I hope you don’t mind another article primarily about running injuries today, but with the onset of the Sydney running festival upon us, but we’re seeing an awful lot of them at the minute! But this one isn’t just for runners, it’s about using custom made orthotics and is relevant for anyone with pain in their foot, ankle, Achilles, shins and knees.
First up, rather than me re-writing a whole load of info, just check out for some great background reading on common leg and foot conditions. Custom made orthotics are inserts made specifically for you that fit in to your shoes to correct your foot position. Correct foot position is vital for efficient functioning of the joints and muscles not just in your feet, but of your whole lower limb and can also affect your pelvis and spine. On-Screen reporting of Foot Movement It’s important to note that although you can buy orthotics off-the-shelf from many pharmacies and sports stores, these “one-size-fits-all” orthotics are not designed specifically to be right for your foot and therefore are much less likely to be effective. It’s kind of like buying a one-size-fits-all T-shirt – if you happen to be the right size then it’ll be great for you, but most people won’t be the “standard” size so it won’t fit well at all. As well as runners, other groups of people who we regularly treat that benefit from custom made orthotics are; Sports groups:
- Team sports which involve a lot of running and pivoting such as rugby, football, hockey & netball racquet sports
- Gym users who do a lot of classes such as Pump and Body Attack people who use personal trainers for boxing, boot camps etc…
Occupational groups:
- People who are on their feet a lot such as retail sales
- People who are on their feet all day in work boots such as store-men, pickers-&-packers, labourers
- people who have to wear more
Often if you have problems that initially respond to treatment but then plateau and persist at a low level or settle for a while and then recur in the future, it’s because there’s something going on in the background that is causing the imbalance within your body to keep coming back. In the case of leg and foot problems, poor foot position (or poor foot biomechanics) is often the culprit. So, custom made orthotics is a valuable treatment option not just to help your current problems fully settle down, but to minimise the risk of them coming back in the future. Check the rest of the website through the link above to get lots more information about how poor biomechanics can cause a multitude of problems, and also how orthotics can help you. I hope you find this information really helpful. Please feel free to email me through any questions you have or suggest topics for future posts that would help you out.
