A bad foundation can cause problems throughout a building: cracks in floors and walls, doors that won’t latch, windows that won’t shut. Likewise, your feet are your foundation, and if they have structural or biomechanical defects, it can lead to significant pain and deformity in your lower legs and beyond. These small flaws are magnified by the stresses of modern living—our distant ancestors didn’t have to worry about spending all day on hard, flat tile, linoleum, and concrete like we do!
That’s where custom orthotics come in. These devices, which are placed inside your shoes to support your feet, provide an “evolutionary shortcut,” treating the underlying cause of your pain and forcing your feet to operate efficiently. This not only alleviates pain but can prevent significant and lasting damage to your entire skeletal system.
At Advanced Foot & Ankle, we now use an advanced orthotics technology called Go 4-D to ensure our patients get the perfect fit and optimum performance from their orthotics. Go-4D custom orthotics use the latest technology and biomechanics research available to custom craft orthotics for our patients!
What Conditions Can Orthotics Help?
Custom orthotics are one of the most versatile tools that we use in our offices to help treat the cause of your foot and ankle pain. Not only can custom orthotics treat your condition, but they can also prevent new problems from starting. The most common conditions that custom orthotics are used for are:
- Plantar fasciitis
- Bunions
- Hammertoes
- Fallen arches
- Corns and calluses
- Sports injuries
- Joint Pain
- Back Pain
The Advantages of Go 4-D Custom Orthotics
- A truly perfect fit. Super-precise digital scanning and pressure plate analysis give real-time data that goes straight to the 3D printer. This means you get a more comfortable, exact fit the first time, rather than a fit that will likely require additional adjustments after they’re made when it comes to traditional orthotics casting.
- Made for you and how you walk. Once the lab has the data of your foot scan, sophisticated software algorithmically designs the orthotic to perfectly complement your biomechanics. It uses a unique lattice design that allows for subtle variations in thickness, density, and other attributes to meet your needs in a far more personalized way than could ever be achieved with a solid piece of molded plastic.
- Modern research backed. Many traditional custom orthotics are still fit and manufactured the same way they were 20-30 years ago. This is a problem since our scientific understanding of optimum foot and ankle biomechanics has been vastly improved since then. Go 4-D orthotics are based on a better understanding of how your feet really work.
- Adapt to any situation. The same pair of Go 4-D orthotics will be just as effective and comfortable in whatever shoe you put them in and use them for. These orthotics are designed to function at every part of your foot. Even though they are extremely thin and lightweight, they can handle a long day at work on your feet, an evening on the town, or a marathon with equal ease and can last longer than prefabricated orthotics.
Why Choose Custom?
You’ve probably seen (and maybe even used) relatively inexpensive padded insoles available at the pharmacy or grocery store. While these may provide some relief in some circumstances, custom orthotics are a similar but significantly more effective tool.
That’s because Go 4-D custom orthotics are made exactly to the shape and form of your feet, rather than mass-produced to fit a handful of basic foot types. When you visit our office, we’ll get right to work with scanning your feet to make these orthotics to your exact specifications.
Unlike the vast majority of prefabricated inserts, custom orthotics can not only relieve painful symptoms but treat the fundamental causes of foot pain and injury, including gait abnormalities and overpronation. They also tend to be much more durable than standard insoles, in many cases allowing you to wear the same pair for years with proper care and maintenance.
Supporting Your Feet in Twin Falls, ID
If you find that foot pain is keeping you from doing the things you love, Go 4-D custom orthotics are one of the many treatments we offer at Advanced Foot & Ankle to help support your feet. For a comprehensive evaluation and a discussion of treatment options, please give us a call today at (208) 731-6321.
