Your feet carry your body’s weight, and any imbalances can impact the rest of the body. Orthotics help support your feet and improve gait and posture by correcting minor issues before they become major problems.
Many people are held back by foot pain, limiting their physical activities and impacting their health. Learn how orthotics can transform your daily comfort and give you the freedom to move again!
1. Reduces Pain and Discomfort
When it comes to sports, physical activities and daily living, foot pain can greatly affect your ability to perform at the level you want. When structural abnormalities in your feet or legs cause you to move differently, they can also lead to imbalances and instability, which will only increase the discomfort you experience when exercising.
In order to correct these issues, you will need to visit a certified chiropodist/podiatrist. They will be able to conduct physical examinations, imaging tests and other diagnostics to zero in on the source of your pain and discomfort. A proper diagnosis allows the orthotics Essendon to prescribe custom orthotics that can help you to recover and reduce future problems like bunions, hammertoes, bursitis, heel spurs, shin splints and lower back pain.
The primary way that orthotics can help to reduce pain and discomfort is by redistributing the weight of your body evenly across your feet and ankles. This even distribution of weight can dramatically improve the way that your ankles, knees, hips and back function. Especially for people who are overweight, this is essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and reducing the impact of achy joints. Rigid orthotics, also known as functional orthotics, are hard devices that are customized for your feet and shoes. Soft orthotics, on the other hand, are softer and offer more cushioning.
2. Improves Balance and Mobility
The feet play a critical role in the overall function of your body. If your feet aren’t aligned properly, it can lead to issues throughout the entire body. A pair of custom orthotics can correct foot imbalances, helping to improve balance and mobility. For people who spend a lot of time standing at work like teachers and police officers, this is particularly important. It’s easy for improper alignment at the feet to lead to knee or back problems due to excessive strain. Orthotics can help to reduce imbalances and relieve pain from these areas, reducing discomfort and preventing future problems.
These shoe inserts also help to distribute weight evenly, easing the burden on the feet and ankles. They can help to improve posture and alleviate conditions such as plantar fasciitis or flat feet. They can also reduce back pain by distributing pressure to the appropriate parts of the foot, reducing the load on other joints.
In addition, a pair of custom orthotics can reduce fatigue and enhance athletic performance by allowing the muscles to move more efficiently. Athletes can push themselves harder without the nagging worry of foot injury. This can boost performance and allow athletes to achieve feats that they may have thought impossible. Orthotics can also help to increase stability and prevent falls, which is especially beneficial for older adults.
3. Reduces Stress on the Knees and Hips
Foot pain from structural issues like flat feet, hammertoes, bunions and rheumatoid arthritis can quickly extend up the leg to cause shin and knee pain. But orthotics can help reduce the physical stress on your knees and hips by distributing weight more evenly across the surface of the foot.
Unlike the pre-molded and prefabricated inserts available at drug stores, custom-mold orthotics are designed to match your specific foot structure and address biomechanical issues that can affect your overall movement pattern and stability. They lift and support the arches, realign the feet, redistribute weight to relieve pressure on sensitive areas of the foot, and improve balance and posture by changing the way the body responds to the ground’s forces.
For athletes and people who spend most of their day on the feet, these changes are significant: In addition to eliminating the need for your muscles to compensate for imbalances that aren’t harmful or even visible under regular circumstances, orthotics also help your body move with correct archthrokinematics which decreases fatigue, enhances performance and reduces your risk for injury.
A recent study comparing runners who used orthotics Essendon to those who ran without them found that participants using the orthotics Essendon reported higher comfort scores and running speeds, as well as lower rate of repetitive leg injuries (RRI) than those in the control group who did not use orthotics Essendon orthotics.
4. Improves Posture
When a person is suffering from poor posture, they can suffer from many problems including heartburn, slowed digestion, back pain, and even depression. However, if they address their posture issues and wear orthotics, these symptoms can be relieved. Moreover, if they incorporate physical therapy exercises along with the use of the orthotics, they can build strength in their legs and feet to improve their posture.
During a chiropractic exam, the chiropractor will check the patient’s hip, knee and ankle positioning and alignment, as well as their walking pattern. This is because the feet are the foundation for the entire musculoskeletal system, and any imbalances in the foot can have a domino effect throughout the rest of the body.
For example, uncorrected over- or underpronation of the feet can cause the legs to rotate inward or outward, which shifts the weight of the body and causes knee pain and lower back pain. By correcting the pronation of the feet with custom orthotics, the pressure on the knees and back can be reduced.
Furthermore, the use of orthotics can help reduce hammertoes and bunions and prevent common foot pathologies such as plantar fasciitis from developing. This is because the orthotics will allow the feet to stay in a more natural position, and they will also take pressure off the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the feet and ankles. This can enhance athletic performance and reduce the risk of injuries.