The custom orthotics for my shoes. And they are blue!

During the appointment with my doctor on Oct. 14th, one topic of discussion centered around some pain and tenderness I’ve been experiencing in my feet and legs.

We talked about neuropathy, shin splints, arthritis due to several injuries, and blood clots as potential causes.   The doctor prescribed a Neurontin regimen to help with the pain and sent me for an arterial doppler to check the circulation in my legs.

Dr. C. also noted that the arch in my left foot was collapsed and recommended that I visit a pedorthist for an evaluation and to have custom inserts made for my shoes.

I did so the following Friday.

I had heard a lot of good things about Fred Toenges Shoes and Pedorthics here in Fort Wayne and that they would accept walk-ins, so I paid them a visit to see if they could help me.  They weren’t busy at all and I was able to be seen right away.

Exam worksheet complete with diagrams.

During that initial visit, my feet were examined and measured, as were my legs and hips, and I found out just how out of whack my skeletal structure was just because of the collapsed arches.

Castings were then made of each foot so they orthotics could be crafted for my shoes.  Now, I had these things made many years ago as a child and the process then involved them putting plaster casts on each foot, letting them dry, then cutting them off.   That provided the mold for making the inserts.

What I experienced two weeks ago was much faster and definitely a lot cleaner than what I went through before.  This time the casts were made using some sort of foam material cased in a cardboard box.  Each foot was placed on top of its own box and pressed down into the foam in order to make the casting.   I was impressed by the whole process.

And the whole visit took 45 minutes at most.

Fast forward two weeks…

This afternoon I returned for the followup appointment at Toenges to pickup my orthorics.

As you can see, they are blue. And they kind of look like something you might find at Walmart with a Dr. Scholls logo on them.

The base of these is made of cork, which is topped with two thin layers of different cushioning materials.  The right insert, pictured below, has a red layer of material that is intended to help even out the length of my legs so my hips and other joints align properly.

Left insert

Right insert

You may be wondering if it feels like I’m walking on blocks of wood.   As I near the end of Day 1 with these things, I can confirm that it feels just like that.  These will definitely take some getting used to.   Oh, and these cost a hell of a lot more than Dr. Scholls.  $350!!!  If they help as much as I hope they will, then the adjustment period and expense will be well worth it.

I have a followup appointment two weeks from now to see how things are going and see if any adjustments need to be made.  For now, I’m just excited to be kicking off Diabetes Awareness Month on better footing.