Who actually needs custom orthotics
The honest answer: fewer people than the insole industry suggests. Custom orthotics earn their place when a mechanical problem — how your foot loads, rolls or propels — is genuinely driving your symptoms, and when off-the-shelf support either isn't shaped right for your foot or can't provide the correction you need. Recurring plantar fasciitis, tibialis posterior problems, significant structural differences and some diabetic and arthritic feet are classic cases. Tired feet after a long day usually aren't.
Prescription, not products off a shelf
A custom orthotic is only as good as the assessment behind it. Yours starts with a full biomechanical exam: joint ranges, muscle strength, alignment and gait analysis, so the device is prescribed to correct what your feet are actually doing. Aaron then specifies the shell, posting and covers for your feet, your footwear and your activity, and reviews the fit once you've worn them in. Adjustments are part of the service, not an extra argument.
When cheaper insoles are the right answer
Sometimes a well-chosen off-the-shelf insole does the job for a fraction of the price, and you deserve to be told that before spending hundreds of pounds. Part of every assessment at the Shepperton clinic is that conversation: what your problem needs, what each option costs, and what Aaron would do in your shoes — literally. Patients come for that straight answer from Walton-on-Thames, Weybridge, Sunbury and beyond.
