What Are Foot Orthotics, And What Do They Do For The Feet?

Foot orthotics is a device that fits inside your shoe and helps with foot and ankle problems. Arthropathy, bunions, flat feet, plantar fasciitis, and diabetes are just some diseases that can be alleviated using foot orthotics. This device can reduce the adverse effects of stress on your feet and restore their normal function.

What Are Foot Orthotics?

Orthotics are custom-made inserts for shoes that can help with various foot issues. Where you get your orthotics from can significantly impact the quality of the materials and functionality available in your device. If you've ever had foot pain, especially in the arch, you might have assumed that more padding would help. Biomechanical foot disorders, such as abnormalities in standing, walking, or running, can be helped by inserting these prescription medical devices into your shoes.

What Do Foot Orthotics Do To Your Feet?

Help adapt the foot to the terrain

We face multiple challenges when we walk or execute our activities — like working or participating in sports — on surfaces. We rarely consider the enormous effort our legs put into keeping our feet mobile and stable while we run, jump, or walk.

The pressure points on the sole help the body adjust to the environment. They are frequently disrupted in ways that cause the weight to be unevenly distributed. Blisters, plantar fasciitis, and stress fractures are just some ailments resulting from this misalignment over time.

The foot orthotic is a device worn on the bottom of the foot that helps shift weight away from the foot's pressure points. Multiple forms of foot and lower limb disease can be avoided by maintaining proper body mechanics, posture, and muscle function.

Correct your posture

If your biomechanical evaluation reveals specific postural problems, an orthotist may suggest you use a foot orthosis. The plantar orthosis acts as a corrective device by setting in motion a biomechanical realignment that improves mobility across the body's muscles and joints. After that, your posture will correct itself, and you will be able to stop making unnecessary motions and keep them from returning.

Relieve pain

The pain felt in the feet, surrounding tissues, and joints are often alleviated using foot orthotics. Most forms of pain can be traced back to the body's tissues repeatedly being subjected to a burden initially intended to be lighter. 

Narrow shoes, for instance, put pressure on the muscles and ligaments that support the foot's medial bones. Inflammation and significant discomfort are expected results of the persistent, everyday pressure that occurs when bones and tissues rub against one another. Metatarsalgia describes this condition, a common clinical cause for orthotists to propose foot orthotics.

The bottom line

People with foot and ankle problems may benefit from using orthotics as a more comprehensive therapy approach. In addition to helping stabilize and cushion pressure points like the heels and base of the foot, orthotics may also help alleviate pain in these regions. Custom-made orthotics are built with the wearer's specific shoe requirements in mind. Inquire about the expected outcomes from regular orthotic use if your doctor suggests getting one.