North York’s Home-Based Orthotics Service

Heel pain is commonly caused by a rolling over of the foot (over-pronation). As the foot pronates, the arch collapses and the muscles and supporting structures are forced to stretch and elongate. This puts stretch (traction) and strain on the ligaments running from the heel to the toes.

In turn, the heel bone may ‘respond’ by developing a bony growth (heel spur) at the insertion of the plantar fascia.

Custom Foot Orthotics help to realign the foot, reducing the tractional forces on the ligaments and taking away this common cause of heel pain.

Tendonitis is commonly caused by strain and stretching (traction) on the tendons that surround the ankle. This occurs when the feet over-pronate and the legs rotate internally.

In turn, this places stress and strain on the tendons and muscle structures around the ankles.

Custom Foot Orthotics help to control over-pronation, decreasing internal rotation of the leg and stretching of the tendons around the ankles. By re-aligning the ankles and lower limb, the tendons are able to function more efficiently and strain is reduced.

Bunions are bony lumps that gradually develop on the big toe joint. Bunions can sometimes be very painful and at other times exhibit no pain at all.

The common cause of this condition is a combination of genetic factors and poor foot function. Over-pronation places excess weight over the big toe joint while walking and, combined with a forefoot abducted position, causes a bunion to develop.

Custom Foot Orthotics help to control over-pronation, redistribute the weight evenly over the foot to prevent (or reduce) the gradual growth of a bunion.

Adult acquired flat foot is a very common condition that affects the foot and ankles of adult males and females. It can be a painful and debilitating condition and the deformity may worsen over time as one ages.

Generally, a flat-footed person is only suffering from a functional flat foot caused by over-pronation. Over-pronation allows the foot’s arch to collapse and elongate, giving the appearance of a flat foot. A functional flat foot is quite common and typically exhibits symptoms ranging from sore, tired feet to general leg fatigue and body aches.

Custom Foot Orthotics are designed to control over-pronation and can restore the foot’s arch back to normal.

All babies have flat foot at birth due to the fact that their bones and joints are still extremely flexible. Arches form during early childhood. About 2 out of every 10 children still have flat feet as adults. If arches don’t develop, paediatric flat foot can affect a child’s ability to walk long distances without pain.

Paediatric flat feet is often a symptom of a misaligned, over-pronated foot that causes a child to have an inward rolling of the ankles. Left untreated, this can lead to other symptoms including foot pain, back pain, bunions and hammertoes.

Custom Foot Orthotics can help to restore a child’s normal foot and ankle alignment, improve function and support development of bony structures.

Knee Pain (Patello-Femoral Pain) is commonly caused by a rolling over of the foot (over-pronation). As the foot rolls over, the lower leg (tibia) internally rotates, putting forces on the knee cap and weakening the muscle structures, causing knee pain.

By re-aligning the lower limb and preventing the foot from over-pronating, Custom Foot Orthotics help to reduce internal rotation of the leg and this common cause of knee pain.

Shin splints is a common term for pain occurring in the front and/or inside section of the shin bone (tibia). Anterior (front) shin splints is often experienced by new runners or walkers when pain occurs in the muscles at the front of the shin during exercise. Posterior shin splints (inside shin pain) is a more chronic condition occurring along the inside edge of the tibia and is generally seen with more active sports. Both conditions are related to excess stretching (traction) of muscles & tendons along the tibia.

Custom Foot Orthotics help to reduce excess stretching (traction) of the front & back leg muscles (Anterior Tibialis & Posterior Tibialis muscles) by re-aligning the lower limb, reducing strain and improving function of these muscles.

As the feet roll over (over-pronate) and the legs internally rotate, the pelvis is forced to tilt forward, resulting in increased curvature of the lower back.

In turn, this causes tightness and stiffness of the lower back muscles and can contribute to Back Pain (Lumbo-Sacral Pain).

Custom Foot Orthotics align body posture by controlling and stabilizing the feet, thereby reducing internal rotation of the legs and forward pelvic tilt and easing lower back pain.

Hip Pain is often felt as a deep muscle ache or sharp pain coming from inside the joint. The common causes of hip pain include bursitis, arthritis, pinched nerves and poor posture.

Structural problems arise from weak foot posture and lead to problems further up in the hip, which force the joint to work outside of its healthy range of motion. This weak foundation from the feet can create huge amounts of stress on the hip as it tries to compensate for the lack of foundational support.

Custom Foot Orthotics help to re-align and support the foot and ankle in its optimal position, reducing the internal rotation of the hip joint and restores its normal range of motion.