orthotic insoles

littlereddevil

Has anyone tried those orthotic insoles you can buy?
I have problems with a bunion and wondered if they would help.They are over £20 so wondered if they were worth it.

noonesperfect

I'm not sure if they would help with a bunion. I found they helped my foot pronation which in turn helped prevent backpain.

moneylover

these are best if they are prescribed so that they fit your foot and your pronation problem properly. If you have a bunion that is troublesome go to your GP and get an orthopaedic referral and the specialist will tell you if insoles would be useful, whether you could benefit from surgery or should leave well alone for the time being..
Also, note that insoles are only effective in flat shoes, preferably lace up

littlereddevil

Thanks. probably if I wore sensible flat lacing shoes I wouldn't have a problem! I like to wear little boots with my trousers.I seem to have a posture problem all down one side as well as the bunion I get sore back,hip and knee when I walk distances.I wouldn't want surgery.

noonesperfect

It might be worth your while having a look at Flyflot shoes, My back trouble is caused by foot pronation and I find these shoes have good support without being too old-ladyish (I'm not being rude there, I would class myself as middle-aged). I also find walking distances causes me back pain. Incidentally do you ever do gentle back stretching exercises, they help especially if you sit down alot.

I've tried wearing orthaheel insoles with ordinary shoes and they're OK but I found caused me some foot pain (you can't win can you?!)

If you had surgery to correct bunions you would probably have no option but to wear flatties!

http://www.shoe-shop.com/icat/womens_flyflots_boots
http://www.shoe-shop.com/icat/womens_c_ltd_edition
http://www.shoe-shop.com/icat/womens_c_flyflot_sandal

They have clogs, shoes and allsorts as well. I usually get mine at MacArthur Glenn (Pavers outlet)

belfastgirl23

I think really for something like this you need to take professional advice from a physio or podiatrist. I use orthotics as well to help with over pronation but can't imagine them helping a bunion (tho may be wrong!).

moneylover

I would be inclined to see a podiatrist too. These days they are excellent and give a proper evaluation of pelvis, hips, knees, ankles feet. From what you now tell us you shouldnt get insoles from Boots etc. Long term problems become worse if not treated - I am an extreme case and bitterly wish I had done something a long time before I did as the insoles I wear now are good but cannot undo the damage to ligaments etc in the rest of my body that is already done although an exercise programme does help. Either get a referral as I said before to an orthopod who can refer on to an orthotist if reqd. Otherwise find out who the consultant podiatrist is at your local hospital. He/she is likely to be part time and working privately the rest of the time. But be aware that insoles privately will cost circa £150 although it may be that you will simply need advice and the basic appointment will probably be about £40 which isnt so bad.
In London there are options for full gait analysis but really you don't need to go down that route at present.
I have to wear orthotics that don't fit into normal shoes due to depth and so I have Hotter (mail order ) shoes that you can take the normal insole out of and replace your own. I am 60 but still hate lace ups with a passion as I am the sort of person who given choice would have shoes for every sort of outfit. So I have to live in trousers. You might do best to wear flat shoes when walking and keep smarter shoes for when you are not on your feet a lot. At the end of the day, if you end up in more pain, your footwear won't seem so important to you so it might be good to just compromise a little and not get worse. You definately need advice from a professional! If you do have insoles they will seem very uncomfortable at first but after a bit you don't notice them!

belfastgirl23

moneylover wrote: »

I would be inclined to see a podiatrist too. These days they are excellent and give a proper evaluation of pelvis, hips, knees, ankles feet. From what you now tell us you shouldnt get insoles from Boots etc. Long term problems become worse if not treated - I am an extreme case and bitterly wish I had done something a long time before I did as the insoles I wear now are good but cannot undo the damage to ligaments etc in the rest of my body that is already done although an exercise programme does help. Either get a referral as I said before to an orthopod who can refer on to an orthotist if reqd. Otherwise find out who the consultant podiatrist is at your local hospital. He/she is likely to be part time and working privately the rest of the time. But be aware that insoles privately will cost circa £150 although it may be that you will simply need advice and the basic appointment will probably be about £40 which isnt so bad.
In London there are options for full gait analysis but really you don't need to go down that route at present.
I have to wear orthotics that don't fit into normal shoes due to depth and so I have Hotter (mail order ) shoes that you can take the normal insole out of and replace your own. I am 60 but still hate lace ups with a passion as I am the sort of person who given choice would have shoes for every sort of outfit. So I have to live in trousers. You might do best to wear flat shoes when walking and keep smarter shoes for when you are not on your feet a lot. At the end of the day, if you end up in more pain, your footwear won't seem so important to you so it might be good to just compromise a little and not get worse. You definately need advice from a professional! If you do have insoles they will seem very uncomfortable at first but after a bit you don't notice them!

All of this is good advice you should take it.

Especially that if you have problems you should address them before they get worse. At mid-30s I finally had my problem diagnosed - it had been showing up as knee pain - but I suspect I too will have longer term damage. And it would have been worse if I'd left it any later. So go and get proper advice now.

cptnsausage

whilst the advice on this page is great as far as it goes i can definitely say that seeing a quallified orthotist is by far the best thing you could possibly do. We are trained at a more drastic level of treatment than podiatrists (ie what you are describing is a low level case for an orthotist, and is VERY easilly fixed). Also we have many resources that are unavaillable to podiatrists and indeed physiotherapists, such as on site manufacturing facillities. Any orthotist will be able to prescribe u with fully custom made from scratch insoles with whatever u need for bunions or structural problems if there are any also and will do a full range analysis of your foot, as bunions are also a secondary effect of something structural, although i would have to give a full session examination to be entirely sure. I can tell you now however that your foot would be immediately cast in either a podo box impression or plaster of paris slipper cast and the insole made literally from scratch with exactly the materials and relief and padding needed. from the description your giving you would like the cheaper alternative as well...and with this u can either go private or public. Public is free but you will need a referral from your GP and may have to wait a tad longer but private is often faster and reasonably expensive, although due to most private orthotists in the UK being contracted you will often end up with a much inferior service.

Unfortunately 99% of the population doesn't quite understand the line between the orthotist and the podiatrist (even the doctors) and i can assure you that by seeing a quallified orthotist you will have a much better experience and much better result that with a podiatrist alone. as i say podiatrists are good within their specific field of treatment and it sounds like u need something a bit more substantial.

Also it is worth noting that with the insoles we orthotists make you can wear any type of shoe your heart desires as long as it has a decent sole on them...even trainers if you like...makes no difference really if the insole is correctly made although there is no doubt that lacing would hold the foot more firmly, from a view of treatment theres no difference between leather patent shoes and a good pair of running shoes, just as i say, as long as the soles are decent (not slimline or too flat).

Just to confirm i am speaking as a quallified orthotist who has and still does work in the NHS and i prescribe and manufacture insoles just like this on a regular basis with some astoundingly good results. In most of the cases such as yours pain has been eradicated entirely and whats more, ITS FREE hehe.

hope this sheds some more light on the topic guys

littlereddevil

Thankyou very much for the advice. i don't mind going private but how do I go about it? I have Bupa but don't know if this is covered or not.

cptnsausage

well I know that if you look on the internet for orthotic services in the UK the vast majority is in the NHS as private practices here tend to be contracted out and run from clinics in areas where hospital access is a little far etc. I think the best source for info on different private orthotic treatment companies is probably even on the web. Any company in the UK who advertises the title of orthotist in their employees is a valid choice as in the UK, the title Orthotist is protected by VERY strict Laws and there are some very heavy penalties for anyone advertising themselves as an orthotist without the quallification in prosthetics and orthotics. As there is only 2 places in the entire UK u can train for this then ur options are limited as i believe there are less than 700 dedicated orthotists practicing scotland just now, with probably little over that in england and wales although that was last years quota so it may have changed.

WATCH OUT for any companies that advertise orthotic specialists as this title and anything like this is not protected by law and anybody can legitimately call themselves this - this is pretty common with american based companies who are just orthotic technicians and not clinicians, so you need to make sure you are seeing a REAL orthotist...the quallification to look for in the UK is BSc Hons Prosthetics and Orthotics from university of strathclyde or Salford University - it is worth mentioning that anyone outside of the UK must be registered with the HPC also to practice here so if you are unsure then just ask away. 99% time ppl are quallified but some companies are constantly causing problems like this.

In any case if you go with the NHS u are guaranteed to see an senior orthotist, else i would imagine that BUPA would have a list of private "safe" practices and could refer you to one. It's not very likely but Ur GP may also be able to point u in the right direction.

All that said i would definitely go NHS, waiting times aint that long and you get a much much better service (it is worth noting at this point that private orthotists are generally seen as substandard for a number of reasons...not in their training but in the service they provide not being at all at the same standard as the NHS service - this is a generalisation but I have genuinely never seen a private orthotic service that is as good as an NHS one - mainly due to offsite manufacture, contracted technicians, pay per job issues - its one of the few areas where the NHS service is better than private lol)

Like i said this is jst my opinion and is very likely biased but I would advise you to cantact bupa and see what they can offer u if you go for private treatment. I myself am wearing a set of insoles that were made in the hospital i work in right now, and i can safely say they are so much better than anything i got from the private orthotist as a teenager (although mine are for bilateral pronation - flat feet to most people lol)

This is just one opinion so shop round and go with whatever u feel most comfortable with - its ur health after all so u've gotta be happy with the treatment ur getting!