Shoe insert

{{short description|Removable foot support placed inside footwear}}

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File:Leather inner soles - upper and underside.jpg

A removable shoe insert, otherwise known as a foot orthosis, insole or inner sole, accomplishes many purposes, including daily wear comfort, height enhancement, plantar fasciitis treatment, arch support, foot and joint pain relief from arthritis, overuse, injuries, leg length discrepancy, and other causes such as orthopedic correction and athletic performance.

Medical use of foot orthoses has been criticized as lacking evidence of benefit, and practice is very inconsistent: reputed podiatrists prescribe completely different orthoses for a single patient.Chevalier, T.L. and Chockalingam, N., 2012. Effects of foot orthoses: how important is the practitioner?. Gait & posture, 35(3), pp.383-388.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2011.10.356{{cite book |title=Biomechanics of Sports Shoes |first=Benno M. |last=Nigg |year=2011}}{{cite news |title=Close Look at Orthotics Raises a Welter of Doubts |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/health/nutrition/18best.html |newspaper=The New York Times |first=Gina |last=Kolata |date=January 17, 2011}} Further, effect of a given design of orthosis varies significantly by patient,Chevalier, T.L. and Chockalingam, N., 2011. Foot orthoses: a review focusing on kinematics. Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association, 101(4), pp.341-348.https://doi.org/10.7547/1010341 and standard practice to personalize prescription is not available.{{cite journal

|journal=Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

|year=2003

|volume=35

|number=2

|pages=314–319

|doi=10.1249/01.MSS.0000048828.02268.79

|pmid=12569222

|title=Effect of Shoe Inserts on Kinematics, Center of Pressure, and Leg Joint Moments during Running

|last1=Nigg

|first1=Benno M.

|last2=Stergiou

|first2=PRO

|last3=Cole

|first3=Gerald

|last4=Stefanyshyn

|first4=Darren

|last5=m??Ndermann

|first5=Anne

|last6=Humble

|first6=Neil

|url=https://edoc.unibas.ch/58521/1/20180108143952_5a5374a8d5099.pdf

}} However, evidence is mixed: patients often report at least short-term improvements in comfort, and other studies have found effectiveness.{{cite journal |author1=Gross, M. L. |author2=Davlin, L. B. |author3=Ebanski, P. M. |title=Effectiveness of orthotic shoe inserts in the long-distance runner |journal=American Journal of Sports Medicine |year=1991 |volume=19 |number=4 |pages=409–412 |doi=10.1177/036354659101900416 |pmid=1897659|s2cid=23550947 }}

Fitting patients

There are three standard methods for fitting patients: plaster casts, foam box impressions, or three-dimensional computer imaging. None are very accurate: all produce proper fit under 80% of the time.{{citation |title=Orthotics Review: A consumer's guide to the science and controversies of orthotics, special shoes, and other (allegedly) corrective foot devices |date=December 22, 2014 |first=Paul |last=Ingraham}}{{cite journal |author1=Telfer S. |author2=Gibson KS |author3=Hennessy K |author4=Steultjens MP |author5=Woodburn J. |title=Computer-aided design of customized foot orthoses: reproducibility and effect of method used to obtain foot shape |journal=Arch Phys Med Rehabil |year=2012 |volume=93 |number=5 |pages=863–70 |pmid=22541310 |doi=10.1016/j.apmr.2011.12.019}}

Traditionally they were created from plaster casts made from the patient's foot. These casts were made by wrapping dipped plaster or fiberglass strips around the foot to capture the form, then letting it dry and harden. Once the cast was hardened, the doctor would carefully remove it from the patient's foot and ship it, along with a prescription, to an orthotics lab which would use the negative of the cast to create an orthopedic insert.[https://ortokal.co.il/ אביזרים אורטופדיים]

Recently, several companies have developed digital foot scanners that use specialized software to scan a patient's foot and create a "virtual" cast. These scans are made by having the patient place the foot onto a specialized flat image scanner that uses light and software to capture and create a 3D model. This 3D model is then electronically submitted (along with a prescription) to an orthotics lab, where it is used to program a CNC machine that will ultimately produce the orthopedic insert.

Diabetic shoes

Diabetic shoes, sometimes referred to as extra depth, therapeutic shoes or Sugar Shoes, are specially designed shoes, intended to reduce the risk of skin breakdown in diabetics with co-existing foot disease.

References

Category:Footwear accessories

Shoe insert

Fitting patients

Diabetic shoes

See also

Further reading

References