Pedorthic Services
The following information is provided by Elisa Harrison of “Pedorthic Services”.)
When selecting a practitioner to provide orthotic intervention, please consider the following:

What are Pedorthists?
Pedorthists are health care experts trained in the manufacturing and fitting of foot appliances (orthotics) and the fitting and modification of footwear to alleviate painful or debilitating conditions of the foot and lower limb.

Common foot conditions treated by pedorthists:
  • Metatarsalgia - pain in the ball of the foot
  • Plantar Fasciitis - pain in the heel or arch area
  • Tendinitis - in the lower limb
  • Diabetes - loss of sensation/decreased blood flow
  • Arthritis - pain and swelling in the first toe joint and ankle

These conditions are treated by the re-alignment of anatomical structures and the redistribution of external and internal forces in the foot through the use of orthotics. Orthotics can also help to alleviate conditions of the lower limb, accommodate foot deformities and improve balance.


Professional Training
To become a Canadian Certified Pedorthist one must first have a degree in a university health sciences field. The pedorthics course itself is offered through the University of Western Ontario and involves intense training in lower limb biomechanics, gait analysis, manufacturing and fitting of foot appliances, and fitting and modification of footwear. In order to be eligible to write the certification exams an internship in a clinical laboratory and footwear setting must first be completed.

 All Certified Pedorthists in Canada are members of the Pedorthic Association of Canada and the College of Pedorthics of Canada.

Pedorthic Services maintains its own local lab to fabricate orthotic devices rather than sending them to a remotely located facility. This provides for quicker turn-around time and also means that adjustments or modifications to the orthotics can be easily made. Moreover each practitioner is trained and fully capable of making most changes immediately as all clinics have the necessary equipment on site.

Why Choose a Certified Pedorthist?
There are no government standards for the making and selling of orthotic devices. As a result many people out there are providing orthotics with little or no training.

As mentioned above Certified Pedorthists have extensive training and their primary focus is in the fitting and fabricating of orthotics and in footwear modification. As a result they become very skilled and efficient. It is very reassuring to know that the person doing your biomechanical assessment is also the person responsible for making, fitting and doing the fine-tuning of the device prior to dispensing it.

Many of Canada’s largest sports medicine clinics use Certified Pedorthists to fabricate and dispense their orthotic devices to treat not only Canada’s top athletes but also thousands of weekend warriors who pass through their doors annually. You deserve the same fast, efficient treatment that Canada’s top athletes receive.

For your own peace of mind see a Canadian Certified Pedorthist.

For more information regarding pedorthics, please visit www.pedorthic.ca

Fees, Scheduling and Eligibility For Pedorthic Services
  • Technical Assessment: $45.00
  • Custom Foot Orthoses: $425.00 (assessment fee included)

    Payment Options: cash, cheque, Visa, MasterCard
    Turnaround Time: 3 weeks turnaround time from assessment to fitting
Claims eligible for reimbursement through:
  • Extended healthcare benefits (policy specific)
  • WSIB
  • DVA (Veterans Affairs)
  • Social Service Department (Discretionary benefits, disability)
Patients must have a written referral on the physician’s prescription pad for prompt processing of claims. The referral must include a ‘diagnosis’ and recommendation for ‘custom foot orthoses’.

Requirements for coverage through Extended healthcare benefits, WSIB, DVA, or Social Service Departments:
1) Medically Necessary (original written physician’s referral [prescription])
2) Receipt verifying the orthoses are custom made from a cast for activities of daily living (provided upon fitting of orthoses).

For initial assessment, the patient should bring:
1)Physician’s referral (prescription diagnosing a person’s condition with the recommendation for ‘custom foot orthoses’).
2)The company name of the insurer (so that all the necessary information can be provided for efficient processing).
3)Samples of the footwear styles most likely to be worn with the orthoses.

For the follow-up appointment and fitting of the orthoses the patient should bring:
 Samples of the footwear styles to be worn with the orthoses.
 Method of payment.

(For more information see the article titled “Orthotics.”)
About Elisa Harrison
H.B.Sc. (KIN), PCP, C Ped Tech (C), C Ped (C)
Elisa Harrison graduated from the University of Waterloo with an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology and a minor in Human Resources Management. She went on to graduate from the University of Western Ontario where she received her Professional Certificate of Pedorthics. She has worked for DCIEM (Defense & Civil Institute of Environmental Medicine), Peel Regional Police, the Peel Health Department, The Guelph Community Health Centre, Manulife and FCB. Currently, Elisa works with Pedorthic Services in Barrie, Collingwood, Guelph and Oakville.