A. Therapeutic footwear is specially designed and constructed to address medical needs. Pedorthics does offer the possibility of improving the comfort level provided by your regular shoes. Improved comfort, however, is not necessarily therapeutic. Instead of benefiting from the insert, you may create more difficulties for your foot. You wouldn't wear a wool mitten to play baseball, or a golf glove for warmth in sub-zero temperatures.
Therapeutic footwear is designed with function as the primary consideration.
That doesn't mean therapeutic footwear has to be unfashionable. One reality that women must face, however, is that high heels over time exert unnatural force on the foot and the Achilles tendon. A decision to wear high heels for a few hours on significant occasions may not cause long-term damage, but wearing high heels 8 to 10 hours a day, five days a week, can result in severe difficulties. Please note, however, that many C.Peds work in hospital or clinic settings, and are therefore unavailable for private practice. Doctors naturally prefer referring their patients to C.Peds within a half-day's driving distance, but that is not always possible.