Grab Best Fitness Blog FeedOrthotics ... by Karli Taylor
Has anyone ever told you that you need inserts for your shoes - either over the counter ones at the shoe store or professional orthotics from a doctor? Lately it seems that more and more clients are telling me that someone is recommending an insert for them. My fear is that the insert will address a symptom and not the actual problem. Foot pain may be a symptom of something totally unrelated to the foot- maybe a knee injury, or hip tightness. If you are thinking about getting orthotics made, go see a personal trainer or a physical therapist first- get an assessment of your lower extremities and go from there.
If you already have orthotics and they are not comfortable and have not helped you in any way, they may be doing more harm them good. So why would anyone need one?
An orthotic is simply an artificial interface that is placed between the foot and what the foot comes in contact with. Therefore, the interface should increase the efficient of movement. It should allow a greater load to be placed on the foot thereby creating a greater force than could be created without the orthotic in place.
Be careful that the orthotic doesn’t decrease your ability to load efficiently. I often see orthotics built where they “block” the ability for the foot to collapse correctly and therefore cause a delayed collapsing on foot contact, eventually leading to greater problems.
If the artificial interface improves the intended function, then good. If the orthotic doesn’t improve efficiency of movement, then bad! You may have simply been the target of a retail store upsell.
