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I am researching a story about custom orthotics and am looking for stories from folks who may have paid $$$ only to have them not work or to find a resolution in another method--ice, rest, insoles, etc.
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Prescription orthotics are nothing but a money making scam pushed by podiatrists and some in the running community. Some physical therapists are all into prescription orthotics as well. I used to believe in orthotics, but I was straightened out years later by an outstanding orthopedic surgeon who had a Sports Medicine Fellowship. This guy is a top notch sports med doc.
He told me "all orthotics do, is take the stress off one area of your leg (foot) and put it someplace else. Such as your knees, shins, etc.
Prescription orthotics are a big money making thing for podiatrists and certain companies that market them to runners, but real sports medicine doctors (MDs with sports medicine fellowships) Ive observed dont care for the devices.
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Do these caring podiatrists and physical therapists ever tell you that your main problem is simply you run too much and that your shoes are worn out and you need new shoes? Rarely. Oftentimes they dont want to confront the runner obsessed with his training.
"I'm injured, but OH NO I CAN'T STOP TRAINING! I gotta put in my 100 mile weeks no matter what." Podiatrist says "you dont have to, I cant make you a pair of orthotics!" Cha-ching! LOL
David --- that anon fellow has a lot to answer for. I see he posts at TFS often as well :) ... sure does get around.
I see some sense has prevailed in that Backpacking thread. None other than the estemed Barry Block from PM News has responded:
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Orthotics are not for everyone. They are analogous to eyeglasses for the feet. They don't correct foot structure in the same way that eyeglassed on't correct eye structure. They merely make you walk better if you have a structural foot problem.
Some people who are disappointed probably shouldn't have been prescribed orthotics in the first place. They are NOT designed to help anyone run faster, just as eyeglasses won't help a person with normal vision see any better.
Most podiatrists are honest, but like all professions, there are a few bad apples, who overprescribe these devices.
I couldn't agree more about the orthotic business being a bit exploited. I paid a lot of money for my orthotics only to have them not fit, went back for adjustments, at an extra cost, and then they just hurt my feet. After much research, I tried <deleted product> and these insoles look a lot like my orthotics but they do not hurt me. They provide great support, have a great warranty, have nano silver in the top sheet for bacteria, re-heat 5 times so as I change my footwear, I can customize each pair and they cost $37.95. If that is not enough, I can wear them for 4 months, if I am not happy with them, <product deleted> will give me my money back. I then happened to be in another POD clinic, and I saw <product deleted> there. The POD was actually selling them. A little more than I paid for them on the website, but he had them. I begin to wonder if the industry is changing it point of view on the full ridgid custom orthotics, or are people just becomming more educated? I think it is most likely the later as more and more people are researching for themselves when these doctors can't seem to fix our problems. That is just my opinion, but <product deleted> will save me time and money in the future. Way to go <product deleted>
Last edited by Admin : 9th June 2006 at 03:40 AM.
Reason: Product promotion deleted
I couldn't agree more about the orthotic business being a bit exploited. I paid a lot of money for my orthotics only to have them not fit, went back for adjustments, at an extra cost, and then they just hurt my feet. After much research,...... The POD was actually selling them. A little more than I paid for them on the website, but he had them. I begin to wonder if the industry is changing it point of view on the full ridgid custom orthotics, or are people just becomming more educated?
RickyBobby:
I'm glad to hear that you had some good results with your heat moldable insoles. Certainly it seems that you, in your experiment of one, have had good results with these insoles.
Like you, I also did well going it on my own by buying a $20 pair of reading glasses at the corner drugstore so I could read the fine print in the newspaper. However, these were not quite as nice and effective as the $350 pair of eyeglasses that I later purchased and that my optometrist measured and prescribed for me.
Suffice it to say that not all people do as well with over-the-counter arch supports as you have. As mechanical problems in the foot and lower extremity become more significant, the foot deformity worsens, and/or foot asymmetry increases, there is less chance that the "Archmolds" insoles that you purchased would help the patient heal from their injury, and may even make them worse. So to assume that all people would do well with "Archmolds" as you have would not be a proper assumption to make.
__________________
Sincerely,
Kevin
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Kevin A. Kirby, DPM
Adjunct Associate Professor
Department of Applied Biomechanics
California School of Podiatric Medicine at Samuel Merritt College
Gee, That's a great ad for archmoulds(!?) - I'd better get some...
The practitioner whom prescribed and cared for rickybobby may have named 'Fred' (not a real name). Better watch out that now, because all Practitioners called 'Fred' must be scammers - nice and logical....
Same concerns of orthotics being 'the treatment', not just a clinical tool.
<ADMIN EDIT: Promotion of product with no useful information deleted. Given that the IP address of the poster was from the same city that the orthotic being promoted is based, self promotion is suspected, so guess what? ... next time that happens you get banned.>
See Forum Rules
As far as orthotics being a scam? - Tell that to the millions of people who have been given some relief with these little plastic pieces.
How often do we tell people to wear better shoes and back off on the training? Daily.
As far as I was aware, you don't prescribe orthotics to people who don't have the right shoes to put them in. In fact I would go so far as to say try better shoes first and see if that fixes your problem!
At the end of the day, anyone who stereotypes an entire profession like that has not done their research
There are many articles equating prefabs to customs (Pfeffer etc.). Problem is that prefabs "work" only if you consider working to be the masking of symptoms. Many "customs" work the same. Pronation is a progressive deformity. The last one degree of pronation yields symptoms. Orthoses that block the last one degree of pronation, both custom and prefab, can easily mask symptoms without making a significant positive effect on the gait cycle. We need to shift our paradigm.
I was just quoted in the New York Times that most patients do NOT require orthotics in order to resolve their foot problems. With that said, orthotics do, in fact, improve one's biomechanics and therfore DO resolve many foot and ankle, knee, hip, low back complaints. A proper orthotic, fabricated by a podiatrist, clearly has positive effects. There is a multitude of research out there that proves the efficacy of orthtoics-properly made (which does NOT refer to those fabricated by shoe stores, chirpractors, physical therapists, etc)
"Orthotics are a scam"
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