To build a solid structure, we start from the ground up, focusing on the foundation before moving on to floors and walls; the logic is similar when it comes to your feet. The foot is a complex structure. Feet are like pillars for the body, providing essential support to the bones, joints, and muscles that help your body stand, move, and balance. Imbalances in your feet can reverberate throughout the body, affecting everything from your gait, ankles, and knees to your lower back.
Custom orthotics are designed to help correct problems with foot structure or alignment. Unlike the generic insoles available at your local drug store, custom-made orthotics are tailored to your foot, explicitly designed to correct the issues that are causing you pain.
In contrast to a one-size-fits-all insole, custom orthotics are considered medical devices and generally require a prescription. Their creation is a multi-step process, including a consultation with a physiotherapist and a detailed evaluation of your foot – right down to investigating your shoes for telltale signs of alignment issues. Custom casts of your foot are taken before the mold is sent away, along with your personalized prescription, for manufacturing.
When tailored correctly, you will not notice your custom orthotics as you move; however, you will see a positive difference in how your body feels.
Even mild foot misalignment can put significant undue stress on other areas of your body, leading to painful joint, muscle, and back problems. Custom orthotics help change all that. Your medical practitioner or physiotherapist might prescribe custom orthotics to:
Patients use custom orthotics daily to help correct these issues and more because being active shouldn’t be painful.
When you walk, run, or jump, the force applied to your feet can exceed several times your body weight. That’s a lot of pressure, and even a small misalignment can dramatically affect how that force is distributed, resulting in soreness, fatigue, and other chronic issues.
Living in pain is exhausting; however, the solution could be as simple as adjusting how you walk, and custom orthotics may be the answer. If you are interested in exploring custom orthotics, we can help.
