What to bring to your first appt?
- Medical Records: please bring relevant medical records from other physicians; results and copies of X-rays; and other imaging studies and lab tests and bring these items with you to your appointment.
- Written lists of: Medications, herbs, vitamin supplements and over-the-counter medications you are taking.
- Your concerns: about your condition (pain, loss of mobility or function). Take the time to make a list of anything you may want to ask your physician regarding your condition.
- A Family Member or Friend: Consider asking a friend or family member to accompany you if you need any assistance in walking, using the restroom or filling out paperwork.
- Please allow for 1 hour for your first appt. This allotment of time will allow us to thoroughly evaluate and discuss your condition and give us time to render most treatments the same day.
What makes a good custom-made orthotic?
A good orthotic begins with a thorough evaluation and understanding of your problem and a complete biomechanical exam. Next an accurate cast must be made of your feet. While there are many different methods of taking a cast including force plates, digital scanners or even foam boxes, the gold standard of casting remains hand-molded plaster casts made in “neutral suspension” (that is a specific positioning of the joints of your feet). Too often we see cast made that do not match people’s feet and they wonder why their orthotics are not working in the way they were intended.
Once an accurate model of your foot is made a prescription is made based upon your goals and a thoroughunderstanding of the different ways you can design an orthotic to impact the way your feet and body move. Each orthotic made is unique with their own set of features designed to accomplish specific goals to ensure that the appropriate device is manufactured for you.
