Why Should You Wear Orthotics?

Almost anyone can benefit from orthotics, from children to adults but the question is whether they really need orthotics. Orthotics can alleviate many common foot problems that cause pain and discomfort in otherwise healthy people. An analogy can be made between orthotics and eyeglasses—both devices adjust problems that can impair physical function. It’s just like wearing glasses. They adjust your vision, allowing you to see, whereas orthotics will adjust your feet, allowing you to walk correctly.  In both cases, a physician performs a complete examination and then prescribes the proper amount of correction.

There are several common symptoms that may show misalignment of the feet. These signs and symptoms include the following:

·                       Abnormal shoe wear (ex: one side of the sole of the shoe wears out faster than the other)

·                       Bunions

·                       Chronic arch or heel pain

·                       Foot Pain (Metatarsalgia, Hallux Rigidus, Morton’s Neuroma)

·                       Knee Pain

·                       Low Back Pain

·                       Flat feet

·                       Frequent ankle sprains

·                       Gait abnormalities (e.g., feet pronate [slant inward] or supanate [slant outward])

·                       Shin pain (e.g., shin splints)

·                       Foot pain, hip pain or low back pain due to pregnancy

·                       Improve sports performance

                Your feet should not hurt and pain indicates that something is wrong. If foot pain is not properly treated, the condition causing it may worsen. Relief is closer than you think.

Here are a couple of things that you can see for yourself:

                 Take your shoes and socks off and sit in a chair. Rest your bare feet on the ground in front of you and notice the contour of the arch of your foot as it rests on the ground. Now stand up and notice how the arch changes its contour. When you are weight-bearing, the arch flattens out. Some people with very flexible feet have large arches while sitting that completely collapse when they are standing. Other people have smaller arches that do not change much when they stand up because their feet are more rigid. Over the counter orthotics do not take these differences into account.

                Look at the bottom of an older pair of tennis shoes to see the wear pattern. You do not need to know what a normal wear pattern is to see that yours is abnormal. Notice where the shoe has been worn down. In some areas, the tread will have been worn away. Specifically notice the wear pattern around the heel. If you look at the shoes from the back, you can usually see the wear pattern a little better. Make sure you compare your shoes to each other. Your shoes should be mirror images of each other.

If you have any of the problems listed above and you have abnormal wear on your shoes or your arch pronates too much, custom orthotic inserts are a good treatment option for you. Call your podiatrist to see what your options are! Because When your Feet hurt, you hurt all over!!