Custom Orthotics, any brand preferances?

I feel your pain.  I have had PF for about 2 years now.  I have the flexible custom orthotics and they were great, but I have worn them out.  I tried Superfeet with no success, and I may have used the Road runner stable runner without a lot of success.  Recently I bought a pair of OTC Montrail to go in my new Adrenalines.  So far So good.  They are heat moldable, and I notice the heel is not as deep as the Sole's and the arch part is not as big.  But keep in mind, I have low arches so what has worked for me, may not work for you.

Hope you find what you are looking for.

jami  

If you've blown through $700 on non-prescription custom orthotics and they aren't cutting it, it begs the question as to whether or not you've seen a podiatrist.  Fractured sesamoids isn't a good thing.

I've had generally good results with prescription orthotics (although my current--third--set isn't the best I've had, frankly).  My wife has the same problem you have--high arches and PF and she got orthotics through a referral to a sports orthopedist for shin splints and the PF.  I've only been treated by podiatrists.  In both our cases, we got relief with the prescription insoles.

I also use off-the-rack orthotics for racing (or when I've got a particular issue going on that my prescription insoles aren't addressing), but since I have flat feet, I don't think my recommendations would cut it for someone with high arches.

Sorry I think my post was misleading, I actually have been to two podiatrists., and other specialists. The first pair of custom orthotics was $350, and my second pair of custom orthotics was about $450.  Add to that the  countless pairs of off the shelf stuff its getting expensive to find something that works. I was told if you have high arches and pf, then you need to be in orthotics around the clock pretty much for the rest of your life...but so far Im wondering if my orthotics could be causing more problems than they are helping..

Ah...that's clearer (there are lots of vendors out there who'll do custom-fitted, non-prescription, insoles).

My wife was told to wear her orthotics all the time and she did for quite a while...definitely helped her.  I wear mine in all my shoes...have since 2000.  I was in constant pain before...resolved it right away.  But...

...It took a lot of working with my doctors and getting the insoles adjusted until they fit just right.  My first podiatrist sent my first set back to the lab 3 times for adjustments...wouldn't stop the fitting process until I was 100% comfortable and confident that they were correcting the structural problems I had.  Second podiatrist made two sets of adjustments in his office to my second pair.  It's only been my third pair that I'm less happy with...they're okay, but sometimes can cause a little flare up of PF in certain shoes...when that happens, I switch to off-the-rack insoles until it clears up.  I can't complain too much about this pair, since--unlike the first two sets--these were 100% covered by my insurance.

I think orthotics are probably a bit overprescribed these days, but mine made a huge difference for me.  There's absolutely no way I could be running without them...it had gotten so I could barely walk.  Again, though, the key for me was working with my podiatrists until we were satisfied that the fit was right.

Hey...where did you find the heat-moldable Montrail's at...and how much were they?  I currently wear Adrenalines with an ArchMold heat-moldable insert.  BUT...I need new shoes and new inserts and would like to stay with a heat-moldable one since it seemed to work well for me for the most part.  My prescription custom orthotics ($600 for one pair!) have been tossed aside, as well.  I initially got them for PF in my left foot, and an undiagnosed toe-numbing problem in my right foot.  While they did help with the PF...they made the toe-numbing problem worse...so out of my shoes they came.  I've had better luck with the OTC ArchMold and an adhesive metatarsal pad stuck on top. 


Edited by nscrbug 2009-09-10 6:54 PM

I went directly to the orthotics maker this go round for cycling orthotics instead of a Podiatrist who sends off something mold or the like to a person to make the orthotics.

I asked her if I went to 10 orthotics makers would they make 10 sets of orthotics the same, her answer was no. There is an art involved.

One of the issues is if you take molds with no weight bearing on your foot when you stand and put weight on it your arch collapses to some degree on everyone. The orthotic maker guess what that is for each of us and how can that be right? My orthotics person measured the amount of collapes my arch had to make the actual correction not the guess. She took molds of my feet differently with my feet in a weight baring position.

Also she watched me run in my run orthtotics and noticed things off with my gait slightly. When I got my run orthotics they looked at my feet, watched me run, casted them, but never did any follow up to see if they worked right. With this women she will follow me up and adjust them as needed over next 6 months.

I think it makes some difference who you choose to make your orthotics but as a lay person how do we know who is best?

I agree with a lot of what Kathy said...however, not all of us would have access to an "orthotic maker"...or whatever their official title would be.   I wouldn't even know where to begin to look for such a person.  It's not like I can flip open the yellow pages and look under "orthotics maker" and find a list of people to choose from.   Kathy, you're very lucky that you were able to work directly with the maker for your orthotics...I wish I had that option.   But when I had my customs made...my podiatrist basically just took a mold (non-weight bearing, I might add...I was seated in a chair) and sent everything off to some undisclosed lab.  I have no idea who actually made my orthotics...perhaps they were half-asleep when they made them, because they didn't feel right from day 1...which is why I don't use them anymore (and I had them sent back for adjustments 3 times!).   Most of us have to "trust" the doctors we see to get it right...sometimes they do...but often they don't.  Which sucks, because it ends up costing us time, money, and in some cases...more pain.

Edited by nscrbug 2009-09-10 7:04 PM

nscrbug-

I bought the Montrails from Foot Rx in Abingdon, VA.  They do have a website.  www.footrx.com

The guy who owns foot rx is a physical therapist and a certified pedorthist and he made my orthotics while I sat there watching him.  He really knows his stuff.  When I went back and asked about having a new pair made, he was telling me how much they would cost, and he then suggested that I try the Montrails first.  I really like them.  I think the Sole is also heat moldable and it has a really good arch support.

jami  

Thanks!  Gonna check out their site now.