Getting Myself Custom Orthotics- Finally

An analysis of where my feet put pressure when I stand. (Note the absence where my toes don't even touch the ground? And how they aren't matching?)

My friend Bea has often told me how much her feet hurt her all the time but especially at the end of the day. Bea tends to wear barefoot shoes ever since she heard that they were good for your feet and she felt that they were comfortable. I suggested that maybe shoes that have a bit more of a sole and have good support might help her feet hurt less.

She took my suggestion, and not only did she get shoes that supported her feet, she went to get custom orthotics, hoping that her feet would hurt less.

Yesterday, she posted on Facebook, less than an hour after getting her orthotics "The first test [for my new orthotics] - I had to run across an intersection before the light turned red to catch my bus and I got it- for the first time in years, probably since before I moved here from the US 18 years ago, I didn't feel like my feet were being torn apart and felt like I could continue running."

Wow. If that wasn't proof in the pudding that orthotics can be magic, and that this orthotics maker knows what he's doing, I decided to bite the bullet and get myself orthotics. Years and years ago I was told to get them and went to a podiatrist who diagnosed me with Achile's tendonitis and plantar fasciitis and told me to go to an orthotist. I knew I could get my insurance to cover part of the cost but I knew they were expensive even so, and I just never got around to getting them.

But seeing how miraculous they seemed for Bea, I decided to go to the same guy that she used. The orthotist was familiar with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and the hypermobility it causes in feet. After seeing me walk barefoot for about 10 seconds he picked up my foot, pressed in two different places, and asked which spot hurt more. I didn't notice how painful they were until he touched them but both felt like knives cutting into me there. He did that again with two other spots. It felt like magic, that he was able to tell just from how I walk which parts of my feet are painful. 

He then examined my feet and pointed out different things about the shape of my foot, my leg, how my leg turns out from my knee instead of in a straight line, how my ankles aren't straight, how different parts fall, which muscles are really painful from how I stand. He could tell that my lower back probably hurts a lot. (I told him I was on my way back from my second physical therapy appointment in two days because of my lower back issues.)

I then stood on something that mapped my feet and the pressure on my feet when I stood. It showed that I do not stand evenly, that my arches are different on each foot, that my different feet press differently than each other, and that my stance isn't with the same pressure in different parts of my feet. I wonder how much this affects my pelvis and may contribute to one side of my pelvis tending to get an upslip more than another.  

He told me that he wants to give me theraputic orthotics that are adjustable, because if he gave me orthotics now that are exactly how my feet need, I'd throw them out after a week because they're too painful. Instead, he wants me to come back 3 or 4 times over the course of a few months for him to adjust them to get my feet used to the changes he wants to make to how I stand. 

He then took impressions of my feet with something that felt like a cross between styrofoam and kinetic sand and then wrote down notes about what he wants to do for my feet.

The orthotics weren't cheap, but I did get a discount because of my insurance, and then a further discount because Bea referred him to me, and there is a 2 year warranty for them.

They're going to be ready in about a week, but I'll be out of the country then (did I tell you I'm going on a trip with my son?) so I'll be picking them up when I get back.

I'm looking forward to seeing what changes these orthotics make for me. Hopefully, they'll reduce my pain and minimize how often I'll need physical therapy?

I'm very hopeful.

And proud of myself for biting the bullet.

Do you have orthotics? Or your kids? What has your experience been with them?