Custom Orthotics ?

[slick trick]

So I see a lot of people jumped on the Sheep's Feet orthos. I also noticed there are a lot of other companies doing the same thing, some with about the same cost and some with lower cost. I have a pair now my doctor made 275.00 my part- insurance covers the other 275.00 wondering if I should drop the doctor and go with one of these since I will pay the same. Has anybody had any luck with the other people out there doing the same thing ?

 

[bat-cave]

FWIW, I have both a pair of Sheeps Feet and an older set of orthotics from my Dr and now a new set from my Dr. The reason why is that I ended up with a new set from my Dr, is that I did the DIY kit from Sheeps Feet at home and had issues. One of the footbeds was off and I ended up with a deep bone bruise after a week in the Elk Mtns and ultimately it took my 6 months and a new set from DR to recover.

I am not blaming Sheeps Feet. I suspect I did something wrong in making the cast. I did contact Sheeps Feet and they made a modification after the fact, but I've yet to try them as I really don't want to take a chance of going backwards. Morale to the story, is to consider having someone make the casting for you (ideally that knows what they are doing ... so NOT me! ), or have a professional do it.

 

[slick trick]

FWIW, I have both a pair of Sheeps Feet and an older set of orthotics from my Dr and now a new set from my Dr. The reason why is that I ended up with a new set from my Dr, is that I did the DIY kit from Sheeps Feet at home and had issues. One of the footbeds was off and I ended up with a deep bone bruise after a week in the Elk Mtns and ultimately it took my 6 months and a new set from DR to recover.

I am not blaming Sheeps Feet. I suspect I did something wrong in making the cast. I did contact Sheeps Feet and they made a modification after the fact, but I've yet to try them as I really don't want to take a chance of going backwards. Morale to the story, is to consider having someone make the casting for you (ideally that knows what they are doing ... so NOT me! ), or have a professional do it.

i hear that- recovery time for feet is one of the longest and usually very painful.

 

[fightthenoise]

I did sheep feet. I haven’t had a hunting season yet but I’ve spent a lot of time in the boots including hikes and enough mileage to know they at least won’t hurt. I can see how you could goof up the foam, especially if you do it alone. I had my wife lend a pair of hands to make sure the impressions were good and straight. She was super grossed out despite the fact that my feet are very clean and well pedicured but I digress.

When I got the insoles I could definitely tell they were attempting to get my feet to do something they aren’t used to doing. I was worried at first about the adjustment but after a couple days I was and still am very happy with them. I went with heel stabilizer and double cushion and they fit my Crispi Nevada’s perfectly.

 

[Little Joe]

I have a pair now my doctor made 275.00 my part- insurance covers the other 275.00 wondering if I should drop the doctor and go with one of these since I will pay the same.

Go with your doctor.

With your doctor you are not only paying for the devices, but the expertise and knowledge that goes with them. If there is a problem, your doctor knows how to fix it. If he can’t fix them the doc will send the arch supports back to the lab to be remade, usually at no cost to you. There are a multitude of different materials that arch supports are made of. The doctor will choose the type of materials and type of arch support that best fit your needs.

There are two basic types of custom arch supports on the market. Custom molded and custom fitted.

Custom molded requires a doctors prescription. Exact molds or scans are taken of your feet. The arch supports are made from those molds or scans. The arch supports are made specifically for you. Any adjustments in the arch supports are made based on the exam of your feet. Materials are ordered specifically based on your needs. Types of arch supports may be ordered based on the types of shoes you wear. Some women wear a heel to work while others wear arch supports while jogging.

Custom fitted are over the counter devices. You are getting what ever is already massed produced. You may step in some foam, or use ink or another method, and send your foot measurements in the mail to some company. The company picks a pair of arch supports off the shelf that best fits your shoe size, and sends them to you. These are considered custom fitted or “custom”. Someone “custom” fitted the arch supports to the measurements sent in. Of course they charge you a premium for this. And to be honest, this frequently works well. What people don’t understand, is they can go to a shoe store and try several different arch supports off the shelf. You are doing the same thing as the mail in companies do, except less hassle involved with measuring and mailing. You will typically pay less than half of what you would pay for the mail in devices. Quality may be better or worse depending on what you choose.

Some doctors sell custom fitted devices. They realize not everyone needs a custom molded device. It is a cheaper option for many patients.

 

[slick trick]

Go with your doctor.

With your doctor you are not only paying for the devices, but the expertise and knowledge that goes with them. If there is a problem, your doctor knows how to fix it. If he can’t fix them the doc will send the arch supports back to the lab to be remade, usually at no cost to you. There are a multitude of different materials that arch supports are made of. The doctor will choose the type of materials and type of arch support that best fit your needs.

There are two basic types of custom arch supports on the market. Custom molded and custom fitted.

Custom molded requires a doctors prescription. Exact molds or scans are taken of your feet. The arch supports are made from those molds or scans. The arch supports are made specifically for you. Any adjustments in the arch supports are made based on the exam of your feet. Materials are ordered specifically based on your needs. Types of arch supports may be ordered based on the types of shoes you wear. Some women wear a heel to work while others wear arch supports while jogging.

Custom fitted are over the counter devices. You are getting what ever is already massed produced. You may step in some foam, or use ink or another method, and send your foot measurements in the mail to some company. The company picks a pair of arch supports off the shelf that best fits your shoe size, and sends them to you. These are considered custom fitted or “custom”. Someone “custom” fitted the arch supports to the measurements sent in. Of course they charge you a premium for this. And to be honest, this frequently works well. What people don’t understand, is they can go to a shoe store and try several different arch supports off the shelf. You are doing the same thing as the mail in companies do, except less hassle involved with measuring and mailing. You will typically pay less than half of what you would pay for the mail in devices. Quality may be better or worse depending on what you choose.

Some doctors sell custom fitted devices. They realize not everyone needs a custom molded device. It is a cheaper option for many patients.

yes and another good point is that at least I can keep working with him/her to get the correct and proper fit.

 

[Tmcgarrigle]

You can buy the most expensive orthotics in the world but if they aren't built to help fix your specific problems, your feet will still hurt. That is why I went to a Dr over just going with SheepFeet and price was about the same. A good Dr will listen to your concerns/needs and also have the orthotics built to fit the application you want to use them for. Because mine knew these were going in a stiff pair of boots for hiking/hunting, he modified some things on them to improve the experience vs if they were going in a pair of dress shoes or running shoes. In my case, the Dr also helped diagnose my morton's neuroma and added features to the orthotics that I would have never known I needed. Most of the Dr's also stand behind their work so they will work on the orthotics until you are happy with them.

 

[fishslap]

I did sheep feet. I haven’t had a hunting season yet but I’ve spent a lot of time in the boots including hikes and enough mileage to know they at least won’t hurt. I can see how you could goof up the foam, especially if you do it alone. I had my wife lend a pair of hands to make sure the impressions were good and straight. She was super grossed out despite the fact that my feet are very clean and well pedicured but I digress.

When I got the insoles I could definitely tell they were attempting to get my feet to do something they aren’t used to doing. I was worried at first about the adjustment but after a couple days I was and still am very happy with them. I went with heel stabilizer and double cushion and they fit my Crispi Nevada’s perfectly.

Same exact experience for me, word for word except mine are in scarpa kinesis pros.