Got my orthotic shoe inserts today
I picked up my orthotic shoe inserts today. This is what they look like:
For those of you who have used Spenco Polysorb insoles, that's exactly what the top of them are. They're quite padded. The underside is a carbon mesh, with a rather high arch.
Wearing them feels interesting. To quote my doctor, "it's like there is a hand pushing up on the bottom of each arch".
Getting my muscles adjusted to these will also be interesting. And I don't mean the muscles in my feet, but rather in my legs! Since these orthotics rotate my feet on the Z-axis, this means that one half of the muscles on my leg will pull more than usual, while the other half will push more than usual. I was told to wear them for an hour the first day, then increase the wearing time by an hour each day. He explained to me that if I fail to do this, the pain will send me to the Emergency Room, because wearing them for a full day before my muscles are ready would be like going to the gym for a full day.
The next step is to see my pawdiatrist again in 6 weeks. He said that there's a 98% chance that I will, and I quote, "feel like kissing him on the lips". Yes, he really said that. In the remaining 2%, some imperfection may show up in the orthotics, which means they get sent back to the manufacturer for adjustment.
The manufacturer also offers a "protection plan". For $75, I can be enrolled for 3 years, which will protect my orthotics against damage or theft (LOLWHUT?). I'll probably go for that, just for the damage angle.
What this will do to my knees remains to be seen, but there's a pretty good chance I'll see some improvement there, since my feet will now be aligned properly. If I see substantial improvement, I intend to do some traveling. Possible destinations include New York City, driving west as far as Chicago, visiting Cheetah Pizza (you guys think I'm joking? Click the link!), or flying to Las Vegas.
More news as I get it.
For those of you who have used Spenco Polysorb insoles, that's exactly what the top of them are. They're quite padded. The underside is a carbon mesh, with a rather high arch.
Wearing them feels interesting. To quote my doctor, "it's like there is a hand pushing up on the bottom of each arch".
Getting my muscles adjusted to these will also be interesting. And I don't mean the muscles in my feet, but rather in my legs! Since these orthotics rotate my feet on the Z-axis, this means that one half of the muscles on my leg will pull more than usual, while the other half will push more than usual. I was told to wear them for an hour the first day, then increase the wearing time by an hour each day. He explained to me that if I fail to do this, the pain will send me to the Emergency Room, because wearing them for a full day before my muscles are ready would be like going to the gym for a full day.
The next step is to see my pawdiatrist again in 6 weeks. He said that there's a 98% chance that I will, and I quote, "feel like kissing him on the lips". Yes, he really said that. In the remaining 2%, some imperfection may show up in the orthotics, which means they get sent back to the manufacturer for adjustment.
The manufacturer also offers a "protection plan". For $75, I can be enrolled for 3 years, which will protect my orthotics against damage or theft (LOLWHUT?). I'll probably go for that, just for the damage angle.
What this will do to my knees remains to be seen, but there's a pretty good chance I'll see some improvement there, since my feet will now be aligned properly. If I see substantial improvement, I intend to do some traveling. Possible destinations include New York City, driving west as far as Chicago, visiting Cheetah Pizza (you guys think I'm joking? Click the link!), or flying to Las Vegas.
More news as I get it.