What is an Orthosis?
An Orthosis is an external device used to support, align, reduce or correct deformities.
Why might I need footwear adaptions?
Footwear adaptions are alterations to footwear to help with your walking. Your Orthotist may suggest footwear adaptions to help relieve pain, reduce pressure or protect the bottom of your foot.
Types of footwear adaptions
- A caliper socket (to be used with a caliper)
- A wedge or flare (to shift your weight line a certain way)
- A raise (where one leg is shorter than the other)
- A rocker sole (to reduce pressure on the balls of the feet)
What footwear can be adapted?
Not all footwear is suitable for adaption as the heel/sole may need to be taken off. We recommend shoes with a rubber or leather sole unit.
Avoid shoes with hollow soles (air bubbles etc) and shoes that have a thin sole units as we may be unable to cut through the sole unit.
Which pair of shoes should I choose for adaption?
We recommend choosing shoes that:
- Are comfortable and have worn before
- Have a good and secure fastening (lace or hook and loop)
- Are in good condition and do not have excess wear on the soles
We are able to adapt new shoes but please ensure you have tried these on and they are comfortable before bringing them in for adaption.
Repairs
We are able to repair the adapted shoe(s) and we encourage you to check the wear pattern of your shoes regularly. Footwear will wear down on the heel and the ball of the foot as you walk.
Some cobblers/shoe repairers are happy to do repairs to adapted footwear. If your shoe has been adapted with a flare/wedge we advise you to use our repair services so that the adaptions are maintained and are correct.
NOTE: The original sole unit will be used where possible, however this cannot always be guaranteed. The shoe may need re-soling and heeling leaving a different tread to the original.