1. How do I know if I have one of these foot structures?
Because Professor/Dr. Rothbart's research suggests that 80% of people have one of these foot structures, you may likely be a candidate for Professor/Dr. Rothbart's therapy. After running initial tests he can tell you whether or not you have one of these inherited foot structures. Professor/Dr. Rothbart only works with people he can help, so if it is shown that you do not have one of these foot structures, then he will not recommend his therapy.
2. What is the difference between Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy and other therapies?
Other practitioners do not recognize the inherited foot structures that are actually the source of chronic musculoskeletal pain in many people so they treat the symptoms and not the source of the pain. They just manage the pain. Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy treats the source of the pain. Using his therapy, Professor/Dr. Rothbart actually permanently eliminates chronic pain.
3. Does your therapy deal with all types of chronic pain?
No, it does not. If the cause of your chronic pain is solely an inherited foot structure, which has created distorted posture and the subsequent chronic muscle and joint pain, Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy will eliminate your chronic pain.
If your disease has a known cause to be something other than an inherited foot structure and you do not have this inherited foot structure, Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy will not eliminate your pain.
Let me give you an example: You have an infection or a malignancy, like osteosarcoma, an infected nerve tumor, a spinal herniation or stenosis or a primary muscle disease such as Myasthenia Gravis, which is causing you pain, but you do not have the inherited foot structure, Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy will not eliminate your pain.
If your disease has a cause known to something other than an inherited foot structure, but you also have this inherited foot structure in addition to your disease, Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy will eliminate the pain that is coming specifically from the inherited foot structure. You disease will remain (which is unrelated to the foot structure) and any pain that is coming specifically from that disease will remain. (In many cases the pain coming from the inherited foot structure is more severe than the pain coming from the disease. So when the pain from the inherited foot structure is eliminated, you feel dramatically better.)
To give you another example: You have cancer and you also have the inherited foot structure, both of which can be causing you pain. Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy will eliminate the pain that is coming from the foot structure, but you will still have whatever pain is remaining that is being caused specifically by the cancer.
Without consulting with the patient and running the appropriate tests and analyses, it is impossible to determine how much of a person's pain is coming from the inherited foot structure and how much is from your disease.
So in sum, it's the inherited foot structure, or lack thereof, that determines if Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy can help you and to what degree it can eliminate your pain.
4. I have flatfeet. Can your therapy help me?
It depends on the type of flatfoot you have.
If you have a structural flatfoot (the arch is always flat), Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy will not help you.
If you have the more common type of flatfoot, the flexible flatfoot (the arch is flat only when weight is placed on the foot), Professor/Dr. Rothbart's therapy will greatly reduce or eliminate your pain.
5. I injured my body playing sports. The doctor tells me I'm healed. Why do I still have pain?
If you have one of the two inherited foot structures you will have bad posture. Bad posture results in misalignment of the weight bearing joints. If you have an injury to one of these joints (such as a knee injury), the combination of the poor alignment and the injury to the joint results in pain that will not go away.
Even without the sports injury, if you have this inherited foot structure you will still develop chronic pain. The injury just accelerates the process.
6. What is the difference between Rothbart Proprioceptive Insoles and other proprioceptive insoles?
Other types of proprioceptive insoles, orthotics, arch supports, or magnets are not designed to handle chronic jaw, neck, back, foot or knee pain problems arising from the inherited foot structures which Professor/Dr. Rothbart discovered.
If one uses other types of proprioceptive insoles to treat these two specific foot types, their results will be disappointing. Using Rothbart Proprioceptive Insoles to treat these two specific foot structures will result in the elimination of chronic muscle and joint pain.
7. Why are Rothbart Proprioceptive Insoles made especially for me?
Because we each have slight modifications in the structure of our feet, Professor/Dr. Rothbart invented and developed different types of insoles. Each type of insole can have various strengths of signals.
Your individual foot structure determines the type of insole that is used. The severity of your foot structure determines the strength of the prescription that is used.
Each person has different needs. For this reason, his insoles and their usage are custom tailored to each patient.
8. How is it possible to treat someone without seeing or examining him in person (a Long Distance patient)?
We know that certain tests can be run without the presence of the physician. Examples are X-rays, MRIs, blood tests or urinalyses. The results of these tests are then sent to the doctor to interpret and proceed with your treatment.
Similar to this, Professor/Dr. Rothbart has invented specific tests that can easily be run without his presence. You will run these tests and take photos, without his presence being needed. From these photos, Professor/Dr. Rothbart will run computer analyses which show him the severity of your foot structure and exactly what needs to be done to help you.
From his analyses, he now has all the information he needs to see exactly what is going on in your body. He then can design and mail to you, a custom insole that will start you on the road to recovery. From there, through phone appointments, Professor/Dr. Rothbart answers your questions, reevaluates as necessary and monitors your progress. In the most difficult cases, he occasionally needs your health care provider performing certain tests with you, during your phone appointments.
9. How long will it take for me to get better?
This depends on how severe your problem is. Most people feel instantaneous pain relief the minute they start using their insoles. However, it may take from six to eighteen months for your body to completely heal.
After a period of months, you may need a different insole prescription, in order for your body to continue its' healing process. At that time, Professor/Dr. Rothbart runs a second set of tests to determine the new prescription.
Usually, as your joints and muscles heal and your body becomes stronger, you will use your insoles less and less and still maintain your level of wellness (referred to as engramming).
To find out the patient's commitment that is essential to regain one's health using Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy, go to The Patient's Commitment page.
10. How much does Professor/Dr. Rothbart's therapy cost?
In answering this question, one has to first consider all the money spent on many years of therapy and drugs to manage his pain, and how much he will spend over the rest of his lifetime, continuing to still manage his pain.
Patients who come to Professor/Dr. Rothbart have one thought in mind. They deeply and truly desire to eliminate their chronic muscle and joint pain. This is the first and most important concern in their life. They realize that without their health and well being, they have nothing.
As each patient's situation is unique, Professor/Dr. Rothbart does not charge a flat fee for his services. Fees are determined based on the complexity of your problem and discussed during your initial phone appointment. The cost of an initial telephone consultation is 100 euros.
11. Are Professor/Dr. Rothbart's services covered by my insurance plan?
Some insurance plans specifically delete coverage for any type of insole or orthotic therapy. If you have one of these policies, it will not cover his fees. Otherwise, your insurance will cover part or all of Professor/Dr. Rothbart's therapy.
12. Is it true that people in chronic pain, if severe enough, can become suicidal?
A study conducted at John Hopkins University involving 1512 chronic-pain subjects reported that almost a third of the subjects reported strong suicidal thoughts (Arehart-Treichel J, 2006. Some Chronic Pain Patients At Increased Suicide Risk. Psychiatric News (41)23, pp 25.)
Chronic pain can have a devastating pyschological effect on the sufferer including: depression, anxiety and loss of hope for recovery. However, the loss of mobility (e.g., unable to move around comfortably, unable to enjoy normal relations with one's children without fear of injury, etc) leaves a damaging mark on the sufferer's emotions. The simple joys of life become a hardship. And it is this loss of mobility and joys of life that has the highest correlation to suicidal thoughts.
Without proper therapy, the psychological impact of chronic pain deepens and with it the risk of suicide. This is why it is so important that chronic pain be treated aggressively and effectively.
13. I believe that the source of my pain is from a car accident. It has been quite some time since the accident, why has my pain not gone away?
If you have a Rothbarts Foot, you can be pain free for many years depending on how well you take care of your body. So, before your accident, you may not have yet experienced chronic pain stemming from this foot structure.
But, after a car accident (or other injury); if you have a Rothbarts Foot, the injuries will not heal because the distorted posture created from a Rothbarts Foot and the resulting stress and strain on the muscles and joints, do not allow the injured muscles to heal. Your doctor may tell you that you have healed, but in reality, if your body is well, you will not continue to have pain.
So, your pain may originally have started as a result of the car accident, but without this foot structure, the injuries (if not catastrophic) should have healed. If you find, that you are still having pain long after you have been told that your body is well again, this is a good sign that your muscles have not really healed and are continually being re-irritated.
It is important to note, that, provided that you have a Rothbarts Foot, the severity and location(s) of an injury will determine whether Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy will work for you. Because each case is unique, this question requires a consultation with Professor/Dr. Rothbart.
14. I have read about Morton's Foot. Is it the same as Rothbarts Foot. If so, is it treated in the same way?
Morton's Foot and Rothbarts Foot are entirely different foot structures. Simply put, Morton's Foot is a short first toe (metatarsal), whereas Rothbarts Foot is an elevated first toe (metatarsal).
They produce entirely different symptoms. Morton's Foot produces symptoms mainly in the foot, such as: calluses, corns and soreness under the ball of the foot. Rothbarts Foot produces symptoms throughout the body, including muscle and joint pain anywhere from the ankle to the jaw.
The two structures are treated very differently. Morton's Foot is treated by putting an extension pad underneath the big toe. Rothbarts Foot is treated using Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy.
15. What exactly is involved in the Initial Telephone Consultation?
The Initial Telephone Consultation is to give you an opportunity to speak with Professor/Dr. Rothbart and ask him questions regarding your specific chronic pain problem(s).
This includes:
Do I have one of the foot structures that Professor/Dr. Rothbart works with?
Can Professor/Dr. Rothbart work with me long distance or must I come to his studio?
How long will it take to handle my specific problem(s)?
What will be the cost?
Any other questions you may have regarding your chronic musculoskeletal pain problem(s) will be answered.
16. I want to learn more about Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy. Where can I find more information?
Professor/Dr. Rothbart's book, Forever Free From Chronic Pain, was written explicitly to answer peoples' questions about the source of most chronic muscle and joint pain and the treatment (Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy) which permanently eliminates musculoskeletal pain without drugs or surgery.
Sign up for Professor/Dr. Rothbart's newsletter and receive a free chapter from his book.
17. I am a healthcare practitioner interested in learning how to use Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy with my own patients what suffer from chronic muscle and joint pain. How can I learn more?
The International Academy of Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy (IARPT) was established to train healthcare practitioners in the competent use of Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy by the founder of the therapy, Professor/Dr. Brian A. Rothbart.
The IARPT offers an introductory seminar on DVD (home study) and four levels (384 hours) of advanced, certified training.
Upon completion of the program, the healthcare practitioner will have the knowledge and ability to diagnose, treat and permanently eliminate chronic musculoskeletal pain resulting from the embryological foot structures Rothbarts Foot and the PreClinical Clubfoot Deformity.