ORTHOTICS

Doug was a bull-dogger & hard working dude, horse shoeing, welding & ranching. Still does all that except for doggin.’ Then he had to hold on to furniture to make it to the bathroom upon rising in the AM. His feet were hurting him BAD. But cows & horses have to be fed,  pastures mowed & fences mended. His wife Diane called me to ask what could be done. We met, 34 point assessment, cast for orthotics. He figured out he needed 2 pairs for his busy life.  That was in 2013 & his foot pain went away within days. Recently, we were together & he told me that he still wore daily. I asked to see them & both PRs were very worn. I reminded him that they could be rebuilt…he said he planned to get new PRs but I told him the poly was still viable & could be rebuilt. Photos below show before, during, & after. You can see the heel spur cutouts & all 4 arches of each foot supported plus cushioning under balls of feet. Because he wears cowboy boots, we give him complete toe room by trimming to sulcus (ridge right behind toes area). He’s happy to have fresh cushioning & sending the 2nd pr to be redone as well!

PBM got her orthotics today and they fit into the shoes that she wears around her house, tending a wood stove so occasionally going to the wood pile. She called to say, "It's only been a few minutes, but I'm not limping!" Backstory, PBM has had 2 hip replacements on the same side in the last year with screws working loose after the first one. She uses a crutch instead of a walker so that she stands more upright which feels better to her...sometimes both crutches. Her pain has been with pretty much every step, at times worse than others. We were together weekend of Jan 17-19 and she inquired about orthotic help. I advised that she would benefit since her hyper-flexible feet have arches but they completely collapse when weight-bearing. She called after putting in the footwear that she wears around her home (LL Bean slip-ons with removable insoles and lip on back to hold orthotics and feet in). She reported to me on the phone: "I'm not limping and my hip doesn't hurt." She had been released from her hip orthopedist recently who told her, "This is how it's going to be. I've done what can be done." Really? Our feet are our foundation and how can an upper story (ie, hips, knees, back) recover well if our foundation is moving around and collapsing? Custom made orthotics that are made to casts then actually molded to those casts have been changing people's lives since I first started molding people in 1978!