Luke (an active 28 year old male weighing approx. 105kgs and working as an electrician) presented to the clinic due to persistent arch pain and general foot soreness after playing football or working on his feet all day. He had never worn foot orthotics before but had tried purchasing insoles from the Chemist. He presented wearing flat casual shoes but said he generally wore lace up work boots.
The clinician performed a full gait analysis and assessment. On observation it was noted Luke had extremely flat feet (pes planovalgus) and was experiencing hyper-pronation.
The foot was passively corrected into a position with an increased arch height via manual manipulation and an impression was taken of both feet.
During the modification process Luke’s medial arch height was increased further, and an inbuilt metatarsal dome to offload the forefoot was added.
Due to Luke’s high activity level and weight, a higher density EVA was selected. Hindfoot medial wedging was added to attempt to straighten the hindfoot.
On fitting the foot orthotic was customised to suit his football boots and workboots. It was strongly suggested that a more supportive pair of casual shoes were sourced which had a better structure and more support.
On review Luke was extremely happy with the results. He was able to work a full day on his feet without the arch pain and felt much less discomfort in his feet. After a wearing in period he was able to play out a full game of football without pain and felt that his balance and ability to run and change direction more quickly was improved. He stated that he felt like he would run and stand ‘flat footed’ prior to fitting and felt more ‘dynamic’ when wearing the foot orthotics.