An active lifestyle, some medical conditions, and even just the years of your daily routine wearing on your feet can make mobility more difficult. If walking around is uncomfortable or painful, medical-grade orthotics are often all you need to fix the issue.
Board-certified podiatrist Thomas Rambacher, DPM, FACFAS, FAPWCA, located at Podiatry Hotline Foot & Ankle in Mission Viejo, California, finds that medical-grade orthotics can be a simple solution to getting your feet and active way of life back on track. Here are five ways medical-grade custom orthotics can improve your foot health.
Medical-grade orthotics are flexible insoles that you insert into any pair of shoes. Whenever you wear them, they correct the way you walk or balance your feet.
Unlike the insoles you pick up over the counter at the pharmacy, medical-grade orthotics are specially molded to your feet. They’re custom-made to correct any problems in your foot’s or leg’s structure or alignment.
Orthotics can help many people, even if you don’t have any identified foot problems. Five ways medical grade orthotics can help include:
Some foot conditions can be caused or worsened by a walking gait that’s unsteady or uneven, including foot injuries, arthritis, plantar fasciitis, and soft tissue masses like calluses and corns. Walking incorrectly can leave you in discomfort or simply make the mechanics of walking difficult.
By using orthotics to improve your walking, your feet and legs don’t experience additional strain. This improves the way your feet feel after a day on your feet and prevents or keeps foot conditions from worsening.
Foot problems like flat feet, arthritis, or a sprain or fracture that didn’t heal right can cause your lower body to be out of alignment. Issues in your ankles, knees, hips, and even lower back can also throw your feet out of alignment.
When not corrected, foot alignment issues can lead to more serious structural issues and pain down the road. Orthotics correct the problem without any surgery.
Many chronic foot conditions, ranging from bunions to plantar fasciitis to Morton’s neuroma, make moving around excruciatingly painful. Depending on the type of orthotics you use, they can reposition your feet or relieve pressure from specific areas of your foot to minimize discomfort.
If you have a lifestyle or job that requires you to stand regularly or be on your feet all day, custom orthotics can also help relieve stress on your feet.
An active lifestyle benefits your overall health and wellness, but high-impact sports like running, basketball, and soccer put you at higher risk of injury and foot problems. This is especially true if you face lower body alignment or technique challenges when playing your sport.
Our team can create custom orthotics for you to wear while playing your sport that correct pain or misalignment during athletics.
You don’t need to have any diagnosed foot conditions or foot pain to benefit from orthotics. If our team identifies any foot or ankle issues that could cause problems with your feet in the future, wearing orthotics now can prevent them.
If you’re interested in exploring custom orthotics as a nonsurgical issue for various foot or ankle issues, contact us today for an appointment.
