When you’re in pain, you definitely won’t want to go about your normal workout routine, especially if your feet are in pain! When your feet hurt, you might feel like your entire body hurts. Every step is a painful reminder of the discomfort that you are experiencing.
When other parts of your body experience pain, normally you can find ways to take the pressure off of them. You can close your eyes when your head hurts, or be extra careful with your posture when your back hurts. But when your feet hurt, what options do you have besides sitting around all day?
Staying off your feet means stepping back from your life, and for many people that really isn’t an option. Foot pain is often chronic, which means that the discomfort is likely to linger for a while and keep you from working out for much longer than originally expected. It will also likely grow more and more painful during everyday activities, such as walking up stairs or around your work office.
If you’re currently experiencing foot pain, contact our office today to learn more about custom orthotics, and how our trained physical therapists can treat your condition.
Will Custom Orthotics Really Alleviate Foot Pain?
Many people seek out support from orthotics to alleviate foot pain. Orthotics range in price and quality. There are a handful of options that you can find at convenience stores, but others can cost upwards of a hundred dollars and can be customized to fit the exact shape of your feet. We must ask ourselves though, does shelling out the money for custom orthotics really make a difference?
Unfortunately, there is actually not a simple answer to this question. The kind of foot pain you have, the severity of the pain, and your levels of physical activity all factor into whether or not custom orthotics can truly alleviate your condition. Orthotics are not for everyone, and there truly isn’t a “one size fits all” option no matter what you see being sold on the shelves in stores.
Orthotics: Yes, or No?
If you go to a podiatrist with foot pain as a result of fallen arches, and your podiatrist creates an orthotic for you that is designed to improve fallen arches, then that orthotic is going to help alleviate your foot pain much better than an orthotic designed to reduce heel pain from a condition such as plantar fasciitis.
The benefit of a custom orthotic is that it is developed to best fit your particular needs. The issue isn’t necessarily that one orthotic was custom made and the other was store bought. The issue is that the orthotics were designed with two different issues in mind!
According to Healthline, “Orthotics can be part of a comprehensive treatment plan to address various symptoms, usually having to do with pain and discomfort of the feet and legs. Some of the goals a doctor may have for orthotic treatment include:
correcting foot deformities
helping the foot or ankle function better
providing support to the ankle
reducing the risks for further injuries
What To Expect With Custom Orthotics
It’s often difficult to know exactly what your pain problem is when it comes to your feet, until you take the time to see a specialist. Once at the foot doctor, if your podiatrist can create an orthotic that is tailored to your specific needs. This way the orthotic really will be the best option for the pain in your foot. This doesn’t mean a non-customized orthotic wouldn’t help you, but most likely the one that is specifically designed to help your needs is going to be better.
You might be wondering just how well orthotics work. The entire point of an orthotic is to alleviate pain while you are walking or running so that you are able to engage in exercise without being held back by chronic foot pain. The orthotic may not be capable of fixing the pain in your foot when you are not wearing your orthotic-laden shoes, but while the orthotics are on your feet, chances are your feet will feel much better.
In the end, it is possible that using an orthotic can help you get back in action and reduce foot pain. However, that doesn’t mean that an orthotic is going to fix your problem for good. If you are dealing with ongoing foot pain, give our office a call to find out how we can help you kick that pain in your foot out the door. Whether it’s decided that an orthotic or ongoing physical therapy treatment is the best fit for you, our skilled physical therapists will be able to improve your condition in no time.
Sources: