My Healthy Habits

The Reason Why You May Need Orthotic Inserts

An estimated 70% of the inhabitants of the earth are diagnosed with a condition called over-pronation, which can cause many foot problems as time passes. Certain individuals over-pronate more than others. Why so many of us have flat feet can be attributed to the flat and hard surfaces we run around on each day. Also, body weight, weak ankles, and aging play a role. Hence, overpronation is much more common in folks in their 50’s and above, and also in people with excess weight.

For lots of individuals, over-pronation doesn’t pose a real problem, particularly for younger people. Nonetheless, abnormal foot function caused by over-pronation will cause a variety of problems including plantar fasciitis, heel pain, heel spurs, metatarsalgia - even knee pain and low back pain!

Orthotics fix the problem of over-pronation and can help lessen or eliminate many common aches and pains caused by flat feet and other ailments of the foot. Orthotic insoles are not pricey, costing between $30 and $40 per pair. Buying a pair of orthotic shoe insoles can be a worthwhile investment in your health, because they can also prevent many future biomechanical imbalances.

What Exactly Are Orthotic Inserts?

Orthotic insoles are products that are put inside the shoes with the goal of restoring our natural foot function. Many common ailments such as heel pain, knee pain and low back pain are triggered by inferior foot biomechanics. Biomechanics is the study of movement and studies our body’s motion while walking, running, and performing sports. The most common form of abnormal foot biomechanics is overpronation. It consists in the arches being dropped and inward rolling of the feet and ankles. An estimated 70 percent of humans deals with overpronation to various extents. Orthotic insoles improve overpronation and restore the alignment of the foot and ankle bones to their proper position, restoring the original foot function. Simultaneously, this will help relieve troubles not only in the feet, but also in other parts of the body, especially the lower body such as the knees, hips and lower back.

The Difference Between Orthotic Inserts and Ordinary Shoe Inserts

There’s a great difference between regular insoles and orthotic inserts. Regular insoles are purely designed to give a cushioning effect and shock absorption. They may feel comfortable at first, however they do not focus on any biomechanical troubles i.e. they do not fix overpronation. On the other hand, orthotic shoe insoles are functional devices, built to relieve and regulate our foot function. Some insoles also include an arch support, but often the support is ineffective, especially if the insoles are made of soft materials.

So how do orthotic shoe insoles exactly work? First of all, orthotic shoe insoles do a great deal more than giving support to the arches. Orthotic insoles re-align the feet and ankles and restore normal foot function. Also, orthotic shoe insoles provide a smoother spread of our body weight, taking pressure off painful locations such as the ball of the feet, heels, corns and bunions, etc. They also create a certain degree of shock absorption, but this not their key objective. The main purpose of orthotic shoe insoles is to correct foot function. In many cases, this will lessen foot discomfort and prevent future problems and injuries.