Orthotics in some forms have been present in the rehabilitation of injured soldiers, tradespeople and community members since at least the time of the Romans. Forms of arch correction, and the use of correction devices incorporated layers of wool inserted into sandals to relieve foot strain and fatigue have been found in archaeological remains as far back as 2,000 years ago.
More recently, Everett Dunbar in 1865 relieved the pain in the arch of his feet by inserting pieces of leather between the insole his shoe.
During WWII, flat feet (hyper-pronation) was considered a physical impairment, and many enlistees into the the armed forces around the world were considered unfit for service. The modern utilization of orthotics for the management of impairments stems in large part from work in the 1960’s looking at the role of sub-talar neutral and from ongoing work from the early 1950’s on the use of plexiglass arch supports to address foot impairments. Today, we now have off-the-shelf heat mouldable self-adjustable orthotics which can be professionally fit or self-cut and replaced every few months.
Description provided by Cameron MacDonald of the USA
