Orthotic Therapy For Happy Feet

By Dr. Robert Scott DC CCSP

Each day the average person walks about 4 miles which equals 115,000 miles in a lifetime (that’s equivalent to 4 trips around the earth). Some people are on their feet all day long.
Your foot is a very complex structure which provides a base for proper ambulation and the acceleration for running. Your foot also provides much needed shock absorption for the rest of you body. There are 26 bones in the foot, 33 joints, 20 muscles and over 100 ligaments which must work in harmony to help you dissipate over 100 tons of cumulative force daily.
75% of people experience foot problems in their lifetime. These problems include but are not limited to: plantar fascitis (arch pain), heel spurs (heel pain), metatarsalgia, bunions (toe pain), arthritis, and diabetes. Many athletes experience foot and ankle pain and knee pain as a consequence of poor foot mechanics resulting in damaged ligaments and tendons or even stress fractures of the bones of the foot and ankle.
When your foot is not supporting your body properly it can lead to other conditions such as shin, ankle, knee and lower back pain.
Ask yourself the following questions if you answer yes to any one of the questions you would benefit from an orthotic evaluation.
• Are my feet sore on a regular basis?
• Do I have knee, hip or lower back pain when I am active?
• Do I spend a good portion of my day on my feet?
• Do I have joint pain with standing, walking or running?
• Do I play sports regularly?
• Do I have visible foot problems like bunions, corns or fallen arches?
• Do I have noticeable alignment problems as visualized on X-rays of my foot ankle, knee, hips or spine (like with scoliosis)?
A keen observer may also notice the following:
• Foot flare while walking. Ideally, the toes should point straight forward while walking. If the toes flare laterally too much it is an indication that there is a need for further investigation. Toeing out could, for example, indicate a compensation mechanism for a functional leg-length inequality — a short leg. Or, it could be an indication of hip or knee involvement.
• Internal knee rotation. Stand in front of the mirror with your knees and lower legs exposed and observe the position of the patella (knee cap).
If you were to position a plumb line at the center of the knee cap, the line should fall vertically to a point over the second ray of the foot. A common condition is an internal deviation of the knees with the patellar line falling inside to the second ray of the foot.
Notice if the knee rotation is symmetrical. Asymmetries are the cause of accelerated degenerative changes.
• Bowed Achilles tendon. Stand facing away from your friend, with his lower legs exposed. Look at the inside aspect of the Achilles tendons.
If the Achilles bows inside, it indicates the heel is rolling to the inside, which is a strong indication that the foot is pronating (or rolling inward) excessively. This distortion is often present with foot flare and low medial arches. The opposite is true if the Achilles tendon in bowing outward resulting in supination (or rolling outward) on the foot.
• Low inside arches. Look at the inside aspect of the foot from the big toe to the heel. The center of the foot should be higher than the front and rear of the foot.
You should be able to slide your fingers under the arch up to the distal interphalangeal joint of your middle finger. If you can’t, you have a positive finding for low medial arches.
Remember: The medial arch is the last arch to collapse. Even if it appears to be well maintained, the lateral and transverse arches may be compromised and affecting the biomechanics of the lower extremity.
• Excessive shoe wear. If the shoes are not worn down evenly or there is a broken heel counter, this excessive wear indicates asymmetry or imbalance.
As you begin to study these five visual clues, you’ll see recurring patterns associated with some very predictable findings: Low back pain, knee pain, and restricted movement patterns associated with joint fixation of the hips and pelvis; and compensation mechanisms that may or may not result in aches or pain — at least not yet.
If we find problems upon the above observations you would benefit from further investigation. A number of simple non invasive tests may highlight where the imbalances are in your foot mechanics. Your doctor would then make a mold of your foot after taking note of these biomechanical observations. The examination your mold and a combination of your weight, age, sex an activity level help the orthotist (make of orthotic devices) create a custom orthotic to correct/ or support the imbalance in your feet.
In addition to the obvious benefits biomechanically to proper foot and ankle support it is believed that the arch of the foot aids in the pumping of fluids from the lower extremity back into circulation, thus preventing blot clots and improving energy and cardiovascular function. It is also well known the heart meridian has an end point in your sole of your foot. From an acupuncture standpoint maintaining the integrity or your foot is very important to cardiovascular health. You should also recall that 30% of your daily expenditure of energy is utilized for the maintenance of proper posture, if your feet are a problem and you are also complaining of fatigue you may benefit greatly from orthotic treatment.
Orthotics are often high density molded plastic shoe inserts which provide enough support to your foot to help balance and support foot mechanics but also remain flexible enough to allow for adequate foot and ankle range of motion. Orthotics can be made for any shoe, heel, sandal, ski boot and ice skate.
Tips for healthy feet include buying good supportive footwear with orthotics if necessary, NO FLIP FLOPS especially if your have foot problems. Pamper your feet with massage, lotions, hot and cold baths. Stretch your feet by massaging the sole of your feet with a tennis ball, strengthen your feet by crunching up the morning newspaper with your toes, strengthen you ankles by walking carefully on your toes, then the insides of feet then the outsides of feet and then on your heels. Finally buy a wobble board or disc and work on balancing the muscular contractions of your foot and ankles.
Happy feet will ensure a Happier you!
Dr Robert C. Scott 847.821.3700
Thank you to the Orthotic Group www.theorthoticgroup.com and Foot Levelers www.footlevelers.com , for source material regarding this topic.

Feel Free To Link To Any Articles On This Page. If You Wish To Republish One Of These Articles, Please Contact The Original Author