Foot supports are usually frequently used by podiatric doctors as well as other health professionals to deal with an array of conditions that happen with the foot. They might be utilized to support the foot, to protect the foot and to cushion all or part of the foot. They can be useful to change the function with the feet for biomechanical concerns. Together with the broad variety of indications for foot orthotics, additionally there is a wide range of types of foot orthotics that can be used. Foot supports vary from the mass produced to the customized to a pretty wide variety of different materials to a great deal of densities of the kinds of components which the foot supports are made of. An expert clinician has got to take all this into consideration to determine exactly what is the best variety of foot orthosis with the appropriate kind of design features with the proper material with the character and kind of foot that the client has. There are lots of clinical assessments which the clinician will or could do in order to help make this decision.

Possibly the simplest observation could be the height of the arch. Could it be lower or is it high or is it somewhere between and much more important exactly what does that mid-foot (arch) do between when the foot is in the air so when the feet are wholly weightbearing on the floor. This is certain to get included in the decision-making process of deciding in regards to what is ideal for which foot. Yet another examination which is usually used is called the lunge test which evaluates the range of motion of the ankle joint when standing as well as lungeing forwards to a wall. The ankle joint range of flexibility is very important with regards to foot orthoses because if the ankle range of motion is minimal, then that will possibly mean that the foot orthosis is either not likely to work too effectively or is probably going to be not comfortable. The lunge test should be done in the shoe with the foot supports to determine just how it functions. Should there be an issue in the ankle joint, then stretching for the achilles tendon in many cases are used as well as the use of a heel lift. In the event the foot is flat, another test which is frequently carried out is a evaluation called the supination resistance test. With this clinical evaluation, the clinicians put their fingertips beneath the arch of the foot and attempts to raise the arch up, noting the amount of resistance there is to make this happen. If the supination resistance is increased, then a lots of force coming from a rigid foot orthosis is going to be required to fix that flat foot. If the supination resistance is low, then a softer flexible foot orthosis is actually all that's going to be necessary. This are just a few of the whole range of checks and observations that a clinician is going to consider if deciding on the best foot orthosis for every individual person.