Footwear First

Considering Why the Quality of the Footwear is of Equal Importance to any Prescribed Device.

Christine Kiernan, February 20th, 2024

When approaching a biomechanical assessment for new patients with a view to provision of foot orthoses, managing patient expectations should be at the forefront of any clinical plan. In my own experience, it is important to set realistic and achievable goals in forming a strong treatment alliance with your patient, particularly if provision of foot orthoses form part of that treatment. One of the phrases I commonly use before approaching foot orthoses is “footwear first” as I feel it is ineffective to provide expensive custom foot orthoses in poor, ill-fitting footwear.

For more details on evaluating the impact of poorly fitting footwear, considering a patient's individual needs, and also convincing them to transition from their previously-loved "elegant" footwear, please see the entire blog here.