Orthotics can benefit nearly everyone, not just those with foot complaints. Orthotics may be thought of by many people as something to only use when you want to improve the comfort of your feet. But they do much more - benefits that go well beyond the feet. Orthotics can improve balance, back pain, posture, athletic performance, and more. Dr. Philip Caswell from Family Foot & Ankle Care may suggest trying orthotics in Sparta, NJ for foot complaints, but, you will undoubtedly discover that problems in other areas of your body improve as well.
How Can Orthotics Help Me?
Below are some benefits of wearing orthotics:
- Help foot pain: Orthotics even out the distribution of the weight of the body that lands on your foot every time you take a step. This makes it so that one part of your foot will not absorb most of the pressure from running and walking. When the distribution of body weight is unevenly placed on your foot, muscle imbalances may result. And that in turn can lead to injury.
- Help injuries heal: Orthotics take the pressure off specific parts of your foot that are injured and need to take a break from absorbing forces from the body. On the other hand, orthotics can make it so that healthier parts of the foot can handle the increased pressure. Orthotics can distribute weight in a way that helps your specific injury, allowing overworked structures to relax and heal.
- Even out leg asymmetry: Legs of different lengths are sometimes found to cause back, knee, or hip pain. Getting orthotics in Sparta, NJ may provide relief in this scenario. Using just one orthotic in the shoe of the shorter leg may be all that is needed to relieve pain. Another strategy is to try different thicknesses of orthotics in each shoe, evening out the asymmetry.
- Help with back pain: Posture and gait will be improved by wearing orthotics, resulting in a straighter spine and decreased back pain.
- Improve balance: Your balance will improve when your body weight is more evenly distributed on the foot.
- Shock absorption and support: Running and walking both produce big forces on your feet from the repeated pounding. Orthotics absorb the pounding forces before they pass on to your feet. Orthotics provide greater support to the feet over shoes alone. Because of this shock absorption, future injuries may be prevented.
- Improve athletic performance: Orthotics allow your muscles, tendons, and ligaments to do their main job, and not take away from that to absorb pressure. This can make you run faster and jump higher.
Contact Us
Schedule a consultation with Dr. Caswell from Family Foot & Ankle Care in Sparta, NJ to discuss orthotics. You can reach our office by calling (973) 300-9151.