Echelon Cycle & Multisport, in cooperation with Bill Peterson of Foot Fitness, is now offering CUSTOM and Lab-Fit cycling and running orthotics!
How custom is custom?
After many measurements of your foot are taken to ensure accurate reading of the impression, a foam impression of your foot is taken in a neutral position, then sent to the manufacturing facility in Tucson, Arizona, where a CAD file is made out of the laser read impression. A CNC machine then cuts out a foam last of your CAD file, upon which your custom orthotic is based.
After many measurements of your foot are taken to ensure accurate reading of the impression, a foam impression of your foot is taken in a neutral position, then sent to the manufacturing facility in Tucson, Arizona, where a CAD file is made out of the laser read impression. A CNC machine then cuts out a foam last of your CAD file, upon which your custom orthotic is based.
Why would I need orthotics?
Our feet are our connection with the earth, they take more abuse than we ever give them credit for. Although they may not always complain as much as they could, any misalignment that exists in the foot, will intensify as it travels up the "kinetic chain" of our ankle, knee, hip, back, you get the idea.
An orthotic, in this case Custom or Lab-Fit, is created for your foot based on an anatomical evaluation of your foot structure in the neutral position, before your body weight, gravity, and past injuries all come into account and throw your happy neutral foot bones all out of whack. When you put orthotics into your shoes, and support your foot in that neutral position, it allows the rest of your kinetic chain to function as it should, without having to compensate for a misaligned foot. That compensation is what causes those sore ankles, twanging knee, and/or aching back. Often times a knee problem will be addressed by a brace being worn to support the joint, instead of tracing the problem to its origin, which is more often than not, a collapsing foot.
Our feet are our connection with the earth, they take more abuse than we ever give them credit for. Although they may not always complain as much as they could, any misalignment that exists in the foot, will intensify as it travels up the "kinetic chain" of our ankle, knee, hip, back, you get the idea.
An orthotic, in this case Custom or Lab-Fit, is created for your foot based on an anatomical evaluation of your foot structure in the neutral position, before your body weight, gravity, and past injuries all come into account and throw your happy neutral foot bones all out of whack. When you put orthotics into your shoes, and support your foot in that neutral position, it allows the rest of your kinetic chain to function as it should, without having to compensate for a misaligned foot. That compensation is what causes those sore ankles, twanging knee, and/or aching back. Often times a knee problem will be addressed by a brace being worn to support the joint, instead of tracing the problem to its origin, which is more often than not, a collapsing foot.
What is the difference between Custom and Lab-Fit?
Custom orthotics are made for you and only you, a cast is made as described in the "How custom is custom?" section, then the footbeds produced will hug every curve of your foot. A Lab-Fit orthotic is a new offering from Foot Fitness that was developed from over 5,000 foot scans that Foot Fitness has taken over the years. Averages were taken, and a set of stock sizes has been determined. The Lab-Fit orthotics are made from the same materials as the Custom orthotics, and still require a fitting process that involves measuring your arch height and length, but does not require a foam impression. Custom orthotics are recommended for those that have severe pronation, or extremely high arches, whereas Lab-Fit orthotics offer all the performance benefits of high-end orthotics at a fraction of the price.
Custom orthotics are made for you and only you, a cast is made as described in the "How custom is custom?" section, then the footbeds produced will hug every curve of your foot. A Lab-Fit orthotic is a new offering from Foot Fitness that was developed from over 5,000 foot scans that Foot Fitness has taken over the years. Averages were taken, and a set of stock sizes has been determined. The Lab-Fit orthotics are made from the same materials as the Custom orthotics, and still require a fitting process that involves measuring your arch height and length, but does not require a foam impression. Custom orthotics are recommended for those that have severe pronation, or extremely high arches, whereas Lab-Fit orthotics offer all the performance benefits of high-end orthotics at a fraction of the price.