According to this article by Thrive Global, only 20% of people have so-called perfect feet—where “the shape of their foot is neutral enough that they don’t need any type of additional support to help it hold its shape when it is supporting the weight of the body.”
In other cases, it’s recommended to counteract that lack of support with a specially-designed shoe—or at the very least, a custom orthotic shoe insert.
By heat molding orthotic shoe inserts, the patient can walk away with a perfect fit and optimal foot comfort—in any shoe they wear.
Read our 4 easy steps to heat molding orthotic inserts below:
Step 1
- Pre-heat oven to 200 F. Use an interior thermometer to verify internal temperature.
- We recommend using a countertop toaster oven for best results. Such an oven easily maintains a constant temperature evenly throughout the heating space.
Step 2
- Pre-fit heat moldable inserts by placing into footwear.
- Trim areas if necessary to achieve a perfect fit. We recommend Finny 10” shears for trimming inserts.
Step 3
- Heat the inserts by placing them in the oven for 2 minutes.
- Use a silicone mat to protect inserts from the metal parts of the toaster oven.
- Use Thermo Gloves to remove inserts after heating as the inserts will be hot.
- Remove inserts and prepare to mold them your patient’s foot.
Step 4
- Using a Rubber Molding Pillow, place hot inserts on pillow.
- Request patient to stand on orthotic (make sure a sock is worn to protect bottom of foot from hot insert).
- Hold position for two minutes, this ensures the insert will permanently take the foot’s shape.
- The ridges on the rubber molding pillow are where the foot’s arch rests; ridges provide the extra support to mold the proper arch profile into the insert.
Our Thermothotic Molding Kits contain everything you need for heat molding (one even includes the oven). They offer an easy, effective and quick way to properly achieve total contact with the patient’s foot. The kits include a unique polyurethane molding pillow which allows the patient to remain seated throughout the molding process, easily molding the orthotic to each arch to achieve total comfort.