I have just completed a shockingly expensive professional orthotic prescription and construction series. They seem to work well, and I have run for a few months, without the pain I had before. Very good news.
To get a second pair made from my plaster casts is $150. This seems way out of line. As I look at them, there are only a few components.
I think that given the right materials, my exacto knife and a belt sander I could duplicate these pretty accurately. I want these for my cycling shoes and street shoes, which I presume are not so critical as the orginals.
So, any suggestions on how to do this, or where to get the raw materials. I think I need a plastic heel cup, with arch support, and a few foam pads.
You’re not paying for the material. You are paying (presumably) for a person who knows what they are doing to make them fit and work properly. If they aren’t a very close duplication, they won’t work. There is only about five bucks worth of material in even the most expensive graphite ones.
I suggest you try a pair of Superfeet or Footfix over-the-counter insoles for your cycling shoes first. They might work just fine.
For the most part they are over priced IMO, but based upon market demand, prices can be set relative to the area you live in. I live in a rural area so my prices are considerably less than those in an urban center, which is a reflection of the rural vs urban cost of living index.
I’m a chiropractor, not a podiatrist/chiropodist but I do have applications to sell a few pairs of orthotics a month. It’s a relatively small part of my practice but is sometimes warranted not only for foot problems but to aid with other musculoskeletal problems with the knees, low back, etc. The company I deal with utilizes a computerized gait analysis system rather than molds. I’ve used both and much prefer the computer system. Here is some info about them. http://www.footmaxx.com/
i agree that you should just try over the counter orthotics first before trying to create your own frankenstein orthotics. I work at a specialty running store and we sometimes sell more othotics than shoes it seems. We have an in house custom guy who is really good and actually uses an EVA (same foam as in most shoes) blank which he machines to fit your foot based on a computer scan, the AmFIT system, versus the more conventional mold based hard orthotics. For most people the over the counter works just fine. You might need to try a few out though as depending on the brand or model as the arch placement, heel cup depth, and give of the orthotic will change. I use custom only when i’m injured and sometimes they are worth their weight in gold. Other times or for racing I use superfeet or YourSole over the counter orthotics. It’s often not that custom is any “better” than over the counter, it just happens to fit your foot shape and needs EXACTLY versus fitting an averaged foot shape as in over the counter orthotics.
“I have just completed a shockingly expensive professional orthotic prescription and construction series.”
you’ve read about my guy, jim rice, i assume? i’ve written three articles about him as i recall. everybody needs a jim rice in their town. $99 per pair, from the first pair onward. he’s not an orthopaedist, podiatrist, chiro, or anything like that. but he makes great orthotics (and works on every san diego pro triathlete’s shoes). i guess the only way you know whether there is a jim rice analog in your town is via word of mouth.
one thing tho. i moved. now i’m 3 hours from jim rice. but it’s still worth going to him. i could move to india and i’d stlll use him.
no plaster cast with jim. he’s got a CNC computer file of my orthotic. when i lost my last pair i called him up in a panic, drove down there, and a replacement pair were already finished and waiting for me. he’s almost worth the flight from wherever you are to san diego, as the $250 you save in your first podiatrist visit (casting, gate analysis) will almost pay for your flight.
I am picking mine up today, I used the computerized gait analysis system at my chiropractic office, and the price I am paying is $350. I have had ITB syndrom so I am hoping this helps.
“everybody needs a jim rice in their town. $99 per pair”
Are these custom or generic orthotics. If his orthotics are custom and genuinely good quality, then that’s a real bargain. A steal in fact. The company that I use charges me almost that much for their cut. Anything above that goes to me. I charge $350. CDN (about $265 US) and my prices are lower than most. I’ve heard of some podiatrists charging about double this amount and the quality of the product isn’t any better.
If I like my orthotics and want to get another set for my bike shoes, what price should I have to pay, being that my info is already in the computer and I have gone through the process once already?
If he’s using the system that I am, the price for any set is about the same. Problem is, the computer scan is sent to the company where they make the orthotics. They then charge the doc for the orthotics. The doc then charges you a mark up, something he has to do because he has to pay a lease on the computer/scanner orthotic equipment as well as pay the rent.
Some people using the exact same system as myself are charging quite a bit more, but as I pointed out, I’m living in a rural area so my prices would be a reflection of the lower cost of living than if I was living somewhere like NYC or Silicon Valley.
do a search for jim rice on slowtwitch. there are photos of the process. you stand on a machine, and little plastic needle-thingies come up from below and make an impression of the underside of your foot. from this a computer file is generated, which is transmitted to a CNC mill he has that cuts the orthotic out of a blank. the blank can be any of varying densities depending on how much motion control you need.
then jim glues on your choice of upper, etc., and out the door you go. plus, your file is saved, so replacement sets aren’t made from the cast, but from the file (plus, the file can be altered if the orthotic wasn’t spot-on right away). $99.
Wow $99 is a pretty good price. I’m guessing that your guy jim has the amfit system just like the guy i know, “the shoe doctor.” The computerized profile is a great way to go and then he can even make quick adjustments before or after production. Our guy buy’s EVA blanks from the amfit company then mills them at home on his rather finiky cnc mill. I wish he could do it for $99 though, his price is $200. I do live in hawaii though and that whole cost of living, blah blah, thing might account for a bit of that price hike. But $99 sure does sound like a deal. Anyways, although I hate even that small amount of added weight they sure do work well. I’m about to get another pair next week.
I got my orthotics today, and they are from Foot Maxx, The black part on the heel of my right foot is much thicker than that of the left foot one. It must be from the way I walk, or that this leg is a little shorter than the left one. I put them in my running shoes, and they felt a bit strange as they are thicker than the stock ones that come in the shoes as I have little arch ( I am pretty flat footed). I went for a run of just 1 1/2 miles and I found that my right foot was going numb, I think it is because this insert is so much thicker than the one of the other foot. My foot was getting sore on the top outside part as I think it was pushing against the shoe. My question is does this sound normal to you? Do these take a little bit of getting used to? Perhaps I need to not tie my shoes so tightly and get use to this. I know it is hard for you to say, I would be interested in your input never the less.
You should have received some written instructions with these advising you not to wear them for any more than an hour the first day, two hours the second, etc. They take about a week to get used to. At first they’ll feel a bit stiff but they “break down” and become more flexible in a short while. You shouldn’t have ran in them the first day. I’d just wear them normally at first for the first week.
Whoever ordered them for you must have specifically ordered the back part of the right heel that way. I assume he feels you have a shorter leg on that side. I very seldom order them like this as most short legs are physiological (eg. caused by pelvis torsion, tight muscles, etc) and not anatomical(ie leg bone is actually shorter).
Did you first take out the arch supports that came in your shoes? Usually they just lift out but on some shoes they can be partially or even completely glued. It sounds like they might be too tight in the shoes you’re using.
It’s impossible for me to tell over the net but it’s possible that something is a bit amiss. But for sure you should be breaking them in slower.
Give them about a week and see how they feel but break them in slower. If they still don’t feel right go back to the chiro and tell him what’s wrong. You don’t want to spend tha kind of money for something that’s not doing what it is supposed to do. They can be sent back to Footmaxx to be adjusted. I’ve sold around thirty orthotics in the past year and have only ever sent one pair back for modification. I wear these orthotics myself 24/7 and have never felt uncomfortable with them.
Thanks for the info, I will try what you spoke about. I pulled out the insoles that were in the shoes, I am not sure if there is more in the shoe or not, I will look. I will ley you know how things turn out.