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Do you experience pain while participating in a sport, or even while walking? Custom orthotics are medical devices designed to support and align the foot and lower extremities to eliminate pain experienced in your day-to-day activities. Custom orthotics are prescribed to you by your foot and ankle surgeon and are formed by making a plaster mold of the foot. Custom orthotics are medical devices that support and gently reposition the heel, arch, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bones in the feet, which enables these structures to work together as nature intended. Orthotics are made to make each step you take pain-free. Unlike over-the-counter shoe inserts, custom orthotics are built from molds of your feet in order to precisely meet your unique needs. Why Orthotics? More than arch supports, orthotics provide support which makes standing, walking, and running more comfortable and efficient by altering slightly the angles at which the foot strikes a walking or running surface. Your podiatrist may prescribe orthotics as a conservative approach to many foot problems or as a method of control after certain types of foot surgery. The use of orthotics is a highly successful and practical form of treatment. There are three different kinds of orthotics that can be used for your feet: rigid, soft and semi-rigid. Each is concerned with improving the functionality of your feet, minimizing the stress forces that could potentially cause pain or deformity. Flexible Flat Foot Flatfoot is a complex disorder with diverse symptoms and varying degrees of deformity and disability from person-to-person. There are several different types of flatfoot disorder, with partial or total arch collapses being the most common characteristics. Flexible flatfoot is one of the most common types of flatfoot and typically begins in childhood, continuing into adulthood. It typically occurs in both feet and continues to worsen through the adult years. As the deformity worsens, the soft tissues of the arch may stretch or tear, causing them to become inflamed. Flexible flatfoot occurs when the foot is flat while standing, but when not standing the arch returns to normal. Some symptoms of flexible flatfoot include: * Pain in the heel, arch, ankle, or along the outside of the foot
* "Rolled-in" ankle
* Pain along the shin bone
* General aching or fatigue in the foot or leg
* Low back, hip or knee pain If you experience symptoms with flexible flatfoot, your podiatrist in Lancaster may recommend custom orthotics for your shoes to give you more support in the arches while walking and standing. Heel Pain Most often caused by plantar fasciitis, heel pain may be caused by a stress fracture, tendonitis, arthritis, nerve irritation, or, rarely, a cyst. While there are several potential causes, it is important to get heel pain properly diagnosed, in order for your podiatrist to distinguish between all the possibilities to determine the underlying source of your heel pain. Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the band of tissue (plantar fascia) that extends from the heel to the toes. The plantar fascia first becomes irritated and inflamed, resulting in heel pain. Symptoms of plantar fasciitis are:
* Pain on the bottom of the heel
* Pain that is usually worse upon standing
* Pain that increases over a period of months Treatment for heel pain will often include the use of custom orthotics to correct the underlying structural abnormalities of plantar fasciitis. No matter your condition, if you experience pain while standing, walking, running, or any other activity consult your podiatrist in Lancaster today for proper diagnosis and treatment. Custom orthotics can help you properly perform functions that make standing, walking, and running more comfortable and efficient.
Sean Hartmen writes for Dr. Thomas Neuman, a Northridge and Lancaster, CA podiatrist. Dr. Thomas Neuman is a board certified foot surgeon with the American Board of Lower Extremity Surgery. Offering an array of services, in treatments and procedures, such as heel pain, neuropathy, foot pain and orthotics in Lancaster and Northridge, Dr. Neuman is committed to providing quality podiatric care.
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