Listed below you will find some common foot conditions that can be treated with the daily use of Custom Made Orthotics and trusted orthopedic footwear brands we carry.

Our feet are the foundation of your well being, so let us help you live your life to its fullest capacity 

Archillies Tendonitis

Achilles tendonitis causes inflammation and degeneration of the achilles tendon. The achilles tendon is the large tendon located in the back of the leg that inserts into the heel. The pain caused by achilles tendonitis can gradually develop without any history of trauma. The pain may be a shooting pain, burning pain, or even an extremely piercing pain. Due to the danger that the tendon can become weak and ruptured Achilles tendonitis should not be left untreated. Achilles Tendonitis is aggravated by Activities that repeatedly stress the tendon, causing inflammation. In many cases prolonged periods of standing can cause symptoms as well. It is a common condition often experienced by athletes, particularly distance runners. Achilles Tendonitis is a difficult injury to treat in athletes due to their high level of activity and reluctance to stop or slow down their training.   Individuals who suffer from achilles tendonitis often complain that their first steps out of bed in the morning are extremely painful. Another common complaint is pain after steps are taken after long periods of sitting. This pain often lessens with activity.  

Cause

There are several factors that can cause achilles tendonitis. The most common cause is over-pronation. Over-pronation occurs in the walking process, when the arch collapses upon weight bearing, adding stress on the achilles tendon.   Other factors that lead to achilles tendonitis are improper shoe selection, inadequate stretching prior to engaging in athletics, a short achilles tendon, direct trauma (injury) to the tendon, and heel bone deformity.  

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Lower Back Pain (Lumbar Pain)​
Rolling over of the feet – excess pronation – causes the lower leg to rotate internally. As a result, the pelvis is forces to tilt forward, which can cause an increased curvature of the lower back (see illustration). This is referred to as 'poor body posture'. Especially after standing up-right for longer periods the curvature in back will cause tightness and stiffness of the lower back muscles.

By controlling 'excess pronation' of the feet, orthotics help improve your body posture. Because the feet are now properly aligned, internal rotation of the legs and forward pelvic tilt are greatly reduced, thereby easing low back pain.

Ball of Foot Pain (Metatarsalgia)
This condition commonly occurs with women, however many men suffer from pain the ball of the foot. Sometimes a callous develops in the centre of the foot and footwear may wear out in a similar fashion. It causes a burning sensation in the ball of the foot and can become very painful.

Ball of Foot Pain (Metatarsalgia) commonly occurs from rotation and dropping (plantarflexion) of the metatarsal bones along with excess pronation and weakening of the soft tissue (ligament & muscle) structures.

Orthotics align the central three (3) metatarsal shafts using an inbuilt 5mm met raise to correctly position and maintain the Metatarsal bone position.

By balancing the weight distribution over the five (5) metatarsal bones, this helps remove excess weight & friction which commonly causes the callous and burning sensation.

Flat Feet / Fallen Arches (Pes Planus)
A true flat foot is rare. Generally, a flat-footed person is only suffering from a functional flat-foot caused by excess pronation. Excess Pronation causes the foot's arch to collapse & elongate giving the appearance of a flat foot. A functional flat foot is quite common and generally exhibits symptoms ranging from sore/tired feet to general leg fatigue and body aches.

Orthotics are designed to control excess pronation (the common cause of functional flat feet), thereby restoring the foot's arch to normal.

Knee Pain (Patello-Femoral Syndrome)
This type of knee pain is commonly caused by flattening of the foot's arch. Excess Pronation - or rolling over of the foot - causes the lower leg (the tibia & fibia) to rotate internally. In turn, this will put excessive forces on the knee cap and over time it will weaken the muscles and ligaments in the knee joint. Often, a 'grinding' sensation is experienced in the knee, combined with a sharp pain.

By supporting the arches and re-aligning the lower limb, orthotics stop the leg from rotating internally, thereby effectively taking away this common cause of knee pain.

Outside Knee & Hip Pain (Ilio-tibial Band Syndrome)
​A common condition in athletes caused by abnormal friction & rubbing of the Ilio-tibial band muscle over the knee & hip joints. This condition commonly exhibits a gradual but rather several pain on the outside knee joint and less commonly on the outside hip section. Sometimes, simply walking up or down stairs may aggravate this condition. The pain usually subsides immediately upon rest but re-occurs with activity.

Orthotics control the internal rotation of the shin bone (tibia) and furthermore the rotation on the knee & hip joint via the in-built 4 degree rearfoot varus wedge. Thereby, reducing stretching (tractional) and frictional forces on the Ilio-tibial band muscle. Stretching of the Ilio-tibial band muscle is advised. Develop.

Bunions (Hallux Abducto Valgus)

Bunions, referred to as Hallux Valgus, are one of the most common forefoot problems. A bunion is a prominent bump on the inside of the foot around the big toe joint. This bump is actually a bone protruding towards the inside of the foot. With the continued movement of the big toe towards the smaller toes, it is common to find the big toe resting under or over the second toe. This causes a common forefoot condition called overlapping toes. Some of the symptoms of bunions include inflammation, swelling, and soreness on the side surface of the big toe. The discomfort commonly causes a patient to walk improperly.

Another type of bunion which some individuals experience is called a Tailor's Bunion, also known as a Bunionette. This forms on the outside of the foot towards the joint at the little toe. It is a smaller bump that forms due to the little toe moving inwards, towards the big toe.

Cause

Bunions are a common problem experienced mostly by women. The deformity can develop from an abnormality in foot function, or arthritis, but is more commonly caused by wearing improper fitting footwear. Tight, narrow dress shoes with a constrictive toe box (toe area) can cause the foot to begin to take the shape of the shoe, leading to the formation of a bunion. Women who have bunions normally wear dress shoes that are too small for their feet. Their toes are squeezed together in their shoes causing the first metatarsal bone to protrude on the side of the foot.

It is important for men and women to realize that wearing dress shoes and boots, which are tapered in the toe area, can cause the bunion to worsen to the point where surgery is necessary.

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Arthritis

Arthritis is a disease characterized by the inflammation of the cartilage and lining of the body's joints. Inflammation causes redness, warmth, pain and swelling. There are about 40 million Canadians who suffer from arthritis. The primary targets for arthritis are people over the age of 50. Arthritis is a major cause of foot pain because each foot has 33 joints that can become affected by the disease.




​Osteoarthritis
There are many different types of arthritis. The most common type is called osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis causes excessive strain and the wearing away of cartilage in the joints of the foot. Movement becomes very difficult and painful. The pain and swelling worsens while standing or walking, and stiffness usually occurs after periods of rest.

Gout
Gout is another form of arthritis that also leads to foot complications. Excess uric acid crystals collect in and around the joints of the big toe. The big toe joint is commonly the focal point due to the stress and pressure it experiences during walking and other weight bearing activities. This often leads to severe pain in the big toe. Men are more likely to develop gouty arthritis than women.

Rheumatoid Arthritis
Another type of arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis. It can develop at any age and there is no known cause for this condition. Rheumatoid arthritis is the most crippling form of the disease that can affect people of all ages. It can cause severe deformities of the joints with associated fatigue of the entire body. People who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis often develop severe forefoot problems such as bunions, hammer toes, claw toes, and others.

Cause
There are many causes of arthritis. Heredity plays a major role. However, arthritic symptoms can develop due to many other factors. Some of these include bacterial and viral infections, prescription and illegal drugs, traumatic injuries, and bowel disorders such as ileitis and colitis.

Forefoot problems such as hammer toes, claw toes, mallet toes, and bunions often develop as a result of arthritis, particularly Rheumatoid arthritis. Problems can also develop in the heel and ankle area due to the erosion of the involved joints.

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Calluses

The formation of calluses is caused by an accumulation of dead skin cells that harden and thicken over an area of the foot. This callus formation is the body's defense mechanism to protect the foot against excessive pressure and friction. Calluses are normally found on the ball-of-the-foot, the heel, and/or the inside of the big toe. Some calluses have a deep seated core known as a nucleation. This particular type of callus can be especially painful to pressure. This condition is often referred to as Intractable Plantar Keratosis.



Cause
Calluses develop becuase of excessive pressure at a specific area of the foot. Some common causes of callus formation are high-heeled dress shoes, shoes that are too small, obesity, abnormalities in the gait cycle (walking motion), flat feet, high arched feet, bony prominences, and the loss of the fat pad on the bottom of the foot.

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Plantar Faciitis

Plantar Fasciitis is an inflammation caused by excessive stretching of the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a broad band of fibrous tissue which runs along the bottom surface of the foot, attaching at the bottom of the heel bone and extending to the forefoot. When the plantar fascia is excessively stretched, this can cause plantar fasciitis, which can also lead to heel pain, arch pain, and heel spurs.



Cause
Plantar Fasciitis often leads to heel pain, heel spurs, and/or arch pain. The excessive stretching of the plantar fascia that leads to the inflammation and discomfort can be caused by the following: Over-pronation (flat feet) which results in the arch collapsing upon weight bearing A foot with an unusually high arch A sudden increase in physical activity Excessive weight on the foot, usually attributed to obesity or pregnancy Improperly fitting footwear Over-pronation (flat feet) is the leading cause of plantar fasciitis. Over-pronation occurs in the walking process, when a person's arch collapses upon weight bearing, causing the plantar fascia to be stretched away from the heel bone. With Plantar Fasciitis, the bottom of your foot usually hurts near the inside of the foot where the heel and arch meet. The pain is often acute either first thing in the morning or after a long rest, because while resting the plantar fascia contracts back to its original shape. As the day progresses and the plantar fascia continues to be stretched, the pain often subsides.

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Claw Toes

A claw toe is a toe that is contracted at the PIP and DIP joints (middle and end joints in the toe), and can lead to severe pressure and pain. Ligaments and tendons that have tightened cause the toe's joints to curl downwards. Claw toes may occur in any toe, except the big toe. There is often discomfort at the top part of the toe that is rubbing against the shoe and at the end of the toe that is pressed against the bottom of the shoe. Claw toes are classified based on the mobility of the toe joints. There are two types - flexible and rigid. In a flexible claw toe, the joint has the ability to move. This type of claw toe can be straightened manually. A rigid claw toe does not have that same ability to move. Movement is very limited and can be extremely painful. This sometimes causes foot movement to become restricted leading to extra stress at the ball-of-the-foot, and possibly causing pain and the development of corns and calluses.
Cause Claw toes result from a muscle imbalance which causes the ligaments and tendons to become unnaturally tight. This results in the joints curling downwards. Arthritis can also lead to many different forefoot deformities, including claw toes.

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