It is the design, manufacture, modification and fit of foot orthoses and footwear to alleviate foot problems caused by disease, overuse or injury. A Certified Pedorthist (C.Ped.) works as part of the allied health care team, dispensing footwear and other modalities to keep people as mobile as possible.

Pedorthic footwear and footcare products, carefully fitted, to relieve or accommodate temporary or permanent foot problems, can look so “mainstream” that you don’t even realize a foot problem exists. It costs less than a lot of people expect. And it can help you stay healthy.

Many pedorthic devices are custom fabricated orthoses, (supportive devices) ranging from shoe modifications and inserts, all the way to custom molded footwear.

According to the American Podiatric Medical Society, over 75% of us will experience a foot-health problem at one time or another in our lives. Most of the time it is caused by neglect or lack of awareness of proper footcare. Only a smal percentage of the population is born with a foot problem.

Over the course of a lifetime, most people experience some type of foot problem. It may be as simple as a blister or callus, or something complicated enough to require hospitalization. But the majority of foot problems, although they can be serious in degree, are relatively routine in nature.

Even people who don’t require medical evaluation and treatment sometimes need orthotics in their shoes simply to make the shoes function better. Most certified pedorthists work primarily on prescription footwear and custom orthoses, but they can provide over-the counter inserts when custom work isn’t necessary. Also because they can recognize routine foot conditions that may need medical attention, C.Peds often refer clients to health care providers before a potential foot problem becomes a major one.