Orthotic – Foot Alignment

At PHYSIO Excellence we aim at finding the cause to your problem and then providing a holistic solution.

We not only treat the symptoms, we endeavor to find a sustainable long-term solution. This is accomplished by establishing the root cause of the pain. Sometimes the cause starts from your foot.

People punish their feet daily by wearing ill-fitting shoes or walking on feet that don’t function properly. Back pain? Knee pain? Foot pain? – Foot biomechanics may be the cause – Orthotics may be the answer.

Sometimes faulty biomechanics at the foot or lower limb may be contributing to the pain being experienced in the hip or back. Our Physios are trained to analyse these mechanics.

As one such solution, at Physio Excellence, we can custom-mould shoe insert. Orthotics are frequently used to treat various conditions of the foot, ankle, knee, back or even full or partial body alignment.

According to a podiatrist, flat feet (also called pes planus or fallen arches) is a postural deformity in which the arches of the foot collapse, where the entire sole of the foot can come into complete or near-complete contact with the ground.

Orthotics (also known as orthotic insoles, shoe inserts, or orthoses) are devices placed inside the shoes with the purpose of restoring your natural foot function. This is necessary when the natural biomechanical balance of the lower body has been disrupted by over-pronation.

A custom orthotic is an effective device designed to align the foot and ankle into the most anatomically efficient position. Custom orthotics work on your feet much like glasses work on your eyes – they reduce stress and strain on your body by bringing your feet back into proper alignment.

Walking and standing with the feet, legs, hips, and spine constantly out of alignment can contribute to back and other pain. The use of foot orthotics that realign the rear of the foot to prevent foot pronation can help stop this domino effect from occurring.

Custom orthotics can help achieve Balance!

Walking on hard surfaces, especially during warm weather, unsupported feet are prone to collapsing and overstretching while walking. This leads to a condition known as “Overpronation“. Wearing unsupportive footwear makes the foot even more exposed to this risk.

Why?
The Plantar Fascia tendon is the main long tendon that goes form the heel to the front of the foot. When wearing unsupported footwear, our body subconsciously forces our toes to act as a “grip“, creating a greater tension force on our foot’s tissue. When you add warm weather into the mix, the tension force becomes even greater because the footwear becomes less rigid, making our toes grip even tighter and forcing it to “overpronate” further.

Pronation is the stage in our walking cycle when our foot arch rolls inwards and the “arch” makes contact with the ground.

When the foot “overpronates“, it causes the foot’s plantar fascia tendon to overstretch beyond it’s normal capacity. This leads to micro tears in our feet and can be typified by a sharp burning pain in the heel and arch of the foot. This condition is also known as “plantar fasciitis“. This is why it is very common to hear people complaining of sore feet when they go on holidays or exert/spend extended time on their foot.
Long term overpronation also leads to consequential biomechanical problems and issues in the foot, ankle, knee, legs, hips and back.

The Solution?
The solution is simple. Once the foot arch (plantar fascia muscle) is supported with a proper orthotic structure, the foot becomes relaxed and supported and will have optimal contact and support with the ground.