Johan Steenwyk – pioneer of CAD - The Canadian market for custom-made shoes

The Canadian market for custom-made shoes

Johan Steenwyk is not the only person in Canada that produces custom-made shoes. But there are not that many others around. Compared to Europe, the number of orthopedic custom-made shoes is small considering the number of inhabitants of Canada. On the one hand the reason for this may be that first the provision with ready-made shoes has to be maxed, before the insurance company will grant an orthopedic custom-made shoe to its customer. "The criteria for granting an orthopedic custom-made shoe are stricter than in Europe", Steenwyk says.

From his point of view another reason why so few custom-made shoes are prescribed and made is that the doctors and suppliers of aids and appliances so far have not had a lot of experience with indications and advantages of the treatment with custom-made shoes. In addition, many foot specialists are not practiced in the art of plaster casting for custom-made shoes and thus do not like to order custom-made shoes.

Johan Steenwyk feels that the actual need for custom-made shoes is a lot higher in Canada and that many people could be helped better with individual shoes. Therefore he wishes that more people deal with this resource and that there are more trainings offered, e.g. when exactly custom-made shoes are indicated and how a correct plaster cast is made.

by Wolfgang Best