Sports doctor, and the morality of money.

I'm excited to get my new orthotics, but before the order is actually put through, first the podiatrist has to see if it's covered by the insurance. If not, I'll have to agree to fork over $300 a pair. They last about three years. Meanwhile, I've been reading the discussion groups on Runner's World and find that some people experiment with orthotics on their own, spending as little as $8 for heel lifts that they swear has fixed their problem. Others see a sports doctor, who provides detailed analyses regarding unpronounceable body parts that you wouldn't think had anything to do with one's feet but do. If money wasn't an issue -- and I mean both in terms of having enough of it, and the more moral question of whether it is okay to spend money on one's foot instead of donating it to the homeless shelter, for example -- I would go to see a sports doctor. Because I don't want just to wear orthotics, I also want to know exactly what's wrong with my biomechanics so I can un-learn years and years of walking and running incorrectly. And that involves a trained doctor observing me and spending time with me, teaching me about hip muscles and thigh muscles. But that's too much of a luxury to lavish on myself, I'm thinking.