While it might seem like your foot pain is a normal occurrence, persistent pain shouldn’t be ignored. You may need the help of a professional podiatrist to determine the cause of your discomfort, especially if it’s affecting your quality of life.
Thankfully, many foot issues can be relieved — and even resolved — through the simple act of wearing custom orthotics. Custom orthotics are prescribed for many patients with foot discomfort, and for good reason: they’re very helpful in many cases of foot, heel, and ankle pain. But what exactly do they do, and how can they help you? Read on to find out if custom orthotics might be right for you.
What Custom Orthotics Do
Custom orthotics work to correct imbalances in the feet. They do this by adding support in areas where you may need it, cushioning areas that are painful or uncomfortable, and allowing your feet to maintain a posture that benefits you, among other things. The orthotics you receive will be built to your unique foot shape, providing you relief from any foot health issues that you may have.
Ways Custom Orthotics Can Be Used
Custom orthotics can be used in two ways: accommodative or functional. Accommodative orthotics are designed to provide additional foot support, while functional orthotics work to correct any alignment issues you may be experiencing. However, many custom orthotics may be both accommodative and functional, depending on what your individual needs are.
Custom orthotics are used to treat and correct various issues within the feet and/or ankles. Some of them include:
Foot and Heel Pain
Foot and/or heel pain is commonly due to an imbalance of weight distribution on the feet, as well as certain conditions like plantar fasciitis or others that affect alignment and balance. Custom orthotics even out the weight distribution — essentially correcting the imbalance over time — while providing both support and cushioning to minimize your discomfort.
Ankle Pain
Ankle pain can be caused by alignment issues as well, as the ankles are (obviously) connected to the feet. Prolonged periods of misalignment can cause the body to attempt to correct itself, leading the ankles to align with the feet. Using custom orthotics to correct any balance and/or alignment issues within the feet can then help to correct the same issues with the ankles, allowing both return to balance.
Sports Injuries
Sports injuries to the feet are common, especially in runners and athletes competing in other high-impact sports. Though the treatment will of course depend on the specific injury, custom orthotics can also help to relieve pain, provide support, and allow the foot to heal properly. Support, cushioning, and proper weight distribution can all lend to a complete recovery in many cases.
Diabetic Foot Care
Diabetic foot issues are sometimes complicated and require a special level of care. Because they are often so sensitive and at times very painful, it’s extra important that diabetic patients get the support and cushioning that their feet need. Custom orthotics help with this, as well as reducing the risk of further injury due to the correct support of the foot.
Foot Deformities
Foot deformities such as bunions, flat feet, Haglund’s Deformity, and others, can be extremely painful and affect the mobility of the people experiencing them. Whether you were born with your deformity or it developed over time, custom orthotics can help to ease your discomfort. By providing support and cushioning to encourage proper alignment and weight distribution, many patients with foot deformities can find much needed relief through the use of custom orthotics.
Even Knee, Hip, and Back Pain can be Treated!
Considering our feet are the base of our bodies, it only makes sense that when they are out of alignment, the rest of the body eventually follows suit. The body attempts to compensate for imbalances by aligning itself with the feet, which can radiate upwards to the knees, hips, and even the back. Correcting foot alignment issues with custom orthotics allows the rest of the body to return to center, relieving you of any knee, hip, or back pain caused by your foot imbalance.
How Do You Know You Need Custom Orthotics?
If you have foot, heel, or ankle pain, your best bet is to see our podiatrists as soon as possible. This will allow you to find the root cause of your pain before it gets worse or begins to affect other areas of the body. Diagnosing the cause of your discomfort is the best first step, at which time our podiatrists will recommend custom orthotics where appropriate. Many cases of foot, heel, and ankle pain can be completely resolved with custom orthotics, and those requiring additional treatment will be taken care of in the best way possible.
Contact Us Today for Relief!
Custom orthotics are a huge relief for many people with foot, ankle, and heel pain. They allow you to return to the quality of life you deserve: one that allows you to live without the limitations that your foot discomfort once caused. Custom orthotics are a simple, pain-free way to correct foot alignment issues, allowing your feet to rebalance themselves and function as they should.
If foot, heel, or ankle pain is affecting your daily life, we’re here to help. Our podiatrists will work with you to get to the bottom of your discomfort, create your custom orthotics if appropriate, and get you back to your pain-free self. You no longer have to let foot, ankle, or heel pain control what you can do. Contact us today for a consultation and let us see how we can help you (and your feet)!