoulders, and neck.  The Ped-Tech orthotics is custom made to correct for the problem, which realigns the entire body, and, bonus, gets rid of the pain!

Good body balance is a challenge for anyone with problem arches.  When the arches are not working properly, the balance suffers because the muscles cannot relax.  Contrarily, when the arches are working well, or with a Ped-Tech orthotic, not only does body balance improve dramatically, but also does your strength, stamina, energy, and posture.  Quality of life increases significantly, as the muscles relax, and the pain disappears.