Hey, are you having flat feet? If yes, it can be a great challenge for you, especially when you have to spend a lot of time walking and standing on your feet or carrying heavy items. In this case, you need to take good care of your feet, where prescription orthotics come in. It treats different foot conditions, like flat feet, painful calluses at the foot bottom, or shin splints, designed as per your needs.
No idea about flat feet or orthotics? In today’s guide, we are here to unfold facts on these. Let’s get started.
What are Flat Feet, and What Are Orthotics?
Flat feet are a foot condition where your feet soles don’t have any specific curve to them. As a result, the surface of your foot touches the ground entirely when you stand. The reasons behind flat feet can be anything, like improper childhood development, aging, diabetes, or any injury. However, some people don’t feel any discomfort with such foot conditions, although it can affect the alignment of your legs, such as in your ankles and knees. As a result, it may cause discomfort and deterioration in performance.
On the contrary, Orthotics is a custom-made solution to such foot conditions, including flat feet. It’s a non-invasive and non-surgical way to support your feet perfectly and relieves discomfort by improving its function. Of course, supportive shoes can help you out, but they may not be an exact fit to support the unique size of your feet.
What are Prescription Custom Orthotics, and How Does It Help Flat Feet?
As foot conditions are different for each person, orthotics don’t come in ‘One-size-fits-all’. Prescription Orthotics for flat feet are specifically designed for your needs to match your foot contours precisely according to your movement. It’s crafted only if a podiatrist recommends it after a complete checkup of your feet, legs, and ankles so it can match your pathology and unique foot structure. Different types of orthotics are available, including orthotic inserts, arch supports, ankle braces, footpads, insoles, heel cups, and so on.
Custom-made prescription orthotics are divided into two categories- Functional and Accommodative. The former is designed with semi-rigid material, such as graphite or plastic, to lessen the foot pain from abnormal movement and treat injuries like tendonitis or shin splints. The latter is a softer alternative offering additional support and cushioning to improve foot conditions like diabetic foot ulcers, painful calluses at the bottom of your feet, and others.
Now, let’s come to the point of how this custom Prescription Orthotics helps to treat and relieve flat feet.
Well, custom orthotics offer additional support required for flat feet so it doesn’t get worse and result in ankle and knee pain. Also, it can be a great alternative treatment to put off or avoid surgery to treat alignment problems caused by flat feet. Make sure you never buy off-the-shelf orthotics without consulting a professional podiatrist, as those may not be an exact fit for your feet and make the existing issue worse. The experts design the orthotics precisely considering your foot condition and discomfort level.
In Conclusion
It’s highly important to take care of your foot condition, especially when having flat feet. Also, you should consult a top podiatrist to diagnose and treat your foot problems. At Total Foot Care Podiatry & Wound Clinic, we have the best team of foot care podiatrists for a wide range of foot conditions, from flat feet to ankle sprains to diabetic foot problems, varicose veins, and more.
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