Your doctor has recently told you that you need orthotic footwear. That is not uncommon, given the number of really bad and ill-fitting shoe choices that are on the market today. There are two ways this can go. Either you walk into a medical supply store and buy the first pair of orthotic shoes you see, or you go to a custom orthotic services location. If you opt for the latter, and you decide after the initial consultation that you want a pair of corrective shoes made to fit your feet perfectly, here is how this process is going to go, from start to finish.
The Orthotics Technician Takes Plaster Molds of Your Feet
Remember when you were a kid and you did plaster of Paris molds of your hands at camp or molds of your feet in art class? That is the same way this process begins. Expect to come to the orthotics clinic with clean feet, and leave with dirty ones. The orthotics technician needs to take plaster molds of your feet, while you are standing straight up in buckets of plaster.
The molds will show how your feet flatten, bend, buckle and otherwise do not do what ankles and feet are supposed to do while you are standing. The molds will also help the technician make wax and plastic molds for your new shoes. Then the soles of the shoes will be constructed in such a way as to alter how your feet and ankles work.
Choose Your Shoes
Next, you will need to choose the style of the custom orthotic shoes. Do you want "sensible" shoes, tennis shoes, or dress shoes? Maybe you want a pair of dress shoes and a pair of dress shoes? Whatever shoes you buy in whatever styles and colors will be crafted from the same molds taken of your feet on the day of your appointment. Some medical insurances will cover orthotics, but not custom orthotics, so that is something to consider when you are purchasing a pair of shoes. With that in mind, most people opt for tennis shoes, which they wear out walking, running, or just as daily shoes.
The Building of Your Shoes
Your shoes are ordered, and then the technician begins the building process for the soles of the shoes based on the doctor's recommendations and design. The molds of your feet create the beds of the shoes, which is the last layer of material (usually memory foam for comfort) to go into the soles of the shoes. The shoes arrive at the clinic, and they do not contain the soles. The technician glues and sews the constructed and layered soles to the tops of the shoes. Then they are ready for you to pick up and wear.
