How Orthotics Plus Can Assist in Sports
At Orthotics Plus, we see patients of varying ages who participate in sports and athletic activities.
Patient needs typically vary from foot alignment correction, to the treatment of injuries as a result of a sporting incident.
We also prescribe protective devices/injury minimisation devices for people looking to return to sport, such as rib, ankle and wrist braces.
Orthotics Plus has multiple clinic locations throughout Melbourne.
Sport Types We Assist With
We typically see patients who play casual to professional level:
- AFL
- Soccer
- Netball
- Hockey
- Basketball
- Endurance sports, such as running
Ultimately, how we treat the patient depends on the nature of their injury rather than the activity.
Acute Sporting Conditions We Treat
We most often see patients with ankle ligament sprains, achilles tendon ruptures, plantar fasciitis, stress fractures, soft tissue injuries, knee ligament injuries (torn ACLs, MCLs, and PCLs) along with fractures and sprains in the finger, wrist, foot, and ankle.
Chronic Sporting Conditions We Treat
We treat patients with chronic pain from plantar fasciitis, flat feet, ligamentous injuries.
We provide long term, post operative support to help people return to activities of daily living, recreation and sport.
We also provide bracing for older adults living with osteoarthritis to promote a healthy lifestyle.
For children, Sever’s disease is a common condition we treat.
Orthoses for Supporting Sport
The type of equipment we will recommend depends on the injury.
For many, foot orthotics and a discussion about appropriate footwear is the appropriate solution.
For acute injuries and rehab – moon boots, knee braces, casts, and post-injury braces may be indicated. When treating an acute injury, our role is to appropriately immobilise or support the injured body part
We may also recommend custom shin guards, custom protective knee braces, custom rib guards, or custom kidney guards.
We also spend time educating our patients about appropriate footwear for any sport.
Book an Assessment at Orthotics Plus
If you are living with foot or ankle pain, or have recently sustained an injury, then Orthotics Plus may be able to help you.
- We are an NDIS registered organisation
- You can self-refer online
- Same day appointments are usually available
- We prioritise fractures and acute cases
Please use our clinic locations page to phone us or book online.
FAQ
Yes. In order to recommend appropriate footwear, we’d have to first perform an assessment.
Depending on our treatment plan, we may recommend certain brands or just certain features in a shoe that may be available in many different brands.
As an adult, it’s difficult to drastically change your gait. You can change the way you run with conscious effort and improve through conditioning and training.
Our focus is on biomechanical interventions external to the body. If you have a supinated or pronated foot posture, for example, we can provide foot orthotics and footwear advice that will reduce the pathomechanics and help you move more efficiently and reduce stress on overloaded tissues,.
For active runners and athletes, we are happy to provide referrals to Physiotherapists that can help with running retraining.
Yes.
Our admin staff are happy to accept phone calls to help prospective patients better understand our services. Our admin staff are highly trained however they do have limited clinical knowledge so more in depth discussions may need to be done with an orthotist. Discussions with the Orthotist via phone are discretionary.
We recommend seeing a Orthotist ASAP..
If you’ve just recently increased your activity level and you have normal biomechanics, it’s likely that we’ll just manage the load on your feet and monitor it. If you’re a fairly consistent runner or have poor biomechanics, then we’ll suggest an intervention to correct it.
With poor biomechanics, there are excessive forces going through a particular structure, and that structure can’t heal and maintain itself in time for the next training session due to the increased load. More efficient biomechanics can increase the amount of running your body can tolerate.
Ignoring issues can result in chronic problems and stress fractures.
Orthotics Plus will discuss appropriate pathways for treatment.