Almost every day we have a patient come into the office wearing Dr. Scholl’s insoles, which were selected by standing on a pressure mat in a store. The interesting thing is – I have rarely if ever seen these insoles solve a problem; but on the positive side they are reasonably priced and no one seems to be hurt by them. There are some stores here in Austin that specialize in selling orthotics which have about the same success rate as the Dr. Scholl’s insoles; however, they cost in the neighborhood of $400. These insoles are not custom-made but rather are “custom selected” – which I suppose means an over-the-counter insole was picked to fit the foot. It is hard to believe that different insoles were selected because all of the insoles look exactly the same. If someone has pain in the front of their foot there is no effort made to customize the insert to reduce the pain. Worse, these overpriced inserts are nonrefundable. One just has to look at the bad reviews on the Internet to be discouraged from purchasing these overpriced insoles!
In my 30 years of podiatry experience, I have made innumerable custom orthotics and have evolved my orthotic preferences over the years. I also have found that not everybody needs a custom orthotic. A large percentage of people do excellently with an economical over-the-counter orthotic that has been modified to their foot.
At Austin Foot Health Specialists, we have over-the-counter orthotics which we customize for about $70. We balance your foot and include extra cushioning in the heel if needed, and grind as well as build up certain areas on the orthotic to balance your foot and allow you to walk comfortably. We also heat mold over the counter insoles to fit your foot precisely. This is an economical way to feel great when you walk from the very first step every day. And if it turns out that you need custom orthotics, we apply the whole cost of the over-the-counter insoles to the $460 cost of the truly custom made orthotics. What is a custom made orthotic? One that is made with molds using measurements of your foot done by a Doctor with 30 years experience in treating foot problems with orthotics.
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