Shoe insert
A removable insole which accomplishes any of a number of purposes, including daily wear comfort, foot and joint pain relief from arthritis, overuse, injuries, and other causes, orthopedic correction, smell reduction, athletic performance. Insertable insoles may contain built-in arch supports.
Orthopedic inserts
There are various forms of orthopaedic inserts available all with one common aim of correcting the lower limbs. These orthotic insoles are designed to re-align the foot into its correct position to alleviate pain and discomfort. There are many types of orthotics which target certain biomechanical conditions; these types of devices are usually named after the foot condition associated with them.
Fitting patients
Traditionally, orthopedic inserts were created from plaster casts made from the patient's foot. These casts were made by wrapping dipped plaster or fiberglass strips around the foot to capture the form, then letting it dry and harden. Once the cast was hardened, the doctor would carefully remove it from the patient's foot and ship it, along with a prescription, to an orthotics lab which would use the negative of the cast to create an orthopedic insert.
Recently, companies such as Tom-Cat Solutions and Delcam have developed digital foot scanners that use specialized software to scan a patient's foot and create a "virtual" cast. These scans are made by having the patient place their foot onto a specialized flat image scanner that uses light and software to capture and create a 3D model. This 3D model is then electronically submitted (along with a prescription) to an orthotics lab, where it is used to program a CNC machine that will ultimately produce the orthopedic insert.