Can I Stop Wearing Orthotics? – Do You Hate Wearing Orthotics?
Yes, You Can Stop Wearing Orthotics?
Yes you can absolutely stop wearing your orthotics and still be pain free. You will need to firstly be aware of what your foot posture is like without the orthotics. If you have been wearing orthotics for a substantial amount of time, it may take 3-6 months to eliminate wearing them completely. This is because the body becomes reliant on them and muscles can weaken over time as they do not need to work to control abnormal foot mechanics.
10 critical steps you need to take to help you STOP wearing ORTHOTICS.
Here is a list of steps you can take to start the process of weaning yourself off orthotics.
1. Check your foot posture with and without the orthotics.
2. Observe what your foot posture is like without the orthotics.
3. Start doing strengthening exercises and stretches to help relieve stress and strain in the muscles of the foot and leg. This gives the foot a greater ability to hold itself in a neutral foot position, therefore requiring less support from the orthotics.
E.g balancing on one leg for 30 seconds, raising toes and holding for 10 seconds then relaxing. Calf stretches, and holding for 30 seconds.
4. Make an appointment with a corrective podiatrist that specialises in foot, ankle and leg joint mobilisation. This type of therapy will make it so much easier for your foot to hold and maintain the corrected alignment. It will also help release any restriction in your feet, ankles and legs that are causing the muscle strain and joint pain.
5. Have your standing and walking biomechanics and loading patterns checked by a corrective podiatrist. Changes will need to be made over a period of time to address any biomechanical problems.
6. Choose more supportive footwear initially as you transition away from orthotics. As your foot strengthens we would encourage clients to try less supportive footwear (e.g minimalist footwear).
7. Transition yourself gradually out of orthotics. To wean yourself off orthotics, try not wearing them for 1 hour a day in the first week. The second week, take them out for 2 hours each day for the seven day period. You would continue increasing removing the orthotics by an hour a week until you are not wearing them for 8 -10 hours during a 24hr period . You may initially continue wearing them only for sporting activities. Then as your feet continue to strengthen start weaning yourself off them during sport. Therefore, it may take about 3 months before you stop wearing orthotics. The process may take longer if you start to notice symptoms returning. If that is the case you may need to go back to wearing the orthotics for the length of time you had worn them the previous week before the pain started to reoccur.
8. Massage your feet along the arch and around your ankles. e.g rolling your foot over a tennis ball will help release tension in the plantar structures of the foot. The muscles on the front of your lower leg (shins) are also good to massage as well. This is important as these muscles will be working harder as you transition off orthotics.
9. It is wise to keep wearing orthotics with sporting activities in the initial stages of weaning. Once you are comfortable with not wearing them in your everyday walking and standing activities, then weaning off orthotics during sporting activities is the next phase.
10. Have your running posture and technique addressed by a corrective podiatrist as simple changes to your strike pattern, cadence and stride length will make a huge difference. Also check if there is excessive foot pronation/supination during your run as this is one of the main causes of foot and leg pain.
Call our centres in Forest Hill 9877 0056 or Ivanhoe 9499 2006 and come in for an initial assessment to find out if we can help you STOP wearing your ORTHOTICS!
