Orthotics
Custom Casted Orthotics are designed to control biomechanical imbalances in the lower extremity, especially the rear foot. When you are running, the pressure on your feet can be three or four times your body weight. Even walking can produce more pressure than the sum of your body weight. The American Podiatric Medical Association says that the average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day. That adds up to about 115,000 miles in a lifetime or more than four times the circumference of the globe. That is a lot of walking with ill-fitting shoes or painful feet!!
Orthotics are important in providing the proper correction to our bodies
as we walk. Most health care providers & stores will dispense orthotics
by foam impressions or scanning technologies. The gold standard in dispensing orthotics is slipper casting.
"Root et al, J Am Podiatr Med Assoc, Vol. 97, Issue 4, 299-303, July 1, 2007"
Dr. Kevin Leung, B.Sc., DC.
(Chiropractor) utilizes the most accurate casting technique taught to
podiatrists only. Casting the feet in either plaster or fiberglass will
provide the best fitting orthotics. After the slipper cast is made, the
cast is shipped to Excel
Biomechanics, where the technician will make a positive mold of the
slipper cast. The thermoplastic is than pressed over the mold to form
the orthotics. Final touches include full length top cover to prevent
the orthotic from moving inside the shoes and provide cushioning for the
patient.
Orthotics made by the foam impressions are generally too low at the medial
arch, therefore rendering the orthotics useless. After a careful biomechnical
evaluation, Dr. Kevin Leung casts the patient feet in a dorsiflexed neutral
position. The result is a perfect pair of orthotics that the patient will
enjoy wearing, but most importantly fitted correctly.
If you have an orthotic made by someone else and would like a professional
opinion or evaluation, do hesitate to contact us.
For a demonstration of our casting procedures, please click here for a presentation of the STS slipper cast procedure.