Have you ever experienced sore feet? As you age your feet will often change. Changes in the shape of your feet, the support of your ligaments, and complications from previous injuries can all cause strain and pain. This is why a custom orthotic is a good idea to provide extra support and relief for your feet. Contact BeActive Physio today to learn more about how we can help relieve your foot pain with custom orthotics & physiotherapy.
What are the Causes of Foot Pain?
Problems with your feet can be caused by several conditions directly related to the feet. General ailments and diseases that affect the body as a whole can also lead to foot pain. The following are several examples of conditions or diseases that can be the cause of foot pain. These conditions can all be treated with physiotherapy and custom orthotics.
- Plantar Fasciitis: This is a painful condition along the sole of the foot; and in particular, the area that connects the heel bone to the toes. This is due to thick tissues along the bottom of the feet becoming tightened or inflamed. Pain can occur in the heel or the arch of the foot.
- It can be caused by obesity, age, and standing for long periods of time on your feet.
- An increase in activity level (like starting a walking or running program)
- The structure or shape of the foot
- The surface on which you are standing, walking or running
- The type of shoes you are wearing
- The weight you carry
Sometimes plantar fasciitis may also develop due to other medical conditions, such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.
- Heel Spurs. This is a bony protrusion on the heel that is usually made of some sort of calcium build-up. While the actual spurs are not painful they can poke the tissues in the heel and potentially cause severe pain. Many of the same risk factors that cause plantar fasciitis can also cause heel spurs.
When calcium deposits are built on the underside of the ankle or heel bone, heel spurs occur, but this doesn’t occur instantaneously. This process may take several months to occur. Plantar fasciitis and heel spurs are relatable but are distinct in nature. The stretching or inflammation or strain on plantar fasciitis leads to heel spurs. Contact our rockstar physiotherapists to learn more about these conditions. - Arthritis. Arthritis is a debilitating joint disease that can affect the joints throughout the foot. Stiffness and swelling in the joints can eventually lead to permanent damage. This can affect the way you stand or walk.
- Metatarsalgia. This is a painful disorder that affects the joints and bones along the ball of the foot. This condition is often caused by ill-fitting footwear or restrictive footwear. Orthotics are usually recommended to help reduce pain caused by metatarsalgia.
- Diabetes Foot. Diabetes can lead to foot problems because of restricted blood flow and nerve damage. When nerves are damaged through diabetes this is referred to as neuropathy. When the muscles in the foot no longer function together properly this can cause unequal pressure on the foot. Unequal pressure can result in sores, infections, and even amputation in extreme cases. Proper footwear can help prevent foot problems related to diabetes.
Other potentially treatable conditions include patellofemoral knee pain, shin splints, achilles tendonitis, and bunions, as well as numerous systemic pathologies that (like diabetes) affect the function of the lower limbs. Physiotherapy services can provide treatment to relieve pain and improve whatever condition you’re suffering from.
What are EVA Orthotics?
At BeActive Physio Oakville, we use the complete line of functional EVA (ethyl vinyl acetate) orthotics. EVA orthotics is a dynamic, responsive material that promotes the natural motions of the foot and ankle during gait. The kinetic orthotics are precision crafted in Toronto, Ontario using state-of-the-art German Engineered CAD/CAM technology to provide limitless options for correcting biomechanical alignment.
- Full Foot, Full Contact: Unlike hard shell orthotics, EVA orthotics allow for corrective components throughout the ENTIRE gait cycle, not just heel strike and mid-stance; ideal for treating patients with forefoot problems.
- Functional, Shock Attenuating Material:EVA is a closed-cell material that when compressed, will spring back to its original shape. This property allows for maximal shock absorption, as well as energy-returning properties which promote biomechanical correction with each step.
- Leading Material used in Running Shoes and Orthopedic Footwear: Shoe giants like New Balance, Asics, and Saucony have spent millions on R&D of the most effective EVA materials for their footwear. EVA orthotics work better with the shoe and its intended benefits vs plastics which often negate these properties.
- Lightweight and Comfortable Orthotic: Incredibly light, durable and shock absorbing material. The natural shock-absorbing properties of EVA make it an easy choice for patients with foot pain, or those looking for relief from hard, man-made surfaces. Ideal for active patients or those who spend long working hours on their feet.
Benefits of Orthotics For The Lower Body
- Absorb Shock: You’ll find that lots of footwear on the market doesn’t have proper padding and support. A well-fitted orthotic can absorb shock from the pressure points on your feet, and add a layer of comfort to otherwise ill-fitting shoes. For individuals with diabetes or hypertension, orthotics can help alleviate the pressure.
- Injury Prevention: All day long our little feet take a toll carrying all this weight and stress while performing several activities like walking, running, standing, playing and myriad of other activities. According to many studies performed and research done by experts, reveal that custom orthotics prevent and treat various injuries like plantar fasciitis, stress fractures, lower back pain and knee pain. On the other hand, over the counter insoles were less effective and preventive when compared to custom orthotics.
- Alleviates Pain: Many question the use of custom orthotics, but people who experience chronic pain in their nee, feet and lower back, may benefit significantly with use of custom orthotics. A custom orthotics contains arches and cavities that provides your foot proper balance that can reduce pain. The pain transpires from the misalignment of the foot bones, muscles and tendons and may be caused by some conditions like flat foot, arthritis and custom orthotics reduces pressure from the joints and relieves pain. Additionally custom orthotics can also be used for conditions caused by diabetes and sports injury.
- Align the Body: For individuals with limb length discrepancies, orthotics can realign the body for ideal symmetry. This will help disperse weight to the joints of the body properly to reduce injury over time.
- Enhance Athletic Performance: No matter which sport you play, proper body alignment and arch support from custom orthotics orthotics will reduce risk for injury and help you perform at your best.
How Can pedorthist Services Help?
Pedorthist are specifically trained in musculoskeletal movement. They have extensive knowledge of gait analysis and biomechanics of the lower extremities. They can provide you with orthotics that uniquely fit the contours of your feet, giving you the maximum amount of function, support, and comfort.
Our trained Oakville, ON pedorthist can give you a comprehensive orthotic evaluation. He or she will provide a custom fitting to determine what will work best for your feet. Our pedorthist will take into consideration your current medical conditions and activity level when providing the best custom orthotics. After your evaluation and fitting, it will likely take a few weeks for your custom orthotics to come back from the lab.
After you have received your orthotics it will likely be necessary to provide an ongoing assessment of how your orthotics are working. Fine-tuning may be needed to provide the best results possible. Contact BeActive Physio today at Oakville, ON Center to learn how our customized orthotics can benefit you. We will have you feeling your absolute best and light on your feet!
FAQs
What Types of Symptoms Orthotics Can Treat?
Confused as to when do you need custom orthotics? How do you know that you may need custom orthotics or shoe inserts? Foot orthoses, commonly known as foot orthotics are designed to help support the feet and improve foot posture. If you are experiencing any of the below symptoms, your doctor may recommend custom orthotics:
- Foot pain or inflammation or swelling
- Sharp heel pain (Plantar fasciitis)
- Flat foot or high arch
- Improper balance or often unexpected falls
- Shoes become uneven after some time of wearing
- Diabetic foot complication
- Leg or foot injury
At BeActive Physio Oakville, we provide an array of solutions to treat your feet problems with physiotherapy and custom orthotics, contact today!
What are orthotics or custom orthotics?
Foot orthotics are specially designed custom-made medical inserts that support your feet and provide proper balancing. It’s functionally purposed to focus on the foot posture in the desired manner to relieve foot pain, back pain, ankle pain, or even hip pain. Orthotics are for feet as glasses are for eyes, providing them the right position and posture to go the long way! Custom orthotics as the name suggests are custom made and that’s why come in different varieties, sizes, and shapes. Custom orthotics can be made of plastic, carbon made, or maybe soft foam which totally depends on the condition we are trying to treat. Address your foot conditions or discomfort with custom orthotics in Oakville today! Contact us
What are some benefits of Custom Orthotics?
Custom orthotics not only maintains the correct position of the feet but also prevents various foot discomfort like calluses, corns or ulcers. Learn more about the benefits of custom orthotics below.
- Alleviating pain in the foot, Ankle, Leg, and Lower back
- Maintaining correct alignment of Foot and Leg
- Improving balance, enhance your workouts
- Supporting the arch and Heel, elevate your game
- Preventing Bunions and Claw toes
- Absorbing shock and Distributing the Pressure across the bottom of the foot
- Preventing calluses, Corns, and Ulcerations by offloading pressure from areas at risk
- Allowing you to work longer and have less fatigue
If you are looking for an assessment of your feet or custom orthotics in Oakville, contact BeActive Physio and Wellness clinic today.
How can BeActive Physio Oakville Clinic can help?
Custom foot orthotics can change your life! Looking at the above listed benefits of custom orthotics, it is undeniable that custom orthotics can make a significant difference in your life, and your feet’s comfort. Custom orthotics can improve the functionality and capabilities of your feet, ankle, knee and lower back. If you have any pertaining issues of feet, custom orthotics may be the answer that is worth looking into. Call us for a full assessment of your feet and provide efficient and functional custom orthotics that will last years and provide you comfort every day!
Will my orthotics fit into all shoes?
Our highly experienced pedorthist will assess your daily activities and make a recommendation on the type of shoes and orthotics that will suit you the best. At BeActive Oakville, our aim is to provide you with custom-made orthotics that almost fits most of your shoes (in similar category) and therefore, you can wear them at all times irrespective of the work or activity. The more you wear, the more your feet will thank you! Contact us today.
How long will the foot orthotics last?
Unfortunately, custom-made orthotics doesn’t come with a specific expiration date. It completely depends on the construction material, your workplace conditions (for e.g. your job requires you to stand or move all day), the regular wear and tear, major or minor accidents and many other factors. It is hard to tell the exact time, but custom-made orthotics can last as long as 2 to 5 years.
Does diabetes cause problems in the foot?
Unfortunately, custom-made orthotics doesn’t come with a specific expiration date. It completely depends on the construction material, your workplace conditions (for e.g. your job requires you to stand or move all day), the regular wear and tear, major or minor accidents and many other factors. It is hard to tell the exact time, but custom-made orthotics can last as long as 2 to 5 years.
How long does it take to get the custom orthotics or foot insoles?
Many people with diabetes develop ulcers, wounds or injury because of the friction with the foot and the shoes. Due to reduced circulation and sensation in their feet, people with diabetes are more prone to injuring their foot and therefore, custom-made specialized foot orthotics which can prevent development or worsening of wounds. Contact our experienced physiotherapy team today!