The Benefits of Custom Foot Orthotics – How They Can Improve Your Quality of Life
When you’re plagued by foot, ankle, or knee pain, it can stop you from doing things you love. Even simple activities like walking or playing netball with friends can become painful experiences that make you want to avoid them altogether.
Custom shoe insoles help to distribute your weight evenly, correcting gait problems such as over-supination and overpronation. This can reduce your pain, improve mobility, and increase your quality of life.
Improved Balance
Unlike an over-the-counter shoe insert, custom orthotics are designed to fit your feet. They are for your arch height, foot width, and toe length. They provide cushioning and support and improve the pattern of your footfalls, helping to prevent overpronation and other gait abnormalities that can cause pain in your feet, ankles, knees, hips, and lower back. They also help absorb shock and can be used for problems such as flat feet, hammer toes, bunions, plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, and leg length discrepancies.
People with very flat feet may benefit from custom foot orthotics, as they can increase the level of arch in their feet. They can prevent the straining of other structures in the body to compensate for an unbalanced foot structure, which can cause knee, hip, and even lower back pain. Without custom orthotics, these individuals would need to spend significant time strapping tape on their feet or getting stronger to avoid pain and injury.
Reduced Pain
In addition to relieving foot pain, custom orthotics help reduce pain in other body areas. For example, people with flat feet often develop shin splints and knee and even back pain. Custom foot orthotics help reduce these symptoms by reducing misalignment and taking pressure off of overworked muscles and joints.
A well-made pair of orthotics will change how your feet move, reducing pain and helping you stay active. Over-the-counter shoe inserts are typically designed as a one-size-fits-all solution and cannot correct specific biomechanical issues.
Getting up each morning and walking around with your feet hurting isn’t anyone’s idea of a good time. Even worse, having to spend the day strapping them with tape takes much of your valuable time and makes you miss out on getting stronger and working out. With a custom orthotic, you can save time and get on with your life.
Reduced Stress on the Knees and Hips
If you have a foot problem like a pronated or supinated gait, you may experience pain throughout the rest of your body. Other body parts must compensate when the feet aren’t well supported. This can lead to injury and cause additional stress on your muscles, joints, and spine.
Custom orthotics help to correct your foot imbalances and gait problems. They can help reduce pressure on your knees and hips by distributing weight evenly.
Over time, this can improve your quality of life by reducing inflammation and decreasing the stress on your joints and bones. It also allows you to continue living your active lifestyle without worrying about pain or discomfort. Talk to your podiatrist and a physical therapist to determine if custom orthotics are right for you. Your health insurance may cover some or all of the cost. You can also try over-the-counter inserts and check your local shoe stores for discounts.
Better Sleep
In addition to helping you stay active, orthotics can help improve your sleep quality. They can also reduce foot pain and prevent injuries associated with walking or standing for long periods.
A custom orthotic is designed to fit your feet. It can be made from a variety of materials. They can be a good choice for patients who have diabetes or have lost sensation in their feet. They can also be helpful for high-performance athletes.
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