Ease of application is a huge factor when it comes to patient compliance, and compliance with the proposed treatment plan is paramount for achieving the desired treatment outcomes.

Research demonstrates that only 25-30 percent of patients are willing to commit to lifestyle changes.

If you are one of them, the good news is, you can optimize your musculoskeletal health without changing your lifestyle habits.

Many physical problems that affect the joints and muscles in the body can effectively be mitigated through the use of custom foot orthotics. 

Custom orthotics are prescription shoe inserts (insoles) that can be worn in any type of shoe and serve to correct the structural alignment and dynamic function of the feet, in order to reduce pain, prevent injuries, and improve work or athletic performance. 

I have personally always had problems with my feet but did not realize that the debilitating blisters, shin splints, and ankle sprains, were the result of abnormal foot function and gait patterns that could be corrected with the right kind of orthotics.

Instead, I grew accustomed to buying new shoes that caused me blisters, took forever to be broken in, or turned out to be intolerable. I also got used to replacing my shoes frequently because of irregular wear patterns and to quitting activities that caused me repetitive strain injuries.

People around me just thought I loved buying shoes and could not stick with any activity for long.

During the time that I spent working on my dream practice, and especially during the pandemic, my lifestyle became more sedentary and shifted towards working from home.

Prolonged sitting, lack of movement, and weight gain, in addition to chronic stress drastically intensified my low back pain. Long hours hunched over my laptop at the dining table contributed to developing an overuse injury in my shoulder.

Overuse injuries from repetitive movements with poor posture and little ergonomic consideration is how most of us commonly hurt ourselves. We tend to look for an incident, like that one crossfit class or snow shoveling, or moving heavy furniture, but the boring truth is, more often than not, repetitive strain is to blame.

Already stressed with launching a new business in midst of a pandemic, I did not have time to spare to actively rehabilitate my shoulder in addition to treating my low back.

Nagging low back and shoulder pain, chronic stress, and little time for the things I used to enjoy in life, I knew it was time for an intervention.

After some time of contemplation, I converted the dining table into a stand-capable desk and transformed my make-shift home office into an ergonomic work space. Now that I was alternating between sitting and standing while working on my laptop, I needed to make sure that my feet were well supported, so that standing on hardwood floor would not aggravate my low back or give me foot pain and tired, achy legs.

I traded my well-loved Birkenstock’s for custom-made orthotic sandals to wear at home and my regular socks for calf-length compression stockings. 

Next, I switched my shoes to orthopaedic footwear fitted with custom orthotics, in order to be comfortable and well supported throughout the rest of the day as well.

Footlevelers Custom-Milled Orthotic Sandals

SIGVARIS Compression Stockings

Anodyne Orthopaedic Shoes fitted with Footmaxx Custom Orthotics

These simple interventions, which neither required any regular doctor visits nor burdened my busy schedule with additional tasks, significantly reduced my back pain and improved my overall well-being and productivity. 

Having custom orthotics in my shoes and sandals, I also noticed my footwear lasts longer and is more comfortable overall. I do not recall the last time I had blisters or calluses on my feet.

There has also been a noticeable reduction in discomfort when riding my electric Unicycle or scooter; I am no longer experiencing low back and knee pain associated with riding.

Wearing compression stockings on days of prolonged standing has been a game-changer as well: No more tired and achy legs after 8-hours shifts on my feet.

Many physical problems that affect the joints and muscles in the body can effectively be mitigated and prevented through the use of custom foot orthotics and adequate footwear. This is what we do at Urban Soles: pain relief, injury prevention, and performance improvement for outdoor-loving Toronto professionals and micromobility users. 

As a member of the Annex and the Centre for Social Innovation, where my practice is located, I am proud to be part of a community that is dedicated to serving the community.

My own contributions to the community include fall prevention initiatives for older adults and advocacy for micromobility users. 

As part of a national effort to reduce the incidence and prevalence of falls among older adults, I offer an annual fall prevention self-management program. This program opens up every November (during fall prevention month) and is recommended for Canadians aged 65 and older (or younger with known fall risk factors). You can learn more here.

My own experiences as a lifelong cyclist and avid PEV rider, have led me to become an advocate for micromobility and the safety of vulnerable road users. I  support organizations and community members who are working towards our common goal of making Toronto a city that embraces all forms of micromobility and that ensures adequate protection and safety for vulnerable road users such as cyclists and PEV riders.