Orthotics help runners put their best foot forward

"Most people don't think about their feet until they start to have major problems," said Kyle Roberts, a certified pedorthist and owner of Footworks Orthotics, Inc.

"That's an interesting dilemma for me. On one hand, it's good for business. On the other hand, I feel badly for them because the problems are correctable."

Pedorthists are different than podiatrists. Podiatrists are medical doctors who specialize in treating injuries or diseases of the foot. Pedorthists, like Roberts, are biomechanical experts who make orthotic shoe inserts to help correct structural problems and conditions such as pronation (a foot that rolls to the inside), supination (a foot that rolls to the outside) and other issues like shin splints, plantar fascitis or Achilles tendonitis.

If you've never seen an orthotic before, think about an "Odor Eater" with contours that support the foot.

"I spend a lot of time around runners," said Roberts, who works with Olympic hopefuls Matt Tegenkamp and Chris Solinsky, former Olympian Suzy Hamilton and athletes from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Carroll College, Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee School of Engineering and a handful of area high schools.

"A lot of the problems that I hear about can be improved for alleviated with the use of a well-made custom orthotic. For competitive runners, the difference can be as small as a second or even a tenth of a second in time.

"For the recreational runner, it can be the difference between feeling good after a workout and having pain. I hear so many people say 'I'd like to run more, but my feet hurt too much.' Or, it's their ankles or knees or whatever. In those cases people find that they can get by doing less. As they do less, they have less pain. Pretty soon, they don't do anything. They're not doing themselves any favors.

"As a provider, I'm trying to keep people active in a healthy way."

Roberts fashions his orthotic inserts out of ethyl vinyl acetate and cork rather than plastic, which he deems too rigid. Last fall, he began a study of 110 high school athletes who reported chronic problems with ankles, knees, hips and shins. The athletes were fitted with orthotics and in follow-up survey, 93 percent reported that they were helped adequately or better and 43 percent said they were helped greatly.

Results like that are not surprising to John Adam, the director of golf services for the PGA Tour, The Champions Tour and the LPGA Tour.

"Orthotics definitely can help athletes," Adam said. "I see it every day. When you think about it, golf is really the only major sport that doesn't have a level playing field. You have sand bunkers and hills and their feet get a lot of stress.

"One round of golf now, even for the pros, is easily 4½ hours. It can be taxing on the feet. When your foot hits the ground, you have to be so stable in setup and balance and tempo. Orthotics is very important."

Before he began working with golfers, Adam spent time with baseball players as a trainer for the Brewers and Montreal Expos and with athletes of all kinds in a physical therapy center in Tempe, Ariz.

"The biggest knock on orthotics is the cost," Adam said, noting that a pair of custom orthotics can run from $300 to $500 or higher, depending on the provider.

"A lot of insurance companies don't cover them. But, I definitely think many people will benefit from them. The other knock is the break-in period. Orthotics put the foot in a different position. The arch might be higher, or it put support in different places. They can feel uncomfortable at first and the break-in period can turn a patient off. They'll think 'This isn't working' and feel like giving up when they need to give it time in order to get acclimated."

Brewers trainer Roger Caplinger, who has recommended orthotics to several players, agreed.

"It's really a lifestyle commitment," Caplinger said. "It doesn't make sense to wear them just when you're playing baseball or doing an athletic activity. You have to wear them all the time in order to get the full benefit."

Roberts pointed out that athletes aren't the only people who can benefit from custom orthotics. It's the serious runners who know whether they pronate or supinate (pronation is much more common).

"A lot of people who spend time on their feet can encounter problems," he said. "Construction workers or people who work in warehouses, flight attendants or waitresses - anybody who spends a lot of time walking or standing can have arches that collapse or other problems that can be helped. It's not just the athletes."

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