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Question:

That’s in an acceptable range although you could probably find them cheaper elsewhere.  Before you try orthotics, have you tried just wearing drugstore type insoles that had added support for the arch of your foot?  I did this and it fixed my problem, although the severity of my PF wasn’t that great. Of course, I tried orthotics and they hurt my feet.  So I switched from a $300 pair of those to a free arch support insole that our trainers had on hand. Nothing like learning the hard way. -jeff

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have PF and today got molded for a set of Orthotics which cost $325.00 Is this excessive?  I’m willing to pay anything to get  over this. Thanks.

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Find a shoe store that uses www.footmaxx.com equipment.  Orthotics are made generally in the $200 range. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have PF and today got molded for a set of Orthotics which cost $325.00 Is this excessive?  I’m willing to pay anything to get  over this. Thanks.

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Find a shoe store that uses www.footmaxx.com equipment.  Orthotics are made generally in the $200 range.

A shoe store that uses Footmaxx equipment?! Wow! I don’t think I’ll ever trust a shoe store to prescribe me orthotics. My podiatrist uses the Footmaxx equipment, but he also used his own knowledge to further enhance whatever the computer showed. In other words, he didn’t just solely rely on the equipment. Conal Graduate Student 337 Social Sciences 1 Dept. of Anthropology University of California-Santa Cruz

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X-No-Archive: yes I have PF and today got molded for a set of Orthotics which cost $325.00 Is this excessive?  I’m willing to pay anything to get  over this. Thanks. That’s about the going rate. Note however that for many people, off-the-shelf orthotics work better for PF simply because they have more cushioning. I reposted an article from cnn.com about it here a few months ago

If that’s the case, one’s orthotics can always be made to have more cushioning. The podiatrist can order that. But then again, PF isn’t cured by more cushioning. That’s only dealing with symptoms. Conal Graduate Student 337 Social Sciences 1 Dept. of Anthropology University of California-Santa Cruz

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Again, see the whole article: http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9610/15/nfm/foot.flap/index.html They state that: Almost 95 percent of the study group improved with a shoe insert off the shelf, compared with only 68 percent of patients using the plastic custom-made device. Those numbers speak for themselves. As does the headline of the article: <<Cheaper is better for healing sore heels

The numbers don’t really "speak for themselves", I don’t think, because the "study" was only done on "15 foot and ankle centers". Look, what I’m also saying is this: why aren’t we more careful about interpreting these "studies". I’m in academia, one of the "industries", if you will, that produces various kinds of studies like this and no self-respecting academician/academic is going to immediately put 100% faith in any one study. Those of you who are familiar with the workings of academia (and I don’t mean just being a student in one) will know how often academics argue over results, interpretations and data collection of "studies". I’m not saying that pre-fab orthotics aren’t good, or anything like that. I’m questioning why "we" are so quick to believe in any journalism reported on one study. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Conal Graduate Student 337 Social Sciences 1 Dept. of Anthropology University of California-Santa Cruz

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There you go again. If you can’t argue on the facts, argue ad hominem. Well, as someone on the faculty of the math department of a university (in Canada), I like to think I am somewhat familiar with both the workings of academia and statistics. This was a serious scientic study by the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society, specifically  conducted by the AOFAS Heel Pain Study Group. It involved two-year, prospective randomized comparison of initial treatments.

Well, that’s good! But let’s put it in the context of the CNN article, shall we? After all, we are talking about the CNN article alone. By the CNN article alone, I wouldn’t be putting my full faith in what the article reports. Of course, since you know the source and presumably have read through the study etc., you have more faith in that article. But by just the CNN article as a stand alone, there’s no way anyone should put faith into such "scientific reporting". Do you know what I mean? If you had cited actual studies, (like you just did) then that’s a different story. Of course, I’m not going to put my time into reading those articles Not interested. Regards, Conal Graduate Student 337 Social Sciences 1 Dept. of Anthropology University of California-Santa Cruz

Response:

I have PF and today got molded for a set of Orthotics which cost $325.00 Is this excessive?  I’m willing to pay anything to get  over this. Thanks.

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I have PF and today got molded for a set of Orthotics which cost $325.00 Is this excessive?  I’m willing to pay anything to get  over this.

That sure sounds excessive to me. I paid about 157$ for my custom orthotics and usually everything is much more expensive over here than in the US because the sales tax is already 22%.         — axu —

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$300 to 400 is the going rate to have a podiatrist cast your feet and have a lab make a pair of prescription, lifetime graphite orthotics.

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Mine cost me a $125 co-pay.  My insurance covered the remaining $250.  I was cast and waited about 2-3 weeks.  I wear them ALL the time.  For the first few weeks of a PF recovery you should step out of bed into a pair of shoes with the inserts in them, then move them to your dress shoes when you get dressed.  (Or wear running shoes to work for a while).  For PF you can start wearing birkenstocks instead of shoes after a few weeks because they also support the arch, just not as well. I also have some un-solicited advice for you:  Start stretching the calf and hamstrings as soon as possible.  I didn’t stretch while I wasn’t running, got stiff, then, when I started running again it hurt more than ever, even with the inserts because there was even more tension on my heel.  I would stop running again, not stretch, the pain owuld go away, I would run 4-6 miles for a few days, then have to sit in pain for a week.  Only when I started running a mile, stretching 15 min, running home a mile and doing that for several weeks was I able to get on top of it.  DOnt’ let it get that far.  STRETCH. Good luck. Michael

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have PF and today got molded for a set of Orthotics which cost $325.00 Is this excessive?  I’m willing to pay anything to get  over this. Thanks.

Response:

X-No-Archive: yes I have PF and today got molded for a set of Orthotics which cost $325.00 Is this excessive?  I’m willing to pay anything to get  over this. Thanks. That’s about the going rate. Note however that for many people, off-the-shelf orthotics work better for PF simply because they have more cushioning. I reposted an article from cnn.com about it here a few months ago

I found the link: http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9610/15/nfm/foot.flap/index.html Below is a segment of that article: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – ATLANTA (CNN) — Imagine having pain in your heels so severe that walking is almost impossible. Heel pain is the most common foot complaint people bring to their doctors, who have traditionally prescribed custom-fit plastic arch supports to ease the pain But the custom-made arch supports can cost anywhere from $200 to $500 and may not be the most  effective treatment, according to a study conducted at 15 foot and ankle centers. Instead, a shoe insert you can get off the shelf of your neighborhood drug store for $10 to $40 may be the better bet. Almost 95 percent of the study group improved with a shoe insert off the shelf, compared with only 68 percent of patients using the plastic custom-made device. "The remarkable difference is probably attributable to the amount of cushioning one has with an off-the-shelf device," said Dr. Glenn Pfeffer of the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society, who said the device that did the best in the study was a silicone pad, the Bauerfind visco heel.

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I have PF and today got molded for a set of Orthotics which cost $325.00 Is this excessive?  I’m willing to pay anything to get  over this. Thanks.

No, that doesn’t sound excessive. Mine costs $350. Conal Graduate Student 337 Social Sciences 1 Dept. of Anthropology University of California-Santa Cruz

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