What Are Prescription Orthotics?
Orthotics are podiatric medical devices placed into your footwear designed specifically to improve foot function and lower leg mechanics. They work by restoring and supporting the foot’s normal arch and alignment. Orthotic therapy is one of the services we offer for people who may display biomechanical faults in their walking or running. These include:
- Excess pronation
- Over supination
- Ankle instability
- Pelvic tilt
- Leg length discrepancies
- Unusual walking/running patterns
Types of orthotics
Our Manly Foot Clinic podiatrists can prescribe many different types of orthotics depending on your needs and budget. These include:
| Type | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Cushioning | Softening impact where the foot needs it |
| Pressure relief | Offloading a painful or at-risk area |
| Pre-fabricated | An off-the-shelf device fitted and adjusted to you |
| Custom-made | Made to a 3D scan of your feet, to your prescription |
Custom made orthotics
Custom-made orthotics are best prescribed by qualified podiatrists following a thorough assessment and gait analysis. They are tailored to your needs and prescribed to treat and prevent a number of lower leg and foot problems. Custom-made orthotics can be made out of a range of materials (rigid or soft) and designs (thick or thin) to suit any foot and footwear requirement. Because they are custom-made to your feet, no matter what the material, if the orthotics are prescribed right they should be comfortable.
Who It Helps
Orthotics work by improving foot function and posture. They can help eliminate pain from activities involving prolonged periods of standing, walking or running. Children, adults, seniors, and even work professions (i.e. nurses, postal workers, process workers etc.) can all benefit from orthotics. Our Manly podiatrists can assess your gait and advise you if your feet will benefit.
Sport
At the Manly Foot Clinic we have a special interest in sports podiatry. They can tailor make an orthotic to a particular sport and regularly fit inserts into sports shoes. Our sports-focused podiatrists believe that custom-made orthotics can help improve performance, alleviate pain and prevent injury.
Heel pain
Orthotic devices. Custom orthotic devices that fit into your shoe help correct the underlying structural abnormalities causing the plantar fasciitis.
Flat feet
Flatfeet can be broadly classified into flexible and rigid in nature. The type of flatfoot is determined through clinical testing. Most flatfeet are flexible and can be treated well with orthoses and specific exercises.
What to Expect
Our podiatrists have many years of training and experience with prescribing custom-made orthotics for children, adults, seniors and sports. They follow strict guidelines to ensure your orthotics are prescribed accurately. They will guide you through the whole process at our Manly podiatry centre from the initial assessment and gait analysis to the casting, orthotic prescription, fitting and review.
Assessment first
A biomechanical assessment and gait analysis, watching you stand, walk and where relevant run, to identify the fault the orthotic has to correct.
The treatment
Your feet are captured on the clinic’s 3D scanner in place of a plaster cast, and the orthotic is prescribed to that scan: material, thickness and design chosen for your foot and your footwear.
A short course
The devices are fitted at a follow-up visit and worn in gradually. Manly Foot Clinic has not published a manufacturing turnaround, so this page does not state one; your podiatrist tells you the expected fitting date when the scan is taken.
Review and progress
A review appointment checks comfort, fit and the change in your symptoms, and adjusts the device if needed.
Why See a Podiatrist for Orthotic Therapy?
There are a number of reasons why you should see a podiatrist for orthotic therapy. Our podiatrists at the Manly Foot Clinic are university trained in all aspects of orthotic therapy from biomechanical assessment and gait analysis to manufacturing. That makes podiatrists foot and lower limb specialists.
- Assessment, scanning, prescription, fitting and review all happen in the one clinic in North Manly.
- A range of orthotic types, so the device matches your needs and budget rather than a single product.
- A special interest in sports podiatry, with inserts regularly fitted into sports shoes.
- Serving the Northern Beaches since 1989.
What it costs
The clinic publishes consultation fees on its FAQ page and nothing further. The price of an orthotic depends on its type and is quoted at your assessment; it is not published and is not stated here.
Prescription Orthotics FAQs
Yes, when they’re the right fit for the problem. Custom orthoses are prescribed after a biomechanical assessment and made from a scan of your feet. They can help redistribute load away from painful areas and improve how your feet and legs work together when you walk or run. Orthoses are usually one part of a plan that may also include footwear advice, stretching and strengthening.
Orthotics work by improving foot function and posture. They can help eliminate pain from activities involving prolonged periods of standing, walking or running. Children, adults, seniors, and even work professions (i.e. nurses, postal workers, process workers etc.) can all benefit from orthotics.
Custom-made orthotics can be made out of a range of materials (rigid or soft) and designs (thick or thin) to suit any foot and footwear requirement. Because they are custom-made to your feet, no matter what the material, if the orthotics are prescribed right they should be comfortable.
Manly Foot Clinic has not published a manufacturing turnaround, so this page does not state one. Your podiatrist tells you the expected fitting date when your feet are scanned.
No, you can book directly without a referral. If you’d like, we’ll send a short report to your GP after your appointment so your foot care stays part of your overall health record. If your appointment is through a Medicare care plan, DVA or another funded program, you will need a referral, so check with us when you book.
Serving Manly and the Northern Beaches.
Manly Foot Clinic is at Shop 3/3 Corrie Rd, North Manly, NSW 2100, and prescribes and fits orthotics for patients from Manly, Dee Why, Brookvale, Freshwater and Balgowlah. Open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm and Saturday 8:00am to 2:00pm.