Feet aren’t a thing we spend much time thinking about. As long as they get the rest of our bodies from point A to point B without too much pain or discomfort, we usually pay them very little mind at all. Despite this, our feet see near-constant wear throughout our daily activities. The bones and muscles of the human foot are subject to the constant exertion of pressure from above while walking or running, which doesn’t account for the enormous detriment done to feet by ill-fitting or poorly insulated shoes.
Foot damage, particularly in well-paved metropolitan areas, is widespread and can be extremely painful. An incapacitated foot means time taken off work and severely reduced mobility, which can in turn have disastrous consequences for the mental health of the afflicted foot patient. Fortunately, products like foot orthotics, which help to reduce the suffering of those afflicted by foot problems, are available.
Orthotics
A foot orthotic is a brace placed inside of your shoe. They’re designed to control and stabilize any sort of abnormality of the foot in addition to that of the ankles, legs and knees. Foot orthotics are designed, researched and administered by medical specialists called Podiatrist, who are experts in anatomy, physiology, biomechanics and engineering. Foot orthotics are commonly used to relieve pain in the foot, achieving this by cushioning the afflicted area, reducing the pressure applied to the foot and alleviating the associated pain.
In addition to this, Podiatrist prescribe foot orthotics to correct flexible deformities of the lower extremities (the foot, ankle, leg, knee, thigh and hip) and to halt the progression of fixed deformities, preventing existing conditions from becoming worse.
City versus Country
Podiatrist in highly urbanized, metropolitan cities must deal with different foot ailments from those who ply their trade in rural areas. For example, prescribing foot orthotics in Kenosha WI, would entail treating diabetic ulcers on the soles of the feet and curtailing the effects of the painful, hardened calluses often encountered by construction workers and those employed in manual labor. When it comes to the treatment of diabetic people, foot orthotics are a vital component in saving at-risk diabetic feet, often used in conjunction with orthopedic footwear to prevent the occurrence of ulcers on the feet.
Foot orthotics are so widely used that there is no single demographic to which they cater. Professional athletes and their sport physiotherapists deploy foot orthotics to assist in performance and allow players recovering from lower extremity surgery to re-enter the field of play far earlier than they would without them. At the other end of the spectrum, many elderly people are prescribed foot orthotics in the aftermath of a hip replacement, or in the wake of damage to the soft tissue of the foot.
