Don't Let The Holidays Hurt Your Feet

It has begun, store hours are extending, the cookie baking has begun and two of the most labor intensive meals of the year are almost ready to be cooked. What does this mean for your feet? It means a lot of standing and possibly the flare up of your old friend plantar fasciitis.  One of the biggest times of year calls for some big support.  If you have a job that requires a lot of standing and you are not making it through the end of your shift without having foot pain, it is time to see our podiatrist in Clermont or Leesburg Florida at the Center for Ankle and Foot Care! We have seen an increase in patients that are Amazon employees from our local Groveland distribution center, Kroger employees from the local fulfillment center and an increase in Target employees whose hours are longer as they stock the shelves with Christmas cheer.  We also see year long our Disney world employees from the happiest place on earth that sometimes makes their feet a little unhappy with standing all day!

What all of these people have in common is having to stand a lot during the day.  They are coming in with pain in the ball of the foot, plantar fasciitis or heel pain, Achilles tendon pain and some people just sore feet at the end of the day.  I am about to give you the best piece of free advice.  Get more support in your shoe! 

Common questions about support

1.  Can I just buy new shoes and will that solve my foot pain? If the tread on your shoes is worn & they are beat up, then yes this could be a good start.  I would not recommend solely relying on a shoe salesmen for all your advice on your foot problem.  It probably would be a better start to see your local podiatrist first. I know in our office we do recommend local places to be fitted for good shoes.  But the years of schooling and training that your podiatrist has is going to get you the most accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.  Just recently I saw a patient that had a stress fracture in their foot and their first move when they were experiencing pain was to get fitted for new shoes. The employee at the shoe store told them, "You have plantar fasciitis and these shoes are great for that!"  This patient presented 2 weeks later to our office, we took X-rays and the patient had a third metatarsal fracture. Patient will be in a walking cast for the next 4-8 weeks. 
2.  What kind of support do I need?  The real answer is it depends.  A really good over the counter insert can provide a lot of support for certain foot types.  Not all over the counters are created equal.  Most of the items in a drug store are made for comfort but not support. We have created an over the counter insert that we 3D print for patients that has offered a lot of our patients that stand for work a great option.  Our insoles are $40 and available for purchase in the office if you would like to try these stop by no appointment needed.  However, if you are wearing a good over the counter insert and still can not make it more than 4 hours into a shift it is time to talk custom orthotics. 
3. What do custom orthotics cost? There is a possibility that your insurance may cover custom foot orthotics, but most do not.  We give all of our patients a form to call their insurance with the most important questions to ask to see if the custom is covered.  If their insurance company tells them it is covered we give our patients a prescription for the inserts.  We have unfortunately been burned by insurance companies telling us they are covered and then denying the service later. So if a patient gets the thumbs up from their insurance company we send them to be casted by an orthotist.  Many patients opt to pay out of pocket or use their HSA accounts for our custom inserts because they can have their inserts within 48 hours in their shoes.  The traditional way is about a 4 week turnaround.  At the Center for Ankle and Foot Care we use state of the art technology. Using 3D scanning we can capture the cast accurately of the foot, upload it into special software made just for custom foot orthotics and then 3D print them in the office.  Our self pay patient discounted price is $550. This includes any modifications needed in the break in period.  Our podiatrists are dedicated to making your custom orthotics perfect for your feet! Many patients love their orthotics so much they want a second pair, we charge $275 for the second pair.     

The holidays are supposed to be a happy time, but if your feet are hurting you are miserable.  If you are local in Central Florida it is worth a trip to the Center for Ankle and Foot Care for an evaluation and to see what is your foot pain coming from and get an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.  Many of our patients that work at Amazon, Kroger and Target that come in know they need more support and it is just a matter of what support is the best for their foot problem.  Call and schedule with us today, we accept most insurances and they cover the doctors appointment to be evaluated to see if custom orthotics are right for you. If you prefer to book online that is an option as well.

Below is a video of Dr. McGowan Explaining the process and one of the conditions that have great outcomes with custom foot orthotics.

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