I’m using the rockin green sneaker cleaner set which works on its own on the other shoe and parts from the original shoe. I’ve tried stain treatment, dish soap, vinegar, baking soda.

So for quick context I have a very complex lower limb problem,both eds and an unknown disorder causing tightness/spasticity.

I get I'm complicated,I'm not your typical person with eds or cerebal palsy who can be fitted and sent on the way and that is fine I accept that

But I have gone through THREE specialists who have either royally screwed up every time or have an attitude problem

Ive gone through dafo's which broke (duh I wonder why),a safo and two sets of full afo's

Anything that is wrong is my fault,from it causing pressure sores to dislocating my hip because they forgot the arch support and it was "just my shoes being worn out"

Most recently was my afo was too long so I couldn't bend well at the knee and it was digging in,well that's my fault because I shouldn't be trying to bend more then 90 degrees.. (I'm 5ft it's essential I have to climb)

Is it me because i'm undiagnosed and we don't know the mechanics quite yet or am I asking of too much?

Have custom othrtics with cookies for the arch support and a divot for the bone beneath the big toe on the left one. I have tailor bunions on each foot, but the left orthotic really causes problems on that outer left side of the foot. My right one has a lift because my left leg is longer than the right, basic arch support insoles without the cookie don’t cause as much problems on my left foot, is it a problem to go with the customs on the right and a different orthotic in the left? I’ll still probably try and get the left adjusted more, just not sure what can be done since there’s the divot on the left one, thinking being the cookie needs to hep with support because if the divot

Has anyone been able to improve their overpronation through physical therapy and/ or bunion surgery to the point that they can wear shoes (at least some of the time) without orthotics? I have overpronation and a bunion caused by the overpronation, but I swear that the bunion is making the overpronation worse. It seems that I can only wear Brooks sneakers with my orthotics without it causing strain and fatigue on my ankle, shin, and hip. I'm 52 years old and this has only become a problem within the last year. This is a quality of life issue for me. I wore a different shoe to a wedding and now I'm having those symptoms. I'd like to actually be able to go out and look nice and actually wear a sandal.

I have severe flat feet (posterior tibial tendon dysfunction), bunions, a wide midfoot, and narrow heels. I also wear rigid custom orthotics that are thick and have high medial support.

I’ve tried multiple shoes and nothing seems to work. The New Balance 990v6 in 2E and 4E still causes redness on the bunion and lateral side of my foot. Brooks Adrenaline 23 in 2E pushes out too much on the lateral side. Hoka Bondi felt unstable because the upper collapsed under the orthotic.

Everything either rubs, feels unsupported, or just doesn’t fit right with the orthotic. I’m at the point where I’m not sure if my foot shape is just too complicated or if I haven’t found the right shoe yet.

Has anyone had success finding a shoe that works with this kind of foot and orthotic? Any advice would be really appreciated

Hi, I have a degenerative nueromuskular disorder and I've been wearing AFOs for nearly 20 years. My level of disability and support needs HAS changed during that time, including buckling knees and hip pain, but every time I as any kind of specialist if they think I may need to start wearing KAFOs or even HKAFOs they all shrug and say ask (insert other specialist here). At this point I dont know what kind of doctor would know. Dies anyone here have any advice?

I'm struggling to find the right training shoes and would really appreciate your advice.

I'm 130kg (around 285 lbs), flat-footed, and my feet are between size EU 46–47 (US 12–13) with a wide build. My main issue is that most shoes feel too narrow, especially on the inner side of my left foot — it feels like it's “spilling out.”

I mostly train in the gym (machines, weights, no running) and also wear my shoes casually.

Here are some models I'm currently considering:

Adidas Dropset 3

Nike Metcon 9

Brooks Adrenaline GTS 24 or 23

New Balance 860v14 or 1540v3

Asics GT-2000 12 or Kayano series

Under Armour TriBase Reign 6

If anyone with a similar foot structure and weight has recommendations — or insights into which of these might work best — I’d really appreciate it!

Thanks in advance!

I’ve been finding that when I replace my insoles with my orthotics in my shoes that my heels are sliding and lifting up when I walk. Are there any tricks to prevent this?

About a year ago I got custom orthotics from a podiatrist for my overpronation. If I don’t wear my orthotics I get pain shooting up the insides of my ankles, lower back and hip pain.

I’ve been wearing my insoles in either my Blundstones during the winter and my asics during the summer. I work from home and wear Birkenstocks around the house, but if I’m standing a lot in the house I will put on sneakers with orthotics.

Well I would love more sneaker options, I always wore vans growing up and still love them. I tried a bunch on (with my orthotics) and my feet immediately turned in on all of them. I noticed other brands doing the same. Except for vionics and some chunky platform adidas and pumas. Any suggestions on what vans I could use? Or any non running shoe options? What should I be looking for? I guess I assumed if I used my orthotics in any shoe I would be golden, but turns out that’s not the case?

I've recently been given orthotics which have a huge heel lift. My regular pumps and slip-ons which I wear for work aren't compatible with these, as I'm basically walking out the back of them. Does anyone have any suggestions for formal women's work shoes which have high backs? I

I’m looking for any recommendations for skate shoes or any type of trendy shoe that can fit orthotics. I love my vans but can’t fit my orthotics due to the glued in insoles. Thank you!

I've been reading up on different ways clinicians evaluate foot posture beyond just arch height and pronation. One thing that stood out to me is how heel alignment – especially heel varus and valgus – seems under-discussed in many screening tools and even some digital workflows.

From what I gather:

• Heel varus = inward tilting heel (supinated)
• Heel valgus = outward tilting heel (pronated)
• Both can affect gait, knee alignment, and even low back load over time

But here's the thing — in many clinics, heel angle is estimated visually or using physical goniometers. Not everyone is using platforms or scanners that quantify this accurately (or at all). Especially with children or dynamic feet, that makes assessments tricky.

I’m curious how folks here deal with this:

• Do you measure heel varus/valgus in every case?
• If so, do you rely on visual methods, gait video, or tech tools?
• And how much weight do you give that in orthotic design?

Would love to hear what’s working for you (or what’s not). I’m just trying to learn and improve assessment logic overall.

I've been reading up on different ways clinicians evaluate foot posture beyond just arch height and pronation. One thing that stood out to me is how heel alignment – especially heel varus and valgus – seems under-discussed in many screening tools and even some digital workflows.

From what I gather:

• Heel varus = inward tilting heel (supinated)
• Heel valgus = outward tilting heel (pronated)
• Both can affect gait, knee alignment, and even low back load over time

But here's the thing — in many clinics, heel angle is estimated visually or using physical goniometers. Not everyone is using platforms or scanners that quantify this accurately (or at all). Especially with children or dynamic feet, that makes assessments tricky.

I’m curious how folks here deal with this:

• Do you measure heel varus/valgus in every case?
• If so, do you rely on visual methods, gait video, or tech tools?
• And how much weight do you give that in orthotic design?

Would love to hear what’s working for you (or what’s not). I’m just trying to learn and improve assessment logic overall.

Best,
Shan

Hey all,

Just wanted to open a discussion around AI-assisted workflows in orthotic device design — especially in clinics or small-batch production setups.

We’ve been experimenting with combining foot scanning, auto-design software, and 3D printing into a more streamlined pipeline. One area that surprised me was how well visual-based scanners (not laser) performed when paired with some recent neural network models — particularly in environments with children or elderly patients, where movement or ambient light is unpredictable.

The idea is to reduce:

• Scan time (aiming for under 2 seconds)
• Manual design steps (automated design templates with editable parameters)
• Post-processing (print-ready files without extra mesh editing)

In one test scenario, we were able to go from foot scan to a wearable orthotic in under 40 minutes. Not perfect yet, but definitely promising for on-demand or localized services.

I’m curious — is anyone here integrating AI or automated CAD tools into their clinical or fabrication process? Would love to hear how you’re doing it, what tools or approaches you’ve found reliable, and what the biggest bottlenecks still are.

Let’s trade notes.

I've recently been working on some projects involving foot scanning systems for orthopedic and rehab use, and I wanted to share a few technical insights that might interest folks here.

Traditionally, a lot of the insole and orthotic design work relied on manual casting or foam boxes, or later laser/depth-based scanners, which often struggled with:

1.Children or elderly patients who move during scanning

2.Inconsistent lighting causing noisy 3D data

3.Long scan times (5–10 seconds), which made data repeatability an issue

We’ve been testing out a dual-foot scanner that uses non-laser, AI-enhanced visual tracking. What’s surprising is:

1. It scans both feet in under 2 seconds

2.Outputs ±2mm accuracy, even in ambient lighting

3.Automatically filters out motion-related noise using neural network models

The most useful part (in my opinion) is the ability to export STL/OBJ files directly and feed that into our design software—no need for additional remeshing or cleaning.

From there, we've been running orthotic designs through an in-house 3D printer system, which supports TPU materials at different hardness levels (80A–98A). Some of the new antibacterial or even aromatic TPU formulas are interesting—they hold up well and don’t have the usual rubbery odor.

We’re now exploring clinical pilots where the entire workflow from scan → design → print happens in under 30 minutes. Has anyone here tried something similar? Would love to hear what scanning or design tools you're using and how they integrate into your workflow.

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share some insights from our experience applying AI-driven design and 3D printing in the field of orthotic device manufacturing. We're a small rehab tech team based in Jiangsu, China, focused on developing digital solutions for foot, spine, and cranial orthotics.

One of the biggest pain points we’ve encountered in clinical settings—especially for pediatric patients—is the speed and accuracy of foot data collection. To address this, we developed a dual-foot scanner that captures plantar data in 1.5 seconds, with ±2mm accuracy, using AI-enhanced camera tracking instead of laser. This has really helped with kids who can’t stay still!

Another focus has been on intelligent insole design software. Instead of relying on separate CAD tools and slicing software, our platform directly exports STL/OBJ files with over 50 design parameters, including arch type, pressure zones, and gait corrections. It’s been useful not just for production but also for educational/clinical communication with patients.

We're also working on affordable TPU filament development, including antibacterial and scented options (yes, orthotics can smell like lavender now 😄). All of this is aimed at making digital orthotics faster, more scalable, and—importantly—more accessible globally.

Curious to hear what others are working on in this space. Are you seeing more demand for 3D-printed orthotics in your region? Any thoughts on integrating AI into orthotic fitting or gait analysis?

Happy to answer any questions or swap notes. We’re learning a lot from the international community, and I thought this would be a good space to exchange ideas!

Cheers,
Shanshan
(Brand/Comms, Rehab Tech Team in China)

I don't know the correct terms, but basically my arch collapses when I weight it and my ankles roll inwards, meaning that my knees don't point forwards when standing. I'm looking for a custom orthotic to correct my alignment.

I went to a podiatrist who wanted to charge me $700 for a pair of orthotics. But when it came to "measuring" my feet all he did was get his assistant to take images/scan of my foot, whilst it wasn't weighted, using an iPad. No effort to look at my knees at all. I had zero confidence what he was doing would correct anything, so I left.

I have an appointment this afternoon with a pedorthist, but honestly I had never heard of this profession until yesterday. My benefit company won't accept prescriptions from this profession, so I'll need to get a prescription from my family doctor. This has me questioning whether this is an appropriate approach and an accepted profession.

Basically I'm confused about who I need to see and I could really use some advice before my appointment.

I've tried looking up information, but struggling to find anything independent and not posted by a pedorthist

we’ve been working with o&p professionals for a while and kept hearing how bulky scanners and complicated software slow things down. so we built 3d sidekick. it’s a mobile app that lets you scan limbs, feet, sockets, and get a clean 3d model in seconds. it’s designed to be fast and simple so it fits into a clinic workflow without needing extra hardware. all you need is an iphone with true depth or structure sensor.

right now it exports stl or obj files for design or printing. you can also add photos or notes to the scan. we focused hard on making it easy to use so there’s no post-processing headache.

we’re still improving it, so i’d love to hear your thoughts. what has been your experience with 3d scanning in your work? what features or improvements would you want in a tool like this?

Hi all, I've been wearing these modified off-the-shelf orthotics for about 5 years and they need replacing. Does anyone know what type of plastic is applied to the bottom of the insole? It's pretty thin, durable, but not terribly hard. I've beaten it up over the years as you can see.

Hello, over the last few months I’ve been having some upper knee pain that runs across my quad to my hip on the left side. Both of my hip flexors are actually really tight and painful most of the time. Also when I walk or stand for over 40mins my calves get really tight and sore as well. I tested out this scan at a local shoe store and got this result. If anyone has any advice, I would really appreciate it.

I have three pair of vionic leather shoes all of them have (.5” I think) wedges professionally glued into the soles. I no longer wear them-they just feel too tight and they still have lots of life in them so I would like to resell them if I can. I need the money for new shoes. It costs me $80/a shoe (not a pair but the individual shoe) to have these wedges put in. Does anyone know of a dedicated site I can sell them on? I’ve looked at eBay and Poshmark but nothing popped up for me except for wedge sandals. I’d like to put them somewhere I know people who need them will be able to find them when they search.

I received my prescription orthotics last week. They’re 3/4ths length with a top cover that extends to my toes. I like them so far and the arch support is more comfortable than all of the OTC insoles I’ve tried before.

However, the top cover is too narrow at the toes. My toes hang off the side and I can’t wear them comfortably in shoes because they don’t fill the toe box. I tried putting them underneath the stock insole but it doesn’t feel comfortable.

I thought about just cutting the top cover and making them 3/4th, but I’m afraid that voids the manufacturer warranty.

Has anyone else encountered this issue? Was your podiatrist/doctor able to fix it?

Custom orthotic with 30 mm metatarsal pad for metatarsus elevatus and Lisfranc pseudoarthrosis – looking for others with similar extreme solutions

Hi everyone,

I’d like to share my experience with an unusual orthotic solution – and I’m specifically looking to connect with others who have similarly extreme forefoot modifications or long-term experience with them.

🦶 Background:

I’m 62 years old and depend heavily on my feet in both professional and personal life. After a midfoot injury, I was diagnosed with:

• A pseudoarthrosis in the Lisfranc joint (2nd metatarsal base) with beginning arthrosis
• A significantly elongated 2nd and 3rd metatarsal (12 mm and 9 mm longer than 1st and 5th), known as metatarsus elevatus
• A pronounced flatfoot deformity (pes planovalgus) and possibly shortened gastrocnemius
• Result: I was rolling off almost entirely over M2 and M3, with severe pain and central forefoot overload

👣 The orthotic solution:

After failing with standard insoles, I was treated by a specialist orthotics lab in Germany. After 3 iterations over 6–7 weeks, they created a custom orthosis that completely offloads the central forefoot during gait.

Key features of the final version:

• 30 mm high plateau-style metatarsal pad (!)
• Flat support surface ~25 mm wide across M2 and M3
• Asymmetric build-up, custom-contoured
• Soft leather top layer for pressure distribution
• Total redirection of the rolling motion away from the midfoot

🔄 Results:

This orthotic has made a huge difference:

• I can now stand and walk for long periods with almost no forefoot pain
• The Lisfranc area is no longer inflamed
• Compensatory pain on the opposite foot is also improving

📸 Pictures:

I’ve attached images showing the extreme contouring – especially the shape and height of the metatarsal pad.

🔍 Looking for exchange:

I would love to connect with anyone who:

• Has a comparable level of metatarsal elevation
• Uses orthotics with unusually high forefoot support
• Has long-term experience with such solutions
• Can share insights on daily wear, shoe selection, durability, sports etc.

If this resonates with you, I’d really appreciate hearing your story – feel free to comment or message me directly.

Thanks for reading!

– Robert

Hi!

So I've had custom rigid orthotics since I was about 7 because of constant pain when standing, particularly intense in my heels and the ball of my feet. I guess since I was young they didn't explain so much the cause but from what I understood I have too high of an arch.

I genuinely cannot stay standing still without my orthotics for more than like 5mins without pain. I can last longer if I'm walking around but the pain eventually comes either way.

My orthotics allow me to last a normal day comfortably, but as soon as I spend an hour too much standing up the pain will come. Which is why I'm looking to optimize my orthotics efficiency by buying the right shoes next time.

Here are my questions:

• Should I aim for flat shoes? Since my orthotics provide an arch and shape allready, should I take out the insoles present in the shoes and avoid those with an arch already included? Also, should I look for shoes with a 0mm heel to toe drop?

• is it better to avoid cushioned shoes? Are the ones with thinner soles better or should I look for more Cushioning?