Many people suffer from foot problems or find that they develop pain in other parts of their bodies due to the way that they stand and walk.
At Stretch Physio we’re excited to be launching a new gait assessment clinic. From July our Senior Physiotherapist will be offering detailed gait assessments, including foot scanning and casting, to design you custom-made orthotics. Orthotics are specialist inner soles that you wear in your shoes to optimise the alignment of your body, starting at your feet. Orthotics help to correct foot problems and pain that is driven by how you stand and walk.
Our orthotics will be made specifically to fit you, taking into account your general health and lifestyle. We will examine how you stand, walk and move during day-to-day tasks or sporting activities to ensure the perfect fit and type of orthotic.
Orthotics can help to realign the bones within the foot, to control excessive mobility or stiffness of the bones and connective tissues. They maintain a neutral alignment of the foot and reduce stress and strain on the body by maintaining the best possible foot position throughout every step. Suboptimal placement of the feet can result in increased energy required to balance, stand and walk, increasing the risk of pain. Potentially even a small abnormality in foot alignment or function can have a significant impact on the joints and soft tissue above. Custom-made orthotics are specifically designed to correct foot issues and improve alignment throughout the legs and spine, reducing pain and injuries.
The major benefit of having a detailed assessment from a Physiotherapist is that we will be able to complete a detailed assessment of more than just your feet and walking pattern to establish what is causing your pain. We will look at your whole body and how you move, as although you may think that pain in the foot region directly relates to a foot problem, it is not always this straightforward.
Bear in mind that if load transfer through your feet can affect other parts of the body, other parts of the body can also affect your feet and their alignment. For example: a low back condition could be causing you to limp, placing excessive load through the leg, which is irritating the soft tissue on the sole of the foot (plantar fascia). In this instance, treatment of the lower back would be the best first course of action, while waiting to see if orthotics are really needed.
We will use our examination findings to ensure that you receive the best possible treatment for you. If you need orthotics your key examination findings, scans and imprints will be sent to the lab where your orthotics are then made. We can request that the lab add special features to your orthotics based on your area of pain, the wear patterns on your shoes, skin changes on your feet and your lifestyle. Your orthotics can be made to fit into your every day or running shoes. Also, if you don’t need orthotics, we will tell you! If this is the case, we will be able to offer an alternative solution. Custom-made orthotics work best and have the greatest impact, if your feet are causing the condition being treated.
Orthotics can be used to help the following conditions if the feet are predisposing the problem:
- Metatarsalgia (pain in the bones in the middle part of the foot)
- Plantar fasciitis (pain in the soft tissue of the sole of the foot)
- Morton’s Neuroma
- Flat feet (if causing pain in the foot or elsewhere in the body)
- High arches (if causing pain in the foot or elsewhere in the body) Recurrent sports injuries
- Knee pain
- Hip pain
- Low back pain
- Sacroiliac joint pain
- Osteoarthritis in the knees, hips, pelvis or low back
- Patellofemoral pain syndrome
- Femoral acetabular impingment
- Iliotibial band friction syndrome
- Bursitis in the ankle, knee or hip
- Chronic ankle sprains
- Piriformis syndrome
- Achilles tendinopathy
- Patellar tendinopathy
- Snapping Psoas
- Gluteal tendonopathy
- Hamstring tendonopathy
- Recurrent Calf Strains and more…….