Adult Acquired
Flatfoot

Adult acquired flatfoot starts at the tendon, not the arch.

The posterior tibial tendon is the primary dynamic stabilizer of the medial arch. When it weakens or fails, the arch collapses progressively inward. Left untreated, what begins as a flexible deformity becomes rigid and irreversible.

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 arch support — the P2's medial flange provides structural support the failing posterior tibial tendon can no longer deliver. Less collapse means less pain, and slower progression.
• Load distribution — volume congruency distributes pressure evenly across the plantar surface, eliminating the concentrated medial overload that accelerates arch collapse.

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 calcaneal bisection?

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 proprietary CAD/CAM software.
• 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.

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 method chosen directly affects congruent accuracy.
• 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 polypropylene frame is vacuum formed over the positive model, pressing the material precisely to the shape. Covers, postings, and modifications are then applied.

FitFoot360 CAD/CAM

• STS Sock or 3D Scan → 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 — replicable, consistent, precise

Designed to support the arch.

A medium medial flange, built directly from the patient's foot model, controls pronation at its source. The rigid polypropylene frame provides the structural support the failing posterior tibial tendon can no longer deliver. Less collapse means less pain, and slower progression. The deep 18mm heel cup controls inversion and eversion of the calcaneus, stabilizing the foot at the subtalar joint throughout the gait cycle.

Adult Acquired Flatfoot

The posterior tibial tendon is the primary dynamic stabilizer of the medial arch — supporting the foot through every step. When it weakens or fails, the arch collapses progressively inward. Left untreated, what begins as a flexible, reducible deformity becomes rigid and irreversible.

A Progressive Condition With a Narrow Treatment Window

Adult acquired flatfoot advances in stages. In the early stages the deformity is flexible and fully reducible — this is the window where orthotic intervention is most effective. As the condition progresses, the soft tissue structures elongate permanently and conservative treatment loses its ability to reverse the damage.