Footwear for Orthotics
At The Foot Ankle Clinic our Podiatry Team greatly understand the importance and impact that the correct type and fitting footwear has on foot health and a person’s well-being and mobility.
Choosing the correct pair of shoes for your foot type can be challenging and made even more complicated if you have to deal with using orthotics or other medical conditions like diabetes.
Our Podiatry team understands that if a shoe is incorrectly fitted or poorly matched with your orthotics that this can compromise their benefit and treatment outcomes. Therefore, the process of carefully combining your orthotics with the correct shoes is vitally important.
There are many brands and types of shoes, made for all different functions and to suit various foot types and activities. A shoe can comprise of varying materials, offer different features such as the last shapes, width, sole units etc.
Our Podiatry team specialize in evaluating, diagnosing and treating foot problems. They are trained and take the time to examine your feet and develop a greater understanding of your personal requirements so that they can recommend and prescribe you with the correct footwear to suit your individual needs.
Sometimes you may already have suitable footwear that may need slight alterations or modifications to adequately accommodate orthotics such as a slight adjustment to your lacing technique.
Before providing a footwear recommendation, our Podiatrists will:
- make an assessment of your foot type;
- examine your gait and biomechanics;
- assess the needs of your sport or activity;
- develop a greater understanding of your occupational, sporting and everyday footwear needs.
Our Podiatrists will then work closely with you to prescribe or give you a detailed recommendation of suitable shoes and where to get them. In many of our stores we actually have a wide range of styles and brands readily available to try on and purchase which will compliment your orthotics or perhaps even be the first course of treatment we consider using prior to prescribing orthotics.
All Foot and Ankle Clinics stock and supply the full range of world renowned Dr Comfort Footwear to accommodate individuals with specific needs. This include diabetics as well as those with moderate to severe foot deformities along with Workcover, TAC, NDIS, and SWEP. These include extra depth, extra width options as well as different fastening mechanisms.
All our Podiatrists are also trained and registered prescribers of Medical Grade Footwear for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA).
Some Foot and Ankle Clinics supply and stock a full range or fashion and comfort specialist footwear to that not only have good support and structure, but also depth and width to be able to accommodate an orthotic and people with wider feet.
Orthotics and Sporting & Athletic Shoes
Understandably the importance of matching the correct sporting shoes/joggers to suit athlete performance and foot type is of paramount importance.
The intensity and impact that athletes endure when participating in sport magnifies the stress and increases injury risk considerably. Therefor making sure that athletes are advised and fitted with the correct shoes is even more important in this instance. While some brands are better than others, the fact is most reputable brands offer a range of various athletic shoes to suit a variety of foot types and biomechanics. Our Podiatrists are experts in sports podiatry and are typically familiar with the range of shoes offered by most brands and are more focused on the technical features within the range rather than a particular brand of shoe.
Orthotics and Safety Boots
Occupations that involve workers wearing Safety Boots regularly while being on their feet for prolonged periods of time are strongly advised to seek Podiatry advice and education on the most suitable type of safety boot for their foot type and occupation. Ultimately the wrong type of safety boot can lead to a number of long term, detrimental foot and ankle problems that we as Podiatrists treat regularly.
If you are an employer or employee needing advice on safety boots The Foot and Ankle Podiatry Team is here to help.
Footwear Modifications
We work closely with local cobblers to arrange various footwear modifications including Heel Lifts, rocker bottom soles etc. In some instances we may need to have footwear especially modified to accommodate certain types of customised orthotics.
Our Podiatry team monitor the latest footwear technology and has extensive knowledge of a large range of brands and are well placed to assess your individual foot type and recommend the shoe type that will suit your feet.
We can recommend footwear for work, dress or more casual occasion shoes, to match your foot type or orthotics prescription.
Tips for fitting orthotics in Footwear: Before putting the orthotics in your shoes, remove all arch supports, rubber or felt additions from the shoes. If the original shoe insert is completely flat, you may put your orthotic on top of the insert if it does not make the shoe too tight.
The Foot and Ankle Clinic Podiatrists are registered Podiatry, Aids, Equipment and Medical Grade Footwear prescribers and suppliers for:
State Trustees
… and depending on eligibility can help you arrange applications and funding assistance.
At the Foot and Ankle Clinic our highly qualified team of Podiatrists are all members of the Australian Podiatry Association and offer a combined 50 years’ experience. When it comes to the prescription, modification and fitting of medical grade footwear you can be confident that your feet are in the best hands.
See us today in Chadstone, Moe, Sale, Traralgon, Warragul & Online Store and Retail Enquiries. NO REFERRAL NEEDED!.
