Wear Wider Toe Box Shoes
The information provided is a guide for general knowledge use only. It should not be considered as a treatment option for your condition. Upon assessing a patient, many factors are considered before treatment options are presented. The different orthoses presented below are examples of continually developing treatment options in the field of foot and ankle orthotic management.
Toe Products
There are a number of off the shelf products available to treat problem toes. Claw toes, hammer toes, crossover toes and corns or calluses on the toes are some conditions able to be treated with specialty toe products. These include, silicone spacers, silicone sleeve, Budin loop splints and separators to name a few. These products can usually offer immediate relief for the conditions mentioned.
Custom Orthotic Arch Support
Foot orthoses are commonly prescribed for a variety of foot conditions. Painful neuromas, plantar prominences and arthritic joints are just some of the conditions where foot orthoses may be of benefit. Very common plano-valgus feet (flat feet) can aslo be fitted with custom foot orthoses to alleviate symptoms. Fabricated via a plaster impression of the feet, foot orthoses are usually produced in pairs. Materials used in fabrication range from EVA to plastic and carbonfibre. Forefoot conditions being treated with foot orthoses typically have domes incorporated into them. This is a key element of the orthosis designed to pressure relieve thee metatarsal heads. Pictured, is a foot orthosis fabricated from EVA that incorporates a dome.
Carbonfibre Foot Plates
Carbonfibre foot plates are used when we need to add stiffness to a shoe. For many cases of arthritis in the mid to fore foot, stiffening may be indicated. Other cases such as general metetarsalgia, where an insole is being used to unweight a region of the foot, a stiffened shoe with a rocker sole can further enhance pressure relief of the foot. Carbonfibre plates can be removable between shoes or more commonly built into the sole of the shoe. The carbonfibre is extremely durable, light weight and does not change the aesthetics of the shoe.
Post Operative Rigid Soled Shoe
These shoes have a rigid sole and are frequently used postoperatively for ambulatory foot surgery. In cases where patients are permitted to weightbear, the shoe is used to provide a weight bearing sole and to protect the site of the surgery. |