Achilles
Tendinitis
Reduces tendon tension, stabilizes the calcaneus, and accelerates healing — custom congruent to every patient's foot model.
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Achilles tendinitis starts at the foot, not the heel.
Every step transmits force through your Achilles tendon. When foot mechanics are off — even slightly — that tendon pays the price. It won't heal while the cause is still there.
The root cause is mechanical, not just inflammatory. Without correcting foot mechanics, rest and stretching alone rarely provide lasting relief.
Increased tendon load
Pronated foot mechanics amplify tensile stress on the Achilles by up to 30% per step.
Cyclic micro-trauma
Repetitive overload prevents healing and leads to tendinosis — a chronic degenerative state.
Chain-reaction pain
Altered gait compensates upward — affecting the knee, hip, and lower back over time.
The P1 fixes the cause, not just the pain.
Custom-fabricated to your patient's exact foot shape and clinical positioning.
Three interventions.
One precise solution.
The P1 doesn't mask pain — it addresses the biomechanical drivers behind it.
Heel elevation
A raised rearfoot post shortens the effective Achilles tendon length — directly reducing tensile load during stance and push-off.
Rearfoot control
The 18mm deep heel cup with EVA posting limits excessive pronation — the primary driver of Achilles overload in most patients.
Congruent shape
Precise fit distributes load, provides neurological feedback, and changes the muscle firing sequence — genuinely offloading the Achilles at every step.
It's not just alignment. It's how your muscles fire.
The shape of what's under your foot determines how hundreds of muscles sequence during every gait cycle. Change that shape precisely — and you change the neuromuscular pattern that stabilises the body.
- Neurological feedback — congruent shape provides continuous proprioceptive input, improving muscle activation quality throughout gait.
- Muscle sequence in gait — hundreds of muscles fire differently based on what's under your foot. Root shape corrects this sequence, reducing caloric demand and improving efficiency.
- True Achilles offloading — the P1 ensures the Achilles is genuinely offloaded, not just supported. Surrounding musculature takes over stabilisation, allowing the tendon to heal.
- Load distribution — volume congruency distributes pressure evenly across the plantar surface, eliminating the sharp, localised load that perpetuates tendon irritation.
Shape is everything.
What separates Root from generic supports is the precise morphological shape captured from the patient's foot — held in the exact clinical position the clinician chose.
The Root orthotic matches the precise alignment the clinician held the foot in during scanning. This congruency offloads the Achilles and redistributes load across the correct structures.
Modern Root
Width adjusted considering both borders. Default for all Root models.
Traditional Root
Justified to the lateral border. Medial width reduced. Used for specific clinical indications.
Modern Root shape process
- Forefoot balanced to rearfoot — the forefoot-to-rearfoot relationship is optimised as the first step in shape modification.
- Fat pad expanded ~3mm — expanding the fat pad in the heel ensures the device fills the calcaneal contour precisely.
- Arch lowered ~3mm — creates optimal heel-to-arch-to-met-head geometry. Not applied to foam impressions.
- Width tuned to both borders — medial and lateral widths are both considered, giving a foundation that matches the patient's actual foot width.
*Subtalar joint neutral is found by palpating the talus head against the navicular. The neutral position can present many joint-on-joint and bone-on-bone relationships and varies from person to person. An everted or inverted calcaneus may be a neutral position for an individual person. Biomechanical evaluation required.
How you hold the foot is what we build.
Root is not just the orthotic — it's the clinician's positioning, captured and preserved in the device. After scanning, FootID Pro asks the questions no other lab asks.
After every scan, we need to know:
- Was the subtalar joint held in neutral?
- Was the midtarsal joint maximally pronated — loading the 5th metatarsal head?
- Was the midtarsal joint maximally supinated — loading the 1st metatarsal head?
- Was the forefoot brought perpendicular to the rearfoot?
- Was a forefoot-to-rearfoot balance bisection achieved at 90° relative to the Achilles tendon vector?
The positioning of those 19 joints in the foot is what gives us the shape.
CAD/CAM fabrication
- Scan or cast captured — clinician captures foot morphology via FootID Pro, holding the subtalar joint in the chosen clinical position.
- Shape modification applied — forefoot balanced to rearfoot, fat pad expanded, arch adjusted using Root's design.
- Technical staff review — every device reviewed against Traditional Root, Modern Root, Blake Inverted, or Accommodative principles.
- Fabricated to the shape — the polypropylene frame and EVA post are fabricated to match the submitted shape precisely.
See how the scan becomes an order.
Watch Kevin capture a foot, confirm the clinical position, and send a Root order — start to finish.
Variation converted to anatomy-match accuracy by impression & fabrication method
How closely each method preserves the patient’s intended foot shape. Scale: 0–100%, where 100% = optimal congruence.
Plaster bandage is wrapped around the foot in the clinician’s prescribed corrected position, setting into a precise negative of the foot’s contour.
The foot is pressed into a crushable foam box, leaving a negative impression of the plantar surface.
An existing positive model from the patient’s previous orthotics is reused — KevinRoot accepts models from any lab, with frame-contour variance as low as 1%.
A digital scanner such as FootID Pro captures the foot surface as a 3D model.
A fiberglass casting sock is applied over the foot and cures to capture its contour.
Pedobarography captures the patient’s plantar pressure distribution (static or dynamic) at 1:1 scale — used with arch height and shoe size to select a redimold positive model, not to capture true 3D contour.
A direct-molding system using prefabricated, size- and arch-based positive models (33 in total) rather than an individual foot impression.
Heated material is vacuum-pressed over a plaster positive model, drawing it intimately into every contour.
The frame is 3D printed by selective laser sintering (SLS) directly from the CAD-designed digital frame.
A positive model is CNC-milled (CAD/CAM) from an STS, 3D scan, plaster, or foam impression, then the frame is vacuum formed over it.
A CNC machine subtractively mills the frame from a block of polypropylene or EVA per the digital design.
*Redimold has no physical or digital foot impression — patient-foot-to-cast congruent accuracy is unavailable. Variation from positive model to frame is low.
How your foot shape becomes a precision frame.
The journey from clinical capture to finished orthotic frame is where Root's expertise lives. Every step preserves the shape and position the clinician chose.
- Foot impression captured — the clinician captures the foot using their preferred method. The fashion in which the foot is held directly affects the outcome of the Root Shape congruency against the foot.
- Positive model created — the impression becomes a physical plaster model or a digital CAD/CAM model via FitFoot360. Digital models are stored indefinitely.
- Root technicians modify the shape — using FitFoot360, technicians apply the Modern Root shape process. Every modification is reviewed against the clinical prescription.
- Orthotic frame fabricated — the frame is vacuum formed over the positive model or 3D printed, pressing the material precisely to the shape. Covers, postings, and modifications are then applied.
FitFoot360 Foot Model
- Root digital model stored indefinitely → recalled for future pairs
- Root technicians modify the digital shape in real-time: arch, heel, width, postings
- Vacuum formed over CAD/CAM positive model, direct milled or 3D printed Root Frame — replicable, consistent, precise
Real-time control over shape, function, and fit.
FitFoot360 gives Root's technicians complete digital control over every dimension of the orthotic frame — in real time. What once required physical carving and guesswork is now precise, repeatable, and stored permanently for every patient.
Digital positive model
Stored indefinitely. Future pairs, replacements, or modifications can be fabricated from the exact same shape without a new impression.
Real-time shape modification
Root technicians control arch, heel, width, and postings directly in the software.
Every parameter visible
Heel cup depth, frame reinforcement, ray cut-outs, flanges, and more are set per patient, not per template.
Plaster and foam digitisation
Physical models can be digitised for permanent storage. Note: digitising may not perfectly replicate the intimate contours achieved when vacuum forming directly over plaster.
Built to their spec. Built for their foot.
Every parameter of the P1 is set to the individual patient — material, posting, heel-cup depth, and covers are all chosen for their anatomy and gait, never an average.
Rigidity is selected per patient weight - so the shell flexes or holds exactly as much as that specific patient's gait demands.
The 3mm heel lift is built into the positive model of the patient's foot — not added after. The result is a lift that's congruent to their anatomy, not a generic wedge.
Cast directly from the patient's calcaneus, the deep cup fits their heel precisely - controlling their specific degree of inversion and eversion, not an average.
Trimmed to the patient's metatarsal head line, so contact and pressure distribution match their exact foot geometry.
The shell itself is already shaped to the patient's foot. A bottom cover is added only when their specific shoe environment or activity demands it.
The custom shell eliminates the voids that off-the-shelf fillers compensate for. Added only when the patient's pathology requires additional support.
What changes when your foundation is corrected.
Addressing Achilles tendinitis biomechanically creates cascading improvements across the entire kinetic chain.
- Reduced tendon strain — heel elevation and rearfoot control directly reduce tensile load on the Achilles during every gait cycle.
- Faster return to activity — removing the mechanical cause lets tissue healing progress without re-injury from every step.
- Full kinetic chain relief — corrected rearfoot alignment reduces compensatory strain in the knee, hip, and lumbar spine.
- Long-term prevention — structural correction, not just pain relief, means significantly lower re-injury rates over time.
Designed to take strain off the tendon.
A 3mm heel lift under the extrinsic rearfoot post elevates the heel relative to the forefoot - directly reducing tensile load on the Achilles tendon. Less strain means less pain, and faster healing. The deep 18mm heel cup controls inversion and eversion of the calcaneus, stabilizing the foot at the subtalar joint for optimal biomechanical control throughout the gait cycle.
The full picture.
Everything you need to prescribe.
- Achilles tendinitis
- Achilles synovitis
- Achilles tendinosis
- Haglund's deformity ("pump bump")
- Retrocalcaneal exostosis
Recommended for
- Mid-portion and insertional Achilles tendinopathy
- Retrocalcaneal bursitis
- Haglund's deformity
Designed to treat and relieve pain from Achilles tendon inflammation — most commonly caused by overuse — this device reduces strain on the tendon to support healing.
A 3mm heel lift elevates the heel relative to the forefoot, decreasing tension on the heel cord. A deep heel cup controls inversion and eversion of the calcaneus, stabilizing the foot for improved biomechanical control.
- L3000 (UCB)
- L3010 (longitudinal/metatarsal support)
- L3020 (arch support)
- L5000 (filler)
Final coding and billing are the provider's responsibility
Delivery Time
- Standard: 2 weeks
- Expedited: Available upon request
Achilles Tendonitis
The Achilles tendon connects the calf muscles to the heel — driving every push-off and every step. As the most mechanically loaded tendon in the body, when stress exceeds what the tissue can tolerate, it breaks down.
Three Distinct Disorders, One Common Mechanism
Achilles tendon disorders share a root cause: repetitive stress that outpaces the tendon's ability to recover. Microtears accumulate, repair incompletely, and the cycle worsens. Athletes, individuals who overpronate during activity, and older patients are most vulnerable — but the condition is not exclusive to any one population.
Achilles Tendinitis — Inflammation of the tendon itself, typically following unresolved paratenonitis or tendinosis. Pain is present during both physical activity and everyday movement.
Paratenonitis — Inflammation of the sheath surrounding the tendon, with nodule formation and localized swelling. Symptoms begin during athletic activity and progressively extend into daily life as the pathology advances.
Achilles Tendinosis — Chronic collagen deterioration from sustained overuse. Presents as localized pain, tendon thickening, measurable weakness, and reduced plantarflexion capacity. No acute inflammation — the tendon is degenerating, not just irritated.
Where the Disorder Occurs Matters
Type I — Noninsertional: Damage occurs in the mid-portion of the tendon, higher up from the heel. More common in active individuals.
Type II — Insertional: Damage occurs at or near the calcaneal attachment. Often associated with bone spur formation and retrocalcaneal bursitis — conditions the P1 directly addresses through heel lift and deep cup control.
Diagnosis
Clinical assessment includes physical examination and palpation to evaluate pain, swelling, tendon thickening, and strength. X-ray can identify bony changes including calcaneal exostosis. MRI and ultrasound are used to assess the degree of tearing or collagen degeneration when conservative treatment planning requires a clearer picture.
Treatment Pathway
First-line treatment typically includes NSAIDs, rest, ice, stretching, and orthotic intervention. Custom orthotics are most effective when introduced early — before the tendon's poor intrinsic vascularity slows recovery further. If little progress is seen at 2–3 months, physical therapy or lower extremity bracing is indicated. Surgical intervention becomes a consideration after 6 months of conservative treatment without meaningful recovery.
The P1 is designed to be part of the first-line response — reducing mechanical load on the tendon from the first step, supporting the tissue while it heals.
The right device
for the right diagnosis.
P1 is indicated for a range of Achilles and calcaneal pathologies.
Prescribe with confidence across these conditions.
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