What are my orthotics for?

Your orthotics are specialised inserts which have been prescribed to help relieve pain and speed recovery after an injury. They do this by changing forces going through our foot and ankle to reduce stressful loads on an injured muscle, tendon or ligament. In this way pain is relieved and the injured structure is able to recover more quickly.

Why do I need to wear my orthotics in?

By shifting damaging forces away from the injured part of the foot or leg we simply transfer those forces to another part of the foot and leg. We need to be sure then that that part of your foot and leg can tolerate those increased forces and that is why it is important to wear your orthotics in gradually. By wearing them in bit by bit you allow your foot and leg time to adapt gradually to these changes.

A good rule of thumb is to increase the amount of time you wear them by 1 hour a day until you are wearing them comfortably all day. This should be a limit not a target and it is important to take as much time as you need to get used to them.

Getting used to your orthotics

Your orthotics will feel strange for the first few days, and you may experience some minor twinges in the feet and legs while getting used to them as your body adjusts to the changes and this is normal, but if you experience any significant discomfort you must let me know as soon as possible.

Now click on the Infographic below for an easy pdf version you can keep on your phone or print out for easy reference