Sports Performance
Custom Orthotics in St. Augustine
Custom orthotics are made-for-you inserts built from a 3D scan of your own feet and your doctor's exam, rather than picked off a rack by shoe size. Spinal Solutions uses Foot Levelers, which support all three arches of the foot, so the correction being made higher up the chain is not undone by an unstable foundation underneath it.
- 3D scanned in the office
- Foot Levelers, made per patient
- Supports all three arches
Your feet are the foundation everything else stands on
Your feet are your body’s foundation, bearing all of its weight and keeping it stable. Any pain, deformity, or discomfort in your feet can compromise that stability and cause you to alter your foot alignment or your normal gait, which in turn can lead to excessive stress on everything from your hip joints to your spine.
That is the reason a chiropractic practice scans feet at all. When an arch collapses, the leg rotates inward, the pelvis tips, and the low back absorbs the difference. Adjusting the low back in that situation works, and it keeps working for about as long as it takes to walk back to the car. The foundation puts it straight back.
the MedlinePlus overview of foot injuries and disorders is a good primer on the range of foot problems that refer trouble upward, and on when the foot itself needs assessment rather than support.
Why not the ones from the drugstore
When arch pain shows up, the tempting move is to pick up over-the-counter insoles. That can certainly be cheap and easy to do, and sometimes it is enough. But insoles and inserts from the supermarket or drugstore lack nearly every benefit that custom orthotics can deliver, and the reason is straightforward: they are made in sizes, and feet are not.
Foot Levelers custom orthotics are individually designed for your feet, helping achieve a balanced foundation and a stabilized pelvis. They are handmade for your unique feet based on 3D scans and your doctor’s exam, so no two pairs are alike, and neither is your left compared to your right.
The other difference is the plantar vault. Only Foot Levelers custom orthotics support all three arches of the foot, which is what the vault is made of. Supporting one arch changes how a foot loads. Supporting all three balances it.
Styles, and picking the right one
There is a reason there is more than one option. An orthotic built for a day on your feet at work is not built for the same job as one designed to hold a stable base through a golf swing, and neither is right for a body that is pregnant and changing month to month.
The everyday, sport, golf, pregnancy and recovery options exist because the load is different in each case. Which one you get should follow what you actually do with your hours, and that is a conversation at the findings review rather than a choice made from a display.
Conditions we treat with this
How it compares to the alternatives
| Option | Best for | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Foot Levelers custom orthotics | Arch or gait problems that keep re-loading the spine and pelvis | Built from a scan of your feet and an exam. Supports all three arches, not just the inside one. |
| Over-the-counter insoles | Extra cushioning in a shoe that is otherwise fine | Cheap and easy. Chosen by shoe size, so they cannot correct an asymmetry between your two feet. |
| New footwear alone | Worn-out shoes that have lost their structure | Often the right and cheapest first move. We will tell you if that is all you need. |
| Podiatric or surgical care | Structural foot deformity, or a problem in the foot itself | Outside what we do. We refer when the foot rather than the chain above it is the problem. |
Who this helps, and who it does not
Usually a good fit
- Low back, hip or knee pain that has not responded to work higher up the chain
- Visibly flattened arches, or shoes that wear unevenly from one side to the other
- Long days standing or walking on hard surfaces
- One leg that functions shorter than the other because of arch collapse
Not the right treatment
- A structural foot deformity that needs podiatric or surgical assessment
- An acute foot fracture or an unhealed wound
- Loss of protective sensation in the feet, which needs medical footwear guidance first
- Wanting a performance guarantee, which no orthotic can honestly offer
If this is you, we will say so and point you somewhere better.
What to expect
- 01 The exam, not the scanner
We look at how you stand and walk, and at what is happening in the pelvis and low back, before deciding whether your feet are actually part of the picture.
- 02 A 3D scan of both feet
Taken in the office. Both feet are scanned separately, because almost nobody is symmetrical and an off-the-shelf pair assumes you are.
- 03 Choosing the right style
Everyday, sport, golf, pregnancy or recovery. The style follows what you actually spend your hours doing rather than what is on the shelf.
- 04 Fitting and breaking them in
They arrive made for your scan. You wear them in gradually over the first couple of weeks, and we check how the rest of the chain has responded.
What it costs and how payment works
Orthotics are a product as well as a treatment, so the cost is quoted to you before anything is ordered, never after the scan. New patients start with the $47 evaluation, which covers the consultation, orthopedic and neurological testing, digital imaging if it is clinically necessary, the findings review, and a trial shockwave or red light therapy session where it is appropriate that decides whether orthotics are even the right answer for you. Medicare Part B covers manual spinal manipulation to correct a subluxation and does not cover orthotics, so they are paid for directly, through an in-house care plan, or with CareCredit financing.
Why have it done here
The scan is taken in the office by the people who examined your gait, and the orthotic is chosen against a finding rather than a complaint. Because the golf side of the practice is in the same building, the sport styles get recommended by someone who has just watched your hips rotate rather than from a catalog.
This sits inside our sports performance and biomechanics care, so if it turns out not to be what you need, the alternative is in the same building.
Book the $47 evaluationWhat patients say
5.0 from 166 Google reviewsWe hold 166 five-star reviews across every kind of care in this practice. Rather than pick one that is not about this treatment, here is the whole profile, unedited.
Where to find us
The clinic sits at 276 Paseo Reyes Dr in St. Augustine, Florida, just off U.S. 1 at World Golf Parkway, near the entrance to the Palencia neighborhood. Most people coming in for arch, gait and foundation problems drive in from across St. Johns County, and the office is a straight run up or down U.S. 1 from either end of it.
- Palencia
- World Golf Village
- Nocatee
- Ponte Vedra
- Julington Creek
- Downtown St. Augustine
Questions we get asked
How are these different from insoles from a drugstore?
Insoles and inserts from the supermarket or drugstore are made in sizes and chosen by shoe size. Foot Levelers custom orthotics are individually designed for your feet from 3D scans and your doctor's exam, so the left and the right differ from one another exactly as your feet do.
What is three-arch support and why does it matter?
The foot has three arches that together form the plantar vault, not just the inner arch most insoles support. Supporting only one of the three tends to change how the foot loads without balancing it, which is why Foot Levelers build for all three.
Can foot problems really cause back pain?
Your feet are your body's foundation, bearing all of its weight and keeping it stable. Pain, deformity or discomfort in the feet can compromise that stability and change your alignment or your gait, which puts extra stress on everything from the hip joints to the spine. Whether that is what is happening in your case is what the exam is for.
How long do they take to arrive?
They are made per patient after your scan, so there is a lead time rather than walking out with them the same day. You will be given the expected timeline when the order is placed.
Do I need a pair for every pair of shoes?
Not necessarily, though people who split their time between work shoes and sport often end up with two. There are also styles built into a shoe or a slide for recovery, which some people prefer over moving one pair around.
Will they fix my pain on their own?
Rarely, and we would not sell them that way. Orthotics stabilize the foundation so the work done higher up holds. If the exam shows your problem is a restricted joint or a disc, the orthotic is a supporting player at best and we will say so.
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