5 Things to Look for in a Custom Foot Orthotic

Your feet ache by the end of the day, your knees complain on long walks, or your running shoes never feel quite right. A store-bought insert helped for a week, then the pain came back. If you’re thinking about custom foot orthotics but aren’t sure what separates a great pair from an expensive disappointment, this guide is for you.

Here’s what a foot orthotic is, who it can help, and the five things I look for in a great custom foot orthotic.

What Is a Foot Orthotic?

A foot orthotic is a shoe insert, a device made to slip into your shoes or sandals. Its job is to ease pain and improve how your joints line up, and ultimately to help your whole body move better.

For example, if you’re a mom who wants to walk farther without knee or foot pain, an orthotic may help. If you’re a runner whose feet hurt more as the miles add up, an orthotic may be part of the solution. Whatever your daily activities or sport, a great custom orthotic should make them easier and less painful.

Benefits of a Well-Made Foot Orthotic

• Supports the arch
• Reduces pressure on painful parts of the foot
• Limits compression through your joints
• Helps your balance and how your joints move

An orthotic works best as part of a plan, not on its own. A Doctor of Physical Therapy can tell you whether you need custom orthotics at all, and what else needs to change, like foot strength or ankle mobility.

1. A Deep Heel Cup

The foot has three main sections: the rearfoot, the midfoot and the forefoot. All three matter, but the rearfoot is the starting point for how the rest of the foot, and the rest of the body, functions. It controls how much your foot pronates (rolls in and the arch flattens) or supinates (rolls out and the arch rises).

Many orthotics promise a long list of benefits, but most don’t have a deep heel cup. A deep heel cup stabilizes the foot. If your foot pronates too much, it limits that extra motion. If the heel cup is too shallow, the foot may keep over-pronating, which can contribute to knee pain or feeling unsteady on your feet.

2. Forefoot Posting

The forefoot plays a role too. When the forefoot is tilted up or down, the rearfoot often compensates by pronating or supinating even more. A deep heel cup is the first step in controlling abnormal motion. Forefoot posting, a built-in wedge under the front of the foot, is also essential when the forefoot sits out of position.

3. Made From a Mold of Your Foot

Many shoe stores have you stand on a pressure mat that shows where you put weight on your feet. That has its uses, but a plaster cast or mold of your foot is the gold standard for an orthotic that is truly custom.

A mold can be taken by a foot professional, such as a physical therapist or an orthotist. It captures the exact shape and position of your rearfoot and forefoot, so the heel cup and forefoot posting can be built to the right depth for you.

4. Cutouts to Reduce Pressure

One of the main purposes of a foot orthotic is to reduce stress on specific parts of your foot. Whether the pain is at the ball of the foot, the big toe or the heel, a cutout under that spot helps spread pressure across the rest of the foot. The right cutouts depend on a mold plus a hands-on assessment of your feet.

5. Full Length

A full-length orthotic runs from the heel all the way to the toes. Many orthotics, including many sold in shoe stores, only go from the heel to the middle of the foot. A full-length orthotic helps control motion across the entire foot, leaves room for cutouts and forefoot posting, and is usually more comfortable. With a half-length insert, excess pronation or supination at the front of the foot can’t be accounted for.

When to Get Your Foot Checked First

An orthotic isn’t the answer for every foot problem. See a professional before you buy if you have:

• Sudden or severe pain: especially after an injury, or if you can’t bear weight
• Swelling, redness or warmth: in the foot or ankle
• Numbness, tingling or burning: in the feet
• Diabetes: with a sore, blister or wound that isn’t healing

How Orthotics Fit Into Treatment

At Back In Motion Physical Therapy & Performance, we use The Gray Method™ to find out why your feet hurt, which often involves the ankle, knee or hip as well as the foot. When an orthotic is the right call, our custom foot orthotics are built around that assessment and paired with exercises that strengthen the foot. If your pain is in the heel, start with the best exercises for plantar fasciitis. Bunion pain? Read how The Gray Method can help with bunions. And since the shoe matters as much as the insert, see how to choose the right shoes.

Walk, Run and Stand Without Foot Pain

A great custom orthotic has a deep heel cup, forefoot posting and cutouts, runs full length, and is made from a mold of your foot. Miss any of these and your foot may not work the way it needs to. Our custom orthotics in Fort Myers start with The Gray Method™, one-on-one with a Doctor of Physical Therapy at our clinics in Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Estero.

Start with our Fixing the Cause & Not Just the Symptoms Assessment, or Inquire About an Appointment →

Call our office at (239) 223-0484 to schedule your appointment.