Have you been told that custom orthotics will help with your foot pain? Continue reading to learn how these custom insoles can help make your life better.
How Does A Doctor Assess The Need For Orthotics?
Your doctor will assess the posture and biomechanics of your feet. They want to make sure that your feet are in a neutral position that does not put stress on your body because this can cause pain throughout your body. By assessing your posture, the doctor can determine if your feet are rolling inward or outward, which can impact the rest of the body in unintended ways. Then, they'll come up with a plan for how to fix it.
What Conditions Can Bad Foot Posture Cause?
There are many different conditions that can result from how your feet are positioned. The most obvious condition is localized foot pain, which is due to the pressure that is put on your foot based on the angle that you are walking on it. This can also result in heel and arch pain in the foot as well. Some people will develop conditions known as bunions—when a bump forms within a joint on your toes. Hammer toes (when your toes bend downward) can develop as well.
As the problems continue upward through your body, you can develop pain in your knees, legs, hip, back, and even your neck. These are problems that can all be solved with custom orthotics.
How Do Custom Orthotics Work?
A lot of work goes into making a custom orthotic to provide you with pain relief. It works by altering how your foot and toes come in contact with the ground and then leave the ground, which causes different muscles to be used and stabilize your foot.
How Are Custom Orthotics Made?
A custom orthotic can be made using a couple of different techniques. The doctor will take impressions of your foot so that they know where you need additional support, and then they'll use that mold to create an insert that will adjust when your foot comes in contact with the ground. They can even take scans of your feet as you walk across a pressure plate, which helps identify which parts of the foot are experiencing more pressure. The goal will be to make an orthotic that takes the pressure off these problem areas.
Contact your podiatrist to learn more about foot orthotics therapy.
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