Custom foot orthotics (commonly referred to as “Orthotics”) are specially made prescription medical devices that when inserted into footwear, help support, align and accommodate foot deformities or poor foot mechanics.
How will a Custom Foot Orthotic Help Me?
Foot orthotics help in providing relief for painful foot problems or an injury, especially for those who must stand excessively on the job or walk a lot in everyday activities.
The mechanical properties of custom foot orthotics help to maintain the normal positioning of the bones in the foot, the joints in the ankle and knees leading up to the hips and lower back. The muscles and ligaments holding these bones in their intended anatomical positions are prevented from over stretching and becoming lax over time.
With enough functional correction from a custom foot orthotic, the foot structure can be aligned to give more propulsion, making walking, running and even cycling more biomechanically efficient.
The way the foot contacts the ground significantly affects the way your back absorbs compression to the spine. People who are flat footed can suffer from decreased hip stability and motion. This is due to the foot not being able to provide proper support each time you step or stand on them.
Over time, the entire leg musculature, most importantly in the gluteal muscles, lose their ability to provide proper support. This can lead to increased stress to the back. Like jamming your thumb into a wall a thousand times over, your back gets crammed or compressed.
Proper orthotic fitting can help the feet become better aligned and thus provide proper support for the rest of the legs, and ultimately the spine to be in a more efficient position to function during the day.
You should also consider that the bottom of the feet are highly sensitive with proprioceptive receptors that detect spatial awareness. If the foot has a better sense of its position, typically the rest of the body will also have better proprioception and spatial stability. It is believed that poor proprioception can make people more susceptible to injury. Orthotics can provide better proprioception.
Dorval Physiotherapy can help you to decide if you are a candidate for custom made orthotics and if your condition will benefit from wearing them. We are in partnership with Premier Orthotic Lab in Burlington, which has a state of the art facility to accommodate any foot problems. We also provide our clients with a complimentary pair of shoes (with different varieties to choose from) with the purchase of the orthotics.
