We had the honour of welcoming Anna Stafford, a university student, to our clinic for a pedorthic photoshoot for her photo essay. Through this essay, Anna does a GREAT job at illustrating the detailed process of orthotic manufacturing through her images – yes, she was also the photographer!

Here is the process from start to finish.

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1. Foot and lower limb evaluation including gait assessment (to determine need for custom foot orthotics - CFO)

2. Plaster casting of feet to form negative casts

3. Pour plaster into negative shells to form positive casts

4. Scan positive plaster casts using CAD-CAM and view on computer monitor

5. Using bandsaw, begin fabrication of CFO shells by removing excess material

6. Glue on additional materials to shell (posting material, top covers, etc)

7. Using grinders, shaping of final materials for fabrication completion

8. Compare completed CFO to bottom of patients foot and fit completed CFO into patient’s footwear