Technical Information

Biomechanics is the science concerned with the action of forces on the living body. By studying the moving body, we can determine normal and abnormal variables for foot and leg biomechanics. One of the most common biomechanical abnormalities is excessive pronation of the foot which is seen in as many as 75% of the population.

With this excessive pronation comes lowering and elongation of the arch of the foot, inward tilting of the heel and internal rotation of the leg.

Functional orthotics – This type of orthotic is designed to correct defects of the arch including over-pronation, common in people with flat feet, and supination, common in people with high arches. Both foot problems can cause heel pain (plantar fasciitis) and puts excessive strain on muscles and joints throughout the back, hip and leg. Functional orthotics provides proper correction of these foot problems.

Supportive orthotics – These orthotics are designed to fix problems that occur in the arch, and provide the arch with proper support.

Weight-dispersive or accommodative orthotics –These orthotics are designed to provide padding and help support sesamoid bones (bones embedded in a tendon) metatarsal heads, collapsed tarsal bones, inflamed toes and sores. They help relieve pain and pressure from these areas.

Where can you obtain orthotic inserts? There are two ways a person can obtain orthotic insoles –

1. Ready-made orthotics -There are a variety of ready-made orthotic insoles sold online and in local super centers, drug stores and pharmacies. Most ready-made orthotic insoles provide arch support and a certain level of correction and cushioning to a person’s step. The following is a list of ready-made orthotic product brand names you can look for – Dr. Scholls, Spenco Insoles, and Footlevelers.

2. Custom orthotics – Custom orthotics will provide you better relief than ready-made orthotics because they are designed specifically for your foot and to treat your specific foot issue. The only problem is custom orthotics are hundreds of dollars, making them significantly more expensive than the ready-made variety.

Custom made orthotics are prescribed by health care professionals such as a family practitioner, chiropractor or podiatrist. The actual fitting of orthotic insoles is done at an orthotics lab by a pedorthist. The pedorthist constructs custom orthotics based on the diagnosis of the doctor and by taking a plaster cast of the patient’s foot.

In this position, the foot becomes unlocked and unstable like a loose "bag of bones" and the ability of the foot to propel the body forward efficiently is severely reduced. This also results in an array of symptoms from the toes to the back and anywhere in between.

Aerodyn orthotics are so effective because they control movement at the sub-talar joint of the foot. This joint is situated under the ankle joint and allows you to tilt your foot inwards and outwards. A 5° varus 'wedge' is incorporated into the heel cup of Aerodyn orthotics during manufacture to control subtalar joint pronation perfectly and help hold the heel vertical. By holding the heel in this position, postural faults can be corrected to prevent injury, wear and tear.