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Custom Orthotic Insole Prescription

Custom Orthotic Insoles

Being unable to meet our basic need for sitting, walking & exercising comfortably because of pain in the back, hips, ankles, knees, and feet can be frustrating at best and very scary at worst.

Custom orthotic prescription is a process that has helped millions of people move past exactly the type of stubborn pains that tend to chip away at the fun, freedom, and movement variety that make life healthy and enjoyable.

A healthy, active person takes in excess of 5 million steps per year. Modern humans do all this on extremely flat, hard surfaces like concrete, tarmac and paving stones. Orthotic insole prescription is a way of protecting us from this lifelong strain.

The Increased support for the foot that custom orthotic prescription provides often brings greater ease and freedom to our movements in the long term. The benefits are often felt not only in the feet, ankles, and knees but even in the back and hips. 

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Who Needs Custom Orthotics Insoles?

Knowing whether you actually need custom orthotics or not is an essential step for those of us who wish to resolve stubborn lower body pains. The stress that hard surfaces place on our bodies means that many of us require custom orthotic prescriptions without realising.

If you have persistent pain anywhere in the lower body it is important to get screened and see if custom orthotic prescription is likely to be an important part of your rehabilitation plan. One of the many great things about Gait Analysis is that it only takes half an hour to establish whether there is an underlying issue, and yet the benefits of doing so can last a lifetime.

Read our overview of major conditions that may improve with custom orthotic prescription.

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How We Prescribe Custom Orthotics

The old-fashioned way of prescribing custom orthotic insoles involved taking a mould of your foot in a foam box. Orthotics are still widely prescribed in this way.

Our custom orthotic insole prescription method starts with a functional scan of how your feet move and bear weight when you walk. The scan involves walking across a plate with 4000 tiny sensors in it, these sensors measure pressure and timing in minute detail. 

Getting this in depth, ‘functional’ view of what the feet are doing forms the basis of our custom orthotic insole prescription. We believe in correcting the ‘movement’ of the foot instead of the shape of the foot because most pain comes from how we move. 

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Our 3 Step Orthotics Process

Step One

Computerised Gait Analysis

Step Two

Custom Orthotic Design

Step Three

After Care & Monitoring

Step One - Computerised Gait Analysis

The first step in recommending a custom orthotic insole is to truly understand your pain. We take a careful history and then proceed to your scan. 

Computerised gait analysis is a superior means of gaining the information needed for custom orthotic prescriptions. Our scanner has thousands of sensors that measure the pressure of your foot whilst walking or running in minute detail. This gives us the information we need to determine whether you need a custom orthotic insole prescription. And if you do need orthotics, it gives us the information needed in order to make a prescription accurately.

In contrast to traditional orthotic insult prescription methods, computerised analysis measures not only the shape of your foot but also the foots mechanics. Walking and running are movement-based activities, so it is important to correct the movement of the foot, not just the shape of the foot.

Step Two - Custom Orthotic Design

If we establish that custom orthotic insoles are right for you and you wish to proceed with the prescription, the next step we will take is to design your orthotic. Naturally, this needs to be done with a good level of care because you will be relying on them heavily to support your body’s tissues in years to come.

The success of custom orthotic insole prescription is predicated on the type of materials used and the general design of the orthotic. But just as importantly, success is based on the correct shape, design, and sizing of the orthotic; getting all of these details right tends to significantly improve the effectiveness of the orthotic in the long term. So, it’s vital to get this step just right.

We can usually manufacture a pair of custom orthotic insoles within around two weeks, at which point we bring you into the clinic for a fitting. At the fitting, we get you to walk in your new orthotics and check them for comfort and sizing. Most people find that they feel a little weird at first, but get used to them very quickly.

Step Three - After care & Monitoring

The third step we take during the custom orthotic prescription process is very important. However, it is also a step commonly overlooked within the healthcare sector. That step is the after-care following the fitting of your custom orthotic insoles.

On this planet, there are countless millions of orthotics that were prescribed at significant cost, but ultimately ended up gathering dust in a drawer. Either because they didn’t bring the kind of relief expected or because they made the person’s pain worse. Careful, after-care, and open channels of communication are how we go about making certain that the orthotics we prescribe end in your shoes and not in a drawer.

The process of adapting to and wearing in custom orthotic insoles can be complex. Orthotics change the way our bodies move over the course of a lifetime, so it is only natural that there are challenges to overcome sometimes. It is only natural that some of us need  after-care and even exercise prescription to support the transition to custom Orthotics; this is why after-care is so important.

Our Custom Orthotics Insole Philosophy

Many people believe that custom orthotic insole prescription is not necessarily a natural solution. Drawing on the example of neck braces, which were chronically overused throughout the 20th century, we should be cautious of artificially supporting the body structures. Our Muscles can waste away when we provide artificial biomechanical support. Those ridiculous neck braces should only be reserved for the most severe neck injuries.
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Our Custom Orthotics Story

For 15 great years, we worked with an amazing custom orthotic insole prescription company called TOG to make fantastic orthotics. We had a great experience with TOG over many years, but eventually, it was time for us to move on and go our own way. This was when the journey to create our custom orthotic insoles began. It turned out to be a slightly more challenging journey and anticipated, like a lot of the best journeys.
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Custom Orthotic Insole Prescription FAQ

Most people who try both custom orthotics and shop bought insoles agree, the custom version is significantly more effective in the long term. The most common finding is that shop bought insoles help a bit, and custom orthotics help a lot.

The truth is that if your problems are extremely mild and your shop bought insoles are extremely high quality,  you might find that they present an optimal price vs benefit ratio. If you have had a reasonable amount of pain though,  this pay not prove to be the case. Custom orthotics generally last a lot longer, enable a greater no. of shoe choices and provide greater support for the foot.

Most likely explanation is that the custom orthotics you were prescribed were too stiff. Some people find that custom orthotic prescription aggravates scar tissue in the soft tissues of their feet. We often meet people whom had struggled with custom orthotic prescription in the past due to a lack of basic aftercare. The good news is that these issues are easily addressable with the most basic aftercare.

Try and wear your custom orthotics all the time if you can. Wearing your custom orthotics protects your feet from unnaturally hard surfaces like concrete and paving,  and provides natural arch support. If you are outdoors in bare feet like at the beach you definitely don’t need them then.

If you buy high quality custom orthotics they should last you 5 years or more. Off the shelf shoe insoles generally don’t last anywhere near as long. Be mindful of the fact that your orthotics / insoles need to support your body weight moving at speed many thousands of times per day. If your orthotics look a bit sad they almost certainly won’t be achieving this goal.

Having your custom orthotics recovered every couple of years is advisable and feels good. This comes at a cost of about $50-70 depending on materials and any further modifications that might be needed.  

Orthotics are not like braces for your teeth unfortunately. They merely offer ongoing natural support to your foot and arch,  and protect you from paving slabs, they don’t permanently correct bone alignment. 

If you decide to live off the grid and spend the rest of your life in bare feet living on natural ground,  you should definitely throw your orthotics away, you won’t need them. If however you plan to spend the rest of your life in an urban environment walking on concrete, paving & tarmac your feet will always need support and protection.

If you are on beach or paddock go bare foot, it’s really really good for you. If you are just relaxing at home bare feet is good too. If however you are out and about  on hard ground like tarmac, or busy running around at home on concrete floors, you’ll be better off wearing your orthotics. Most people who wear orthotics figure this out for themselves over time. 

All that being said, if you have had plantar fasciitis, foot pain, ankle pain, knee pain, hip pain or back pain that relates to your feet concrete flooring is a calculated risk. This is the same as Snickers bars being a calculated risk if you have had tooth decay, it’s really up to you. 

If you go to the right clinic for your custom orthotics you will be able to have those orthotics prescribed in such a way that they will fit into almost any shoe. The secret to this is customisation, ultra strong yet thin and flexible orthotics that are designed in the right way can fit in just about any shoe. 

When we exercise, the amount of weight and force that land on your orthotics is many times what it is when you are merely sitting, standing and walking. Having a much stronger orthotic for times of more intense activity makes for the necessary level of correction. 

When you are wearing casual or worn shoes things are different  however. You will probably feel much better in a smaller more flexible orthotic that offers slightly less correction but a good deal more comfort. 

There is a wide range of response rates in people who start to wear orthotics for pain relief. Some find that changes happen so slowly that they are only obvious when they cast their mind back a year or more, to their previous pain levels. Other patients find that their pain reduces in a matter of days once they have orthotics fitted. Orthotics are definitely a form of therapy for the long haul as opposed to a ‘quick fix’. 

The way you walk and bear weight is made up of habits, muscle health, nervous system health & bone architecture. The ‘habit portion’ of your walking pattern is only 1 factor, and as it happens one that is stubborn as all hell to shift. It is however possible to meaningfully change your gait for the better if you are seriously committed. 

Feldenkrais technique is a sophisticated system that teaches effective movement patterns and helps you to ‘unlearn’ unhealthy patterns. Feldenkrais can create change on the level of ‘habit’ for sure, if you are willing to put in the time. For the rest of us, who don’t have time for a new hobby; a combination of custom orthotics and specific strength exercises will bring the kind of benefits we are usually looking for. 

It is often uncomfortable at first when you start wearing custom orthotics. Sometimes adjusting to custom orthotics can cause temporary muscle pain. 

Other times adjusting to custom orthotics can irritate scar tissue (especially in the sole of the foot ). It can also cause foot bones to lock.  If you have scar tissue that is being irritated by your orthotics, you will need a practitioner who can help you through the process of adjusting to your orthotics. 

There is only reason your should have to throw out half of your footwear when you start to wear custom orthotics in your shoes. If all your footwear was already unduly tight. The majority of shoes survive the transition to orthotics as long as they allowed a bit of ‘wiggle room’ in the space department. 

Once upon a time orthotics were without exception big uncomfortable things that people ended up throwing in a drawer more often than not. Advances in materials, design, manufacture and philosophy have meant that these days custom orthotics are a different kind of beast. Modern orthotics are intentionally small, comfortable and flexible compared to their ancestors. 

Modern orthotics hug your foot in a flexible and supportive manner, this is no different to what a soft paddock or some wet sand does when you walk on them. Humans evolved  to walk on flexible, soft natural surfaces that hug the foot and absorb shock; orthotics mimic those natural surfaces. Some say that it is a lifetime stomping on hard flat surfaces like concrete and paving slabs that weakens us. 

The cost of custom orthotics is somewhere between $600 & $800 nzd. It’s never fun spending money on boring things like orthotics, bed mattresses and healthcare. If you are one of those people who truly needs orthotics, it will be some of the best bang for buck in your entire lifetime budget. 

3-4 weeks is standard practice  delivery time for a pair of custom orthotics. 

Primarily custom orthotics are made of high tech plastics that can sustain a human stomping on them 3-6 million times per year without breaking. In addition custom orthotics have top covers and padding  made from materials like leather, foam and vinyl. 

Custom Orthotic Research Articles

Effects of custom made orthotic insoles on lower limb biomechanics in children with flexible flat feet.

Summary: This study found substantial improved ankle movement in 27 school children prescribed a strong but flexible orthotic insole.
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The effects of individually designed insoles on pes planus treatment.

Summary: This study published in Nature showed weight loss and increased walking speed after 1 year in patients prescribed custom orthtotics.
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Comparison between customised foot orthoses and insole combined with the use of extracorporeal shock wave therapy in plantar fasciitis, medium-term follow-up results: A randomised controlled trial.

Summary: This study showed that among a study group of 88 patients custom orthotic insoles offered a significant reduction in plantar foot pain.
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Analysis of static postural balance and of intensity of musculoskeletal pains after the use of proprioceptive insoles by ostensive service militaries.

Summary: This study showed that soldiers prescribed custom orthotic insoles experience reductions in pain and improved foot mechanics.
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A pilot study to assess the effectiveness of orthotic insoles on the reduction of plantar soft tissue strain.

Summary: This study showed that custom orthotics reduce soft tissue strain more effectively than barefoot or generic prefabricated insoles.
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Use of custom insoles for redistributing plantar pressure, decreasing musculoskeletal pain and reducing postural changes in obese adults.

Summary: This study found evidence that prescribing custom orthotic insoles may help people with obesity return to greater mobility.
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Intensive physiotherapy versus home-based exercise and custom-made orthotic insoles in patients with plantar fasciitis.

Summary: This study showed that custom orthotic insole prescription compares well with traditional physiotherapy approaches to pain.
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Effectiveness of foot orthoses and shock-absorbing insoles for the prevention of injury.

Summary: This study found evidence that custom orthotics insoles can help to prevent stress fractures and injuries in the lower body.
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Biomechanical investigation of a custom-made insole to decrease plantar pain of children with flatfoot.

Summary: This study explored the link between custom orthotic insole prescription and pain in children with flat feet issues.
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Comparative Trial of the Foot Pressure Patterns between Corrective Orthotics, Formthotics, Bone Spur Pads and Flat Insoles in Patients with Chronic Plantar Fasciitis.

Summary: This study analysed how different styles of custom and generic orthotic insoles affect weight bearing in feet with chronic pain.
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Our Team

Tobias Hall

DC BSc. Hons. IIst Nat. Dip. NZCA

Kade Christensen

BHSc. (Paramedicine) EMT, CERT. ST

Zabad Michael

DPT (Doctor of Physiotherapy)

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