Human walking. It’s so simple that we almost forget that it works.
It’s only when the walking or running gives us pain that we take care about our feet.
Foot orthoses, are prescribed by a podiatrist to help redistribute forces and loads that cause chronic foot, leg, hip or back injuries. Our podiatrists perform a biomechanical examination to understand the forces and loads that are behind a patient’s injury. Our podiatrists may look at the motion of foot and lower leg joints, muscle strength and length, walking and/or running gait analysis.
Once we understands the biomechanical nature of a patients injury we can design an appropriate orthotic.
Foot orthoses come in a wide variety of types and materials specifically designed to suit your foot. Functional orthoses help with injury management, rehabilitation and prevention. Accommodative orthoses help cushion and offload tender high pressure areas and are frequently used to prevent diabetic foot amputations and provide pain relief to arthritic feet.
Foot orthoses, since they are custom made, are almost always more corrective, comfortable and durable than over-the- foot inserts, even though over-the-counter inserts do work for some people.
Foot orthotic therapy is often one component of your treatment plan. Stretches, functional exercises, soft tissue therapy, dry needling and footwear advice are used in conjunction with your orthotics to improve your symptoms sooner.
At Western Sydney Podiatry we have partnered with Footwork’s Orthotic Laboratory, one of the largest orthotic laboratories in Australia. Through this partnership we are able to provide patients with the best custom-made orthotics crafted to the highest levels of precision.
To see what’s involved in making an orthotic watch the video below.
