Why Aren’t My Orthotics Working Anymore?

Common Reasons Your Orthotics Might Not Be Working Anymore

If you find you just aren’t getting the same level of relief from your orthotics that you used to, it might be for one of these reasons:

Your feet have changed

It’s a common misconception that, once you’ve reached adulthood, your feet stop growing and stay the same size and shape for the rest of your life. That just isn’t true.

In fact, feet tend to slowly get a little longer, wider, and flatter as you get older—even if you don’t have any diagnosed deformities like bunions or flat feet. As we age, the connective tissues (ligaments, tendons) that support the arch and hold foot bones together start to lose some strength and elasticity, which causes the bones to spread out.

The effect is pronounced enough that gaining about half a shoe size every 10 years or so beyond age 40 is not uncommon.

Of course, if you do develop a foot deformity such as a bunion or adult-acquired flatfoot, your foot shape can change much more rapidly than that.

Pregnancy is another factor that can alter the shape of your feet. During pregnancy, your body releases hormones that loosen and relax ligaments throughout your body. As an unintended side effect of this process, foot bones often spread out a bit, and won’t completely return to their original positions even after pregnancy.

Your gait has changed

It’s not just the shape of your feet that changes over time. The way that you walk changes as well.

Once again, it could simply be the natural consequence of aging. Certainly, you can (and should) continue to practice your balance and keep your legs strong to minimize the risk of falling. But the inevitable truth is that, eventually, your muscle mass will decline, joints become arthritic and less flexible, stride lengths shorten, and you’ll adopt a more cautious gait.

In other cases, it may be a more specific recent event that alters your gait. Maybe you recently had hip surgery, or an injury to your ankle that never fully healed.

Regardless of the underlying cause, a change in your gait will also change the way that forces, and pressure move across your feet as you stand and walk. An orthotic that has been optimized for a certain style of walking may not be as effective for another.

Your orthotics are worn out

High quality orthotics—especially custom orthotics—are made with durable construction materials and built to last. But that doesn’t mean they are going to last forever.

The wear and tear of supporting your feet every day through all your activities will take its toll, little by little.

How long can you expect your orthotics to last? That depends on a lot of different factors, including:

• Materials. Orthotics made from hard plastic or tough graphite, for example, may be expected to last longer than softer orthotics.
• Weight. The heavier you are, the more force you place on your orthotics, and the faster they’re likely to wear out.
• Activity. Orthotics that are regularly subjected to running, jumping, and athletic use will probably wear out faster than those worn by someone with a more sedentary lifestyle.

In general, a 3 to 5-year lifespan for a good custom orthotic is fairly normal. However, some need to be replaced closer to every year, while others we’ve seen last longer than 5 years. It really depends. That’s why we strongly recommend you schedule a yearly orthotics checkup appointment with us to make sure your orthotics are still in top shape.

So if your orthotics just aren’t working anymore—or maybe they never worked as well as you wanted them to—pick up the phone and give us a call. We’ll do everything we can to either restore the orthotics you already have or put you in a pair that works.

You can schedule an appointment at our office in Carson City at (775) 783-8037. You can also reach us electronically by filling out our online contact form.