Better balance, posture & movement can enhance healing & get you moving.
ARE YOU A CANDITATE FOR ORTHOTICS?
GAITSCAN biomechanical analysis technology has arrived in New Zealand and we are one of a select group of practitioners nationwide to use this state of the art technology for the assessment of your gait and the prescription of custom orthtoics to help you achive more stability and balance to allow healing of your aches & pains.
Click on the play button to see how GAITSCAN works
Pressed for time, then go to the end of this page to find my 3 step process.
Do you have:
Leg length inequality?
Low back or sacroiliac pain?
Muscle pain, tension or spasm?
Shin splints? (Calf pain)
Pain and grinding in the knee?
Foot arch pain? (Plantar fasciitus / heel spur)
Bunions or other foot pain?
Symptoms that are worse with standing, walking or running?
Symptoms that are not responding to rest / stretching?
Symptoms that improve with care but return with activity?
If YES – then you may be a candidate for gait analysis using Gait Scan technology, and the prescription of custom foot orthotics to address the underlying condition and improve function.
Your feet, knees, hips and spine are in constant demand throughout the day and are under constant pressure of gravity. Foot structure is the bodies foundation for supporting this stress. Dr Roche is trained to look at how your spinal joints are affected by your foot function. This is called “assessment of the Kinetic Chain”, and this helps identify the underlying cause of joint pain and dysfunction. Read on to learn more!
Am I a candidate for orthotics?
You are likely reading this information because you are looking for help, or your practitioner has referred you to us for an assessment for the possible addition of custom foot orthotics to your care plan. You do not need a referral to make an appointment with Dr Roche. The computerised gait analysis pressure plate system is a fantastic way to help identify any underlying cause of your condition (biomechanical foot faults), and will provide the custom shoe insoles to help balance your body and get you better faster, and get you back to living life to the fullest.
Is It For Me?
How do I know if Functional Orthotic Therapy is worth trying for my particular problems?
Given that around 70% of the population have some degree of abnormal foot function, the vast majority of people could benefit from Functional Orthotic Therapy.
Think of prescription orthoses like glasses or contact lenses. Many of us need that bit of extra help in order to see properly. Custom functional orthoses are like prescription glasses/contact lenses, they improve our own ability where we are naturally deficient, and they do not require surgery.
Case studies have shown that Functional Orthotic Therapy plays a unique and important role in the long-term success of any healthcare treatment plan for those with recurrent, acute-on-chronic and/or chronic musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction.
The reason for this is simple. If our feet do not function effectively, the structural integrity, posture, balance and freedom of movement of the rest of the body is compromised. Any treatments, therapies or medications used to treat chronic musculoskeletal problems will be unable to significantly improve overall health where foot function remains compromised.
Supporting the body:
The structure and function of the foot supports your entire weight and affects the movement of all of the joints in your “kinetic chain” – i.e. the feet, knees, hips, pelvis and spine, head.
Faulty foot mechanics will eventually contribute to a variety of conditions in these joint structures. Common symptoms include:
Leg length inequaility
Foot arch pain
Bunions or hammer toes
Heel pain
Shin splints
Grinding / pain in the knee
Hip pain
Low back pain
Sacro - Iliac/Sciatica
And even, neck pain
These symptoms are often worse with long term standing or walking which can result in over use, stress and strain to the ligaments, tendons and muscles that support the weight bearing joints. This ultimately causes pain.
Why the feet?
Your feet have a direct impact on the rest of the weight bearing joints. Like the foundation of a building, your feet support the weight of your body. This is amplified by 4 times when you are running! When small problems develop in your feet, a subtle change in the way you walk will cause a chain reaction of mal-adjustment in your other joints, adversely impacting your posture and walking mechanics, and creating abnormal stress in these joints, leading to even worse problems.
Repetitive Motion
Assuming you started walking at the age of 1, the table below shows the average numbers of steps you will have taken at 10 year intervals throughour your life.
Age (years)
11
21
31
41
51
61
71
81
91
101
Average number of steps taken (Millions)
33
66
99
130
165
200
230
260
300
330
Pronation: To understand orthotics, it helps to understand a bit about how the foot works. Pronation is the technical term for the collapse of the inside arch of the foot. It is a normal and important event in the walking pattern, enabling the foot to work as a shock absorber for the body. However, over-pronation (excessive rotation) can cause problems such as flat feet (i.e image left), plantar fasciitis (arch pain), bunions, knee, hip or back pain. As the foot over-pronates excessive twisting pressure is exerted onto the knees, hips, pelvis and spine creating joint dysfunction, and ultimately pain.
What are Orthotics?
Orthotics are insoles that fit into your shoe to control your foot motion and prevent the stresses placed on all of the weight bearing joints that result from over-pronation. It is important to note that, not all orthotics are created equal. Yes, you can get off the shelf orthotics. However, these are actually just simple “arch supports” and NOT true biomechanical control devices. Your practitioner has referred you for gait analysis and custom orthotics because there is a need to get this precisely right to meet your individual biomechanical requirements.
Why Orthotics?
Custom foot orthotics help rebalance your feet, thereby reducing the stress on the joints and muscles and reducing pain and discomfort by enhancing and optimizing the bodies natural movements. Working with the orthotic laboratory, Dr Roche prescribes orthotics uniquely designed to meet your needs to balance biomechanical faults inherent in your joints. These devices augment and enhance the clinical care you receive, and hasten the healing process with long lasting results. So you can return to your regular activities.
Will they fit into all of my shoes?
In a word – yes! Even in ladies shoes. Our range of orthotics can be designed to fit into almost any shoe type. They can be transferred from shoe to shoe, or you can purchase a pair for each pair of shoes. This is often necessary when specialist orthotics are required for specific sports or occupational activities. There is even a range of sandals that can have your orthotic prescription built into the sandal footbed! Dr Roche would be pleased to discuss this in detail with you, so that you get back to work or back in the “game” faster and better.
How does is work?
The biomechanical assessment is a 3 step process:
Step 1: A detailed physical examination regarding posture, foot function, leg length and other relevant assessments will be performed.
Step 2: You will then be asked to walk across the gait analysis pressure plate to assess the dynamic movement of your foot whilst walking and in motion. The results of the scans will be printed for you to take home with you, and the results from your physical examination will be compared to the gait analysis reports and these will be discussed with you. Then if appropriate for you, Dr Roche will make her recommendations regarding the inclusions of orthotics to your care plan, and the type of orthotics that would be best suited to your individual foot type and foot wear needs.
Step 3: After having all of your questions answered, and you decide to choose to include custom orthotics in your care plan, you purchase the orthotics and an order is placed. The data from your gait anaylysis report and the physical examination findings are sent to the laboratory via the internet. The orthotics are manufactured to the prescribed specifications and they are returned to the clinic. This process takes approximately 30 days. You schedule for a fitting visit where the orthotics are fitted to your shoes, and evaluated to be sure they are working well. You are now on your way to a faster and better recovery from your condition. Congratulations !!!
It is estimated that 70% of the worlds population would benefit from orthotics.
Your one of the lucky ones, as now you at least now know about them!
